economy

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic in Thailand, the tourist-driven economy elevated the use of elephants for the amusement of visitors and the profits of owners. In the space between the pandemic and slow economic recovery, several stories have emerged about the plight of elephants, both those privately owned and in the wild.  In 2019, a baby elephant named Ploy in the training village of Ban Ta Klang in Surin province was photographed in chains, with its trainer holding a daunting rod, supposedly used in training the animal to perform a variety of tricks. Earlier this year, also in Surin, a baby elephant named Pho Jai was forcibly made to dance at a monk ordination ceremony.

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