Thai elephants have been highly praised and nationally proclaimed throughout history, but very little has been done to protect them. The threats against Thai elephants come only from human exploitation. Direct threats include poaching for ivory and elephant calves, and illegal logging or roaming the city streets for money. Indirect threats involve mismanagement and shortsighted policies, such as deforestation for agriculture, industrial plantations, dams or road constructions and commercialization of the forest reserve areas.
One question often raised by observers is,"Why can't Thailand solve its elephant problem?” The answers vary. Some officials reply,"There are complications involved, the laws, the culture, the diminishing forest land, people's livelihoods, national revenue, etc.” Others reply,"Responsible organizations dare not do anything decisive for fear of conflicts.” There are even rumours about conflicts of interest surrounding elephant welfare. For the Thai Animal Guardians Association (AGA), the answer is, ‘Lack of unity'.
Many studies have been completed and many solutions have been proposed since 1991, but none of these have been implemented. Many committees have been formed and countless discussions have taken place but, so far, there has been no firm action. The obstacle is not the diversity of proposals. It is the lack of decisiveness and consistency of effort to solve the problem that has resulted in deteriorating conditions for the country's elephants. And success does not lie in following any particular path.