Gone are the days, when tourists in Thailand would flock to
parks to ride elephants on a so-called safari, with a keeper, or
mahout, strolling beside the large pachyderm brandishing a metal
hook they used to prod the animal to keep it walking in the right
direction.
Indeed, World Animal Protection
in August last year reported that its Thai team was leading a
group of specialists, nongovernment organisations, academics and
government representatives in drafting elephant protection
legislation to stop cruelty towards domestic elephants.
Thailand is the only nation in the world that classifies
elephants as either wild or domestic. And there are 27 pre-existing
laws to ensure that elephants are protected. However, when it comes
to the domesticated kind, the legislation doesn't always cover
them.
