Baby elephant tied to its mother's feet collapses out of exhaustion due to soaring heat in Thailand
A baby elephant in Thailand has collapsed out of exhaustion while the mother was carrying tourists. According to a report by Mirror, the incidence occurred in Pattaya, Thailand, which is one of the most popular tourist destinations in South East Asia. Thailand is known for its wildlife and beaches and elephants form a big part of its wildlife attractions.
It was reported that temperatures had reached around 104 Fahrenheit (40C) during the time of the day when this incident occurred. The baby elephant was tied by a rope to its mother and was walking beside her when it collapsed. It was further reported that the baby was not more than a year old and onlookers later observed the mother caressing the calf after it fell. Thankfully, the calf was not in a critical state and could get up after some encouragement.
Calves are usually tied to their mothers when they are carrying tourists around and despite the time of the day, they are usually made to follow their mothers. The temperatures in the country can easily go beyond a hundred making the conditions excruciatingly painful for the animals, especially young calves.
Elephant rides are part of the local tourist attractions in Thailand and numerous Thai people train and rear elephants to be a part of the tourism business. Authorities, however, say that a lot of the locals do take very good care of these mammoth beings as they depend on them for their livelihood.
This incident comes just a month after another baby elephant died while performing tricks in a Thai zoo. It happened in Phuket which is yet another popular tourist destination for its beaches and fabulous sea-side resorts. The two-year-old elephant named Dumbo had broken its leg and later died. The calf was forced to perform tricks including kicking a football and balancing on podiums which are incredibly difficult feats for a young animal to perform, according to a report.
The video of the animal had gone viral and caused massive outrage on social media for the brutal nature in which these animals were being treated, stated the report. The growing number of such incidents has brought a lot of attention to the conditions of these animals and there has been a growing pressure on authorities to ensure their safety.