Baby Elephants in Bangkok

I was walking in Sukhumvit Soi 4, sightseeing with my friend. I saw two men with a baby elephant. One of the men was selling sugarcane and cucumber to tourists and Thai people so they could feed his elephant. In Thailand, it is considered good luck to touch an elephant or to have an elephant touch you.

The men do this after the rice farming is finished. They buy the sugarcane and cucumber at the market cheaply, then sell them in small bundles at a marked up price. In this way, he makes a profit. The elephant gets fed, and the people get good luck.

Unfortunately, this is illegal, but the police seem to tolerate it.

Elephants need lots of food and water every day, but Thailand’s forests are rapidly disappearing and most elephants are now captive on farms and at tourist sites, where they give elephant rides and demonstrate how they can pull heavy logs. Sphere: Related Content