Abusive taming of baby elephant for Thai tourism

Abusive taming of a baby elephant for Thai tourism #922​Show more

Footage of a distressed baby elephant jabbed by bullhooks at a Thai camp to tame it before joining the tourist industry has been released by conservationists in an appeal to end the practice.

The footage, taken on a hidden camera last year and published Wednesday by UK-based animal rights group World Animal Protection (WAP), shows what they say is the forced separation of a two-year-old female elephant from her mother

Footage of a distressed baby elephant jabbed by bullhooks at a Thai camp to tame it before joining the tourist industry in an appeal to end the practice.

The footage, taken on a hidden camera last year and published Wednesday by UK-based animal rights group World Animal Protection (WAP), shows what they say is the forced separation of a two-year-old female elephant from her mother.

The distraught calf is confined to a small space known as the "crush box" and held by chains and ropes for days as she struggles to escape.

Calves are repeatedly jabbed with a bullhook, a long rod with a sharpened metal tip, to get them to understand basic commands, sometimes causing bleeding.

About 3,000 domesticated elephants work in Thailand's tourism sector, used for rides and performing tricks for travellers.