Someone Isn't Enjoying the Ride

Ceremonial dunking -- elephants inthe mahout training class spray and dunk their students. Boon rot is using her trunk to spray. (Alexander Feshenko.)

The best hope for Thailand's elephants would be government backing for sanctuaries such as Elephant Nature Park and Elephant Haven, two private, nonprofit sanctuaries near the Burmese border that were established by animal rights activist Sangduen "Lek" Chailert to allow elephants to live in a protected natural setting. Their exemplary work has riled those unhappy at the prospect of replacing phaajaans with more time-consuming breaking methods and has earned Chailert death threats, but also recognition by Time magazine as a "hero of Asia." Similar sanctuaries have long operated in Africa.

A system of national parks could provide Thailand and its tourist industry another valuable revenue stream. But the biggest payoff would be helping replenish the once robust population of Asian elephants, now only about one-tenth the size of Africa's (which numbers between 470,000 and 690,000, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources).

Without sufficient funding and official support, though, this seems unlikely to happen anytime soon. So most of the burden of easing the pachyderm population's decline falls on elephant camps, which need better oversight and improvements to make sure that they operate humanely.

On my final night at Anantara camp, as we sent giant candle-powered paper lanterns known as kum loys floating upward toward a star-filled sky, I sent up with them my wishes that the once stately elephant's run of bad luck might finally come to an end.

mikesnow@starpower.net

Mike Snow is a Washington-based freelance writer who reports frequently on Asia.