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Thai elephants were forced to carry humans for 25 years, their spines were crushed into pits, and they were abandoned when they were old

author:Those things in the UK

In February, the animal group Friends of Wildlife Thailand (WFFT) exposed a heart-wrenching photo.

The photo shows a female elephant named "Pai Lin", who is 71 years old this year.

Having worked in Thailand's trekking industry for 25 years, having been forced to load countless tourists, her spine is now severely sunken inward.

Thai elephants were forced to carry humans for 25 years, their spines were crushed into pits, and they were abandoned when they were old

It stands to reason that a healthy elephant should have a slightly upward arch on its back in a circular arc ... But after decades of weight bearing, Pai Lin's spine has developed irreversible distortions.

Foundation staff told the media that she was even forced to carry six visitors at once.

Thai elephants were forced to carry humans for 25 years, their spines were crushed into pits, and they were abandoned when they were old

(Pai Lin on the left, normal elephant on the right)

As we all know, elephant riding has always been a very popular tourist activity in Thailand.

Many elephants are forced to exhaust decades of long lives, "carrying their handlers, hordes of tourists, and heavy elephant sedans all day long." ”

The so-called elephant palanquin is actually an iron seat that is fixed to the elephant by a rope.

According to the foundation's members, the palanquin plus the weight of the visitor creates a constant pressure that causes the tissues and bones of the elephant's back to sink and deteriorate, injuring the spine.

Thai elephants were forced to carry humans for 25 years, their spines were crushed into pits, and they were abandoned when they were old

(Schematic)

Tom Taylor, the Foundation's Program Director, further explained:

"While elephants may be known for their strength and size, their backs are not designed to carry weight because their spine extends upwards."

"It's important to understand that elephants, unlike horses, are not bred to be ridden. They are not domesticated animals, but are captured from the wild and raised in terrible conditions. ”

Pai Lin's body is the most powerful proof of this. Until now, decades later, her back still bears traces of being weighed down by the elephant palanquin.

Thai elephants were forced to carry humans for 25 years, their spines were crushed into pits, and they were abandoned when they were old

Sadly, these elephants have worked for most of their lives and have suffered severe damage in all aspects of their bodies.

But when they grow old one day, they are not waiting for care, but for being thrown away.

At first, Pai Lin was abandoned by the previous owner because he was too slow and had an injury.

Fortunately, in 2007, members of the foundation brought her back.

At the time, Pai Lin was about 45 years old and in rather poor health. She is too underweight and smaller than other elephants.

In addition, due to an upper respiratory infection, her nose and eyes were filled with secretions, and her whole head was miserable.

Thai elephants were forced to carry humans for 25 years, their spines were crushed into pits, and they were abandoned when they were old

The foundation's veterinarian immediately performed a thorough health check for Pai Lin and gave her vitamins, delicious food and plenty of water.

Under the careful care of everyone, her condition slowly improved.

Since then, Pai Lin has been housed in the foundation's sanctuary.

She became the oldest elephant in the entire sanctuary and was affectionately known as "Grandma Elephant".

And she lives there with 22 other elephants.

Like Pai Lin, these elephants have been tortured. Most of these abused years also last decades.

Among them, an elephant named Boon Chuey is particularly similar to Pai Lin's experience.

Thai elephants were forced to carry humans for 25 years, their spines were crushed into pits, and they were abandoned when they were old

Boon Chuey is nearly fifty or sixty years old. Over the past few decades, she has been subjected to various forms of slavery.

At first, Boon Chuey worked in a lumberyard.

Bound by heavy iron chains, she carries tons of wood and goods every day.

There she was exposed to the sun and rain, treated as a "living crane", polished by wood, and mercilessly whipped at the slightest sluggishness.

Thai elephants were forced to carry humans for 25 years, their spines were crushed into pits, and they were abandoned when they were old

Later, Boon Chuey also begged on the streets of Bangkok, performed animal shows, and was scolded to cooperate with the "owner" to make various actions, just in exchange for such a star and a half of rations.

When she was older, she was forced to become a "mount" for carrying passengers at tourist attractions.

After years of doing this, Boon Chuey, like Pai Lin, had a severely sunken spine that formed a terrifying arc.

Thai elephants were forced to carry humans for 25 years, their spines were crushed into pits, and they were abandoned when they were old

The only good thing is that in 2014, Boon Chuey was also rescued by members of the foundation, which completely escaped the fate of human exploitation.

Now, like Pai Lin, she's living a life that's very different from what she once was.

The entire reserve covers an area of 44 acres. There are trees, lakes, and a huge field for them to play freely.

