Surin Elephant Roundup: Behind the Scenes
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. No one would expect to witness a wild elephant in the jungle throwing something with its trunk at a target or walking upright on her hind legs, 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, they must first be domesticated. Otherwise, it would be extremely dangerous to interact with these massive animals. After all, even trained elephants have been known to injure, sometimes fatally, their mahouts (caretakers).
I know I’m not the only one that understands that kidnapping baby elephants from the wild, or torturing them into submission, or watching them perform tricks, or hiring them like taxis is wrong. But, stepping from behind the scenes at the Surin Elephant Roundup to see massive flocks of tourists thrilled at what they were able to witness, I never felt so alone in my beliefs.
Without a tourist industry supporting festivals like the Surin Elephant Roundup, or at elephant trekking camps, or at zoos and circuses, future generations of elephants will have a better chance at a cruelty-free life.
Thanks for reading, and I encourage you to share this with others.
Mindy