Fate of the Thai Elephant
The elephant’s role in Thailand can be compared to the cows’ in India. Both animals give their nation services that no other animal can give. The Thai elephant, however, seems to walk hand in hand with Thailand’s monarchical history. Since time immemorial, Thai elephants have served the monarch and his family.
Thailand, the home of white elephants, has been known as the “Land of White Elephant.” Where else in the world can you find white elephants being highly honoured and respected but by the wise Thai rulers? Until these days, elephants are still well regarded in Thailand. They, like a pure dove flying above, are considered as the symbol of peace, cooperation and prosperity.
Why not? The harnessed and tamed elephants have long been an indispensable and integral element of Thai society and their very culture for hundreds of years. Once trained, these elephants, in whatever colour they may be, faithfully follows people the way a good servant does. The war elephants were often used in battles.
They served as transportation for Kings as well as by the Royal Army Officers. A fraction of the war elephants were used like horses by the loyal soldiers of the King.
During the times before modern vehicles, there were over 100,000 elephants in Thailand. It is sad to say that today; Thai elephants have been greatly reduced in numbers, today there are maybe around 4,000 – a grave 96% decline. The reason behind their depletion is due to their capture as they were used for logging and various transportation activities. Many of the Thai elephants are taught skills to perform on entertainment shows thus they are mistreated most of the time. Some elephants serves as vehicles for tourists during mountain treks. With shame, they also beg in urban areas along with their poor owners who suffer with them.
With all the abuse and suffering that man has caused the Thai elephants, the Thai Elephant Conservation Center (TECC) was founded to protect the animals that spent their lives in service. The conservation centre has made efforts to widen the scope of conservation.
To avail the needs of the elephants in Thailand TECC was changed into the National Elephant Institute. Therefore, as its name implies, elephants all over Thailand can be conserved. Its office is located at Amphoe Hang Chat, in Lampang province. The main objective of the organization of the new and broader National Elephant Institute is to sustain the conservation and preservation of elephants along with the management to maintain the local traditions for the knowledge of future Thai generations.
The institute also aims to maximize the profits of tourism by the all-embracing participation of elephants to attract tourists in an elephant-friendly way.
The Thai elephant surely is a priced treasure. For the many services it has rendered Thailand and for the faithfulness of its heart, they deserve the conservation and preservation that the government has made for them. The fate of the elephant after all is not tragic. Instead, the future generation awaits them with a smile.
