Source: Global Times
[Global Times Comprehensive Report] The new crown pneumonia epidemic severely impacted Thailand's tourism industry. Elephants who had previously made money by performing for tourists have been "unemployed".
According to Reuters html on the 49th, in order to support a family, Thailand's 23-year-old elephant breeder Siriporn Sapmak live broadcasts elephants on social media every day. She said that the rewards earned by the two elephants at home for a few hours of live broadcasting every day are only about 1,000 baht (about 190 yuan), which is only enough for the elephant's feed.
Edwinwick, founder of the Friends of Wildlife Foundation in Thailand, said that before the number of tourists increased, at least 1,000 elephants in Thailand did not bring enough income to their owners. In 2021, 400,000 tourists traveled to Thailand, only 1% of that in 2019. There are currently about 3,200-4,000 elephants artificially bred in Thailand. It is expected that the number of elephants will further increase in the near future, which will inevitably intensify the life pressure of elephant breeders. Since the epidemic in 2020, the Thai government has allocated 500,000 kilograms of forage to various governments to support elephant breeders. The government is said to provide financial support to elephant farmers, but it is not yet certain when the budget will be approved. (Wang Pinzhi)