Thai elephants were forced to carry humans for 25 years, their spines were crushed into pits, and they were abandoned when they were old

After suffering for most of their lives, these elephants finally no longer have to run back and forth on the city streets, are driven by shouting, forced to become tools, and experience the solitude of living in isolation.

They can stand on the grass again, breathe the fresh air of freedom, do not have to worry about food, and enjoy the care of professionals.

Thai elephants were forced to carry humans for 25 years, their spines were crushed into pits, and they were abandoned when they were old

(Elephant injured by a training stick)

Now, after the physical and mental wounds have been slowly healed, these elephants have gradually regained their nature.

Boon Chuey would play alone from time to time and looked very mischievous.

Thai elephants were forced to carry humans for 25 years, their spines were crushed into pits, and they were abandoned when they were old

And Pai Lin is also under the careful care of the staff, no longer skinny, and gradually regains its due roundness.

According to the foundation's staff, she is very comfortable with her current life.

But both Boon Chuey and Pai Lin seem to prefer solitude to other elephants.

Especially Pai Lin, who has an extremely introverted personality. She prefers human attention to her peers.

I don't know if she still thinks in her mind that she must please human beings in order to survive.

Thai elephants were forced to carry humans for 25 years, their spines were crushed into pits, and they were abandoned when they were old

It can be seen that even if there are WFFT organizations like this trying their best to rescue, the double damage that elephants have suffered physically and psychologically is still destined to be difficult to eliminate.

Therefore, the foundation will specially release Pai Lin's photo this time, in addition to raising public awareness of elephant abuse, but also to launch a call to all sectors of society:

I hope that the tragic experience of Boon Chuey and Pai Lin will attract the attention of tourists.

I hope you will stop participating in rides that exploit elephants, and above all, never ride elephants again.

Thai elephants were forced to carry humans for 25 years, their spines were crushed into pits, and they were abandoned when they were old

Once Pai Lin's story was exposed, it also caused a lot of heated discussions on the Internet.

Many netizens are quite angry about this kind of animal cruelty:

"Poor elephant... I would also like to say that I think zoos should only exist if they can provide better life and protection for the animals inside. ”

Thai elephants were forced to carry humans for 25 years, their spines were crushed into pits, and they were abandoned when they were old

"Cruelty to animals is a collective stain that belongs to all of humanity unless we stop abusing animals in boring activities such as sports, running, hunting or tourist entertainment. If animals abuse humans in this way, we will go crazy. Gandhi was right, and a country's attitude towards animals shows the degree of civilization. ”

Thai elephants were forced to carry humans for 25 years, their spines were crushed into pits, and they were abandoned when they were old

"I love these gentle behemoths. So much killing, abuse, and stealing fangs is simply meaningless. Her back must be hurting. Thank God for having angels on earth, and they are saving and caring for the animals as much as possible. ”

Thai elephants were forced to carry humans for 25 years, their spines were crushed into pits, and they were abandoned when they were old

In addition, some netizens thought of the terrible experiences of other elephants.

Clearly, Pai Lin is not the first elephant to experience this abuse, nor will he be the last:

"I want people to stop and use their brains to think about it. Poor Moti, a 35-year-old elephant who died last week, felt kindness for less than a month in his life. He broke a leg, unfortunately became infected, and the soles of his feet and feet were completely peeled off, but his so-called 'master' still wanted him to continue working until he collapsed six weeks ago. While Wildlife Rescue stepped in, it was too late for Moti... Hope he can rest in peace. These wonderful lives deserve to be treated better. Ay!! I wish Pai Lin was already living in the sanctuary... Think about it, for 71 years she was lonely and isolated, handcuffed to chains, tortured ... It's all because of cruel humans. ”

Thai elephants were forced to carry humans for 25 years, their spines were crushed into pits, and they were abandoned when they were old

"I visited there when I was 20 years old and thought elephant riding would be fun, so I went there to see it when I rode past the elephant breeding site. It's so disgusting. I saw a mother elephant who was taken away from her little baby by humans and subjected to brutal treatment. The baby elephant was in pain and was leashed, and the mother elephant was incredibly frightened. Simply outrageous. ”

Thai elephants were forced to carry humans for 25 years, their spines were crushed into pits, and they were abandoned when they were old

Since the end of the pandemic, tourism has recovered.

Many businessmen saw the opportunity to make a profit and put their money back into popular elephant riding projects.

Without intervention to stop animal abuse, the story of Pai Lin and Boon Chuey will only play out countless times to come.

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