Activists Calling For Total Ban Of Elephant Trafficking From China, Dubai, And Thailand

It's hard to believe that Thailand has a burgeoning underground elephant trade, but this is what activists have recently revealed. They have also started to call for stricter measures concerning the prosecution of people involved in this illegal trade. There have been cases of illegal animal trafficking in Thailand, Dubai, and also China.

This was revealed after an investigator unearthed cases of young elephants being brought across the borders of these countries illegally. In the case of China, the elephants are being brought over from Laos and moved across the border to be flown to the Middle East. Independent UK says that each elephant brings up to $295,040.12 in illegal trade profit.

Karl Amman, the filmmaker, was instrumental in bringing this trade to light. It was filmed in his documentary; the investigative filmmaker managed to trace the locations where the elephants were being sold to. Primarily, these animals end up in zoos, circuses, and other places like 'safari parks' where they suffer sub-standard living conditions, all for the price of an admission ticket.

The same situation is happening in Thailand, where the elephants are being brought in from neighboring country Myanmar. It's not enough that they are forcibly taken from their natural habitat-these animals endure freakish torture, aside from inhumane conditions. These, according to the investigation, were meant to break the animals as well as lower their spirit to make them more 'obedient' to commands.

These young elephants, when moved from their habitats, are taken forcibly from their mothers. Sydney Morning Herald reveals the harrowing manner in which these calves are brought up; they are given to foster mothers. The problem is that it has a low success rate; these adult female elephants may or may not accept the child as their own. In most cases, the calf is tethered to its surrogate mother using a chain or a rope.

The capture of these baby elephants is even more harrowing. Poachers, without a care for the familial bond these creatures have in the wild, will take the calves by any means necessary. What this means is that these infants can be removed from their parents through the elimination of the mother, lowering the numbers of elephants to an even more dangerous level.

In the part of UK, they are lobbying for a law that bans any tour package involving places that may have these captive elephants. It's not only for the tourists' safety-it's also to stop the promotion of this cruel trade.

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