Tankhun Jitt-itsara, an MP-turned-activist, has called for an investigation into the elephant centre in Chiang Mai that failed to relocate its elephants before a major flood hit the area, resulting in the deaths of three elephants.
His calls for an investigation come after three elephants from the Save Elephant Foundation, one of Thailand’s largest sanctuaries died. Two were swept away during evacuation efforts last week, and another died this week due to shock and stress.
This week Ms. Saengduean Chailert, founder of Save the Elephant Foundation arranged the burial and cremation of the remains of its own lost elephants in an effort to reduce their environmental impact.
When addressing the recent criticism she told Thai media, “we are a care center, not an elephant camp.” It takes diverse approaches to care for sick, aging, or abused elephants. She defended her practice of enclosing elephants in enclosures without the customary constraints, after it was called into question.
The elephant sanctuary suffered severe damage from floods, necessitating the evacuation of every animal, some elephants were hard to rescue because the roamed freely in fenced areas free of leg restraints, which stirred controversy by critics.
The critics will always criticize Ms. Saengduean said, even if they’ve never even been to our elephant sanctuary. My focus is on caring for these abused and injured animals and the people who support us.
Elephant conservationist Phra Aod, a monk at Chediluang Temple, said he supported Ms. Sangduaen methods. He said this tragic loss emphasizes how urgently we must step up measures to protect elephants, especially in the event of severe calamities. In the future, we need to be more prepared and learn from this catastrophe.
In the meantime, after severe floods ruined their supplies, twenty elephant shelters in Chiang Mai are asking for food contributions to feed over 300 elephants. Many people in Chiang Mai have been impacted by the recent flooding, including those in the Mae Taeng area, which is home to several elephant camps.
Almost all the Elephant camps have been flooded, and their food supplies have been wiped out, leaving them unable to provide for their elephants.
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Royal Thai Army Rushes to Rescue Elephants After Sanctuary Flooded in Chiang Mai