Anti-Elephant Begging Graffiti

Australian artist Brooke Bobridge, who is currently living in Bangkok, Thailand, took a series of graffiti by local and international artists imploring passer-bys NOT to feed the elephants. They want to discourage "elephant begging" where the pachyderms are used to part tourists from their dollars (or technically, bahts).

Link - via amy sol blog


And even more technically it's just "baht", which is both singular and plural.

But I don't comment solely to be pedantic about language.

I once looked into the eyes of an elephant that was on a footpath in a busy area of Bangkok. I thought I'd seen the whole world and all its pain in one glance. It was horrifying. I knew then that sugarcane and bananas were not the thing for this big critter to be eating and that the concrete and asphalt of the city wasn't the place for it to be. A jungle or a large pasture and bale of alfalfa hay would be nice for the elephant.

The issue of elephants in the city has been a vexing one for a long time. The animals and their handlers have often been expelled from the city, only to return and continue their begging ways.

I'm not going to get into why the elephants are captured out of the wild to work with the men in the first place. That's a whole other issue.

But the Thai government has recently come up with scheme to microchip the pachyderms and subsidize putting them and their mahouts in zoos, wildlife sanctuaries and tourist-oriented elephant camps outside the city.

http://www.dailyxpress.net/2009/04/27/coverstory/coverstory_5937.php
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I have seen a few of these poor pachyderms both in Bangkok and Chiang Mai. It's really a sad sight. On the other hand, the apparent sponsors of these murals (Elephant Nature Park) is a great place. Located a bit outside Chiang Mai it offers sancuary for overworked, hurt or orphaned elephants. We visited the park a while back and it was a wonderful experience. If you find yourself in or near CM, please visit their office and make a donation. Or go on a day-trip (or two-day and one night) to see the elephants in their natural habitat. We got to help scrub the elephants backs in the nearby river (they love to be scrubbed on their backs) and at the time there was even three lovely little elephant babies in the group. Visit their website here:

http://greygonemad.livejournal.com/46973.html
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A great effort! Every single tribute helps to get worldwide attention and, finally, to stamped this sad abuse out!
The mentioned link is one of my sets in Flickr containing together more than 400 photos of only roaming street-elephants in Bangkok.
Following the last promises from the authorities during almost a decade it seems that the (finally) succeeded to get any success! Let's wait and see!
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wisekwai:

Unfirtunately the authorities are still turning a blind eye which meant that my denouncement stranded a very short while ago:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/toni_uni/3690470463/

and the day afterthe same sad story:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/toni_uni/3695659051/

It's tiring but I don't give up.

Please join my (new) Flickr-group "Thailand's begging-street elephants)mentioned in "Website" to spread the word!

I'm greatful that a part of my photo album has been mentioned under the art-work as "begging elephants"!
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