As I was searching for news articles, this caught my eye. I saw that in Sherstin's Bio, as well as a few others, that people were interested in riding elephants on our trip, so I thought I would take a look at this article. I know that tourism is a huge part of the Thai economy, and that the elephant is a national icon in that country. Most people really respect the creatures, but unfortunately poaching has become a huge problem, due to the value of Ivory on the Black Market. This is hopefully a side of Thailand that we won't be exposed to, but I think it is important for us to know. Just for fun (and to see how amazing these creatures are), I found the following video of Thai Elephant Trainers who have taught the animals how to play basketball.
Here is the link to the poaching article:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-16795416
Ben Rindlisbacher
That video is amazing. It would be so fun if we were able to go see a show like that while we are in Thailand and Cambodia. Hopefully the government will do something about the poaching, so that elephants don't go extinct!
ReplyDeleteKatie Robinson
I am way excited to ride on an elephant in Thailand. Poaching will always be a problem I feel. We can only hope that the situation will be controlled going forward.
ReplyDeleteRiding an elephant would be awesome! I hope we get the opportunity to do so.
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