Surin Elephant Round up.
Recently, I had the opportunity to visit the Surin Elephant Roundup, a government-sanctioned festival celebrating Thailand’s revered Asian elephant. The multi-day event draws large crowds all eager to witness elephants showcasing their amazing abilities. Elephants dancing to Gangnam Style, throwing darts to pop balloons, playing an organized game of soccer and even walking upright to slam dunk a basketball were all on display.I think it’s safe to assume that everyone knows these skills are not natural for elephants to perform. let alone kicking a ball or painting. Elephants are trained to do these tricks, and they’re smart enough to learn over 200 commands.
The Surin Elephant Roundup is a festival that attracts flocks of Thai and international tourists to an otherwise sleepy place. The natural forest habitat of the Asian elephant has been completely logged, and in its place are acres upon acres of rice fields. Surin province was once the heartland of Thailand’s wild elephants. Now, there are zero. Not a single wild elephant exists in Surin. There are, however, approximately 300 domesticated ones. It may not be obvious, but in order for a new generation of elephants to be employed in the tourism industry.
The elephant buffet. I walked through the fruit- and vegetable-lined streets of downtown Surin, along with thousands of other tourists and over 200 elephants. I saw an elephant unsure of his footing, afraid to step on a tourist who wasn’t aware he was caught between two elephants. I saw elephants overeating, instinct telling them to eat the food offered but their stomachs refusing to accept anything else, and then throwing up. I saw beautifully clean elephants in the hot sun for hours, without mud on their skin for protection. I saw young elephants rocking in fear, with their mahouts forcing them to street beg for tiny sticks of bamboo, when the abundance of free food could have fed an entire village.
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