Clubbing and elephant-feeding, all in one night

by Jerry Guo on

Here’s one quirky thing about Bangkok. In the Nana red-light district, it’s not surprising to see go-go dancers next to an elephant handler. Each night, you’ll find on average half a dozen elephants roaming the streets of Bangkok.

Their handlers, known as mahouts, go about trying to get tourists to buy on-hand treats, such as sugar cane, for the elephants. It turns out to be a pretty lucrative way to make a living (relatively speaking). One handler makes about $67 a day compared to $270 for working in a factory.

But it’s not all fun and games. The mahouts depend on their elephants for their livelihood. On the other hand, keeping elephants in downtown Bangkok is quite inconsiderate. The police haven’t found a good solution, though a Stray Elephant Task Force was created last year with undercover officers who try to keep the elephants out of Bangkok. Things aren’t looking good, according to the New York Times:

“To be honest, nobody wants to do this job, nobody wants to deal with the elephants,” said Prayote Promsuwon, who is in charge of the Stray Elephant Task Force, which was formed after an elephant handler, fleeing the police, raced his elephant the wrong way down a large Bangkok boulevard, causing traffic chaos.

The World’s Craziest Sports

by Justin Glow on

Forbes Traveler is running an interesting story on what they’re calling the world’s craziest sports, including chess boxing, typewriter tossing, cheese chasing, camel wrestling, and something called kabaddi, an Asian sport that’s a mix between the popular children’s game of tag, and swimming — without the water. The game “involves trying to ‘tag’ members of an opposing team and making it back to your side of the court,” explains Forbes Traveler. “all while holding your breath.”

Or how about the World Series of Elephant Polo? “… this sport can look freakish. Elephants move surprisingly fast (remember that on your next walking safari), but they’re not exactly maneuverable.”

For even more bizarre sports from around the world, visit Forbes Traveler.

Goodbye Elephants in Zoos

by Erik Olsen on

A sad, sad story right out of my backyard.
Looks like keeping elephants around isn’t as easy as it might seem. Turns out they eat a lot and need lots of room to
roam. Who knew? And so it goes at the Bronx zoo where officials there have decided that they will shut down
their elephant exhibits when the animals they currently have die. The zoo has an their playful pachyderms on display
for almost a century. And Maxine, Patty, and Happy, who are all in their mid-30s and have lived at the zoo for most of
their lives, still have some years in them. The effort here ,as the article states ,is part of a trend across the
nation where zoos are dumping their elephants. I don’t see the problem, really? I mean, how much can an elephant really
eat? Oh, that much? Well, I guess it makes sense then.

Vengeful Pachederms

by Erik Olsen on

Here’s a short, true story.

Years
ago when I was traveling in the middle part of Thailand, near a town called Kanchanaburi. I made a visit to a National Park there famous for its wild
elephants. I went out in a Jeep late one night with a small group of folks and a big spotlight, and we came upon a herd
of wild elephants hanging out at a watering hole…or maybe it was a salt lick. I forget. No matter. The point is that
this was an intensely thrilling moment. There we were in great unfenced place watching wild elephants cavorting and
hanging out.

And when one of the elephants took offense to having the light shone directly into its big
yellow eyes, it charged us. Even though he was a good 30 yards away, when the driver put the Jeep in reverse and the
pissed-off pachyderm got closer and closer, why, my heart pounded in my chest like a percussion grenade. One of the
other travelers in the Jeep, a Brit if I recall correctly, even wet himself. (He denied this, but the evidence was
plain for all to see). Elephants, despite their appearance as big. laid back mammals, can actually be very mean, very
dangerous. They will stomp you into pulp if you are not careful.

In fact, soon after having this perilous
experience, I read an article in the Bangkok Post about a photographer who went to with a Buddhist who was known for
taming elephants. He’d approach them and put his hand on their massive foreheads, perhaps uttering a soothing
"oooohhhm" as he did so. Well, the article described how the crushed remains of both Buddhist and
photographer were fond in the grass of this very same park, and right beside them was found a camera. The last photo on
the roll was a picture of the Buddhist reaching out with his open palm, placing it on the elephant’s forehead. The
flash had just gone off and the look of angry shock in the animal’s eyes was very much like that of the animal that
charged us that night. Apparently he didn’t like having his photo taken.

All of this leads me to the new
research revealed
in this article, which suggests that elephants can not only kill, but they can do so with a degree of vengeful
intent. Yes, elephants seek revenge. I provide the link so that if you should find yourself out in a national park
where wild elephants roam, make sure that they can’t recognize you. Wear a mask, or at least make sure the Brit
in the Jeep with you is holding the light.