Baby Elephant Collapses With Exhaustion While Chained to Mom Giving Rides to Tourists

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He is only a year old, but this elephant calf so far has endured hardships for the short time he has been alive and this appears to be the case for many of our captive friends.

Temperatures in mid-May had soared to 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) at the Nong Nooch Tropical Gardens in Pattaya, eastern Thailand, and the young calf was tied by a rope to his mother, who was giving tourists a ride on her back.

During the ride, the baby collapsed due to “exhaustion,” as per The Daily Mail.

In a video captured by a tourist, the calf rolls over on the ground, and the concerned mother is seen gently trying to coax it back onto its feet.

One tourist, a Filipino migrant who works as a teacher in Myanmar and was holidaying with friends in Pattaya, said: “This one baby elephant was so exhausted, and you can see the mother comforting and encouraging her to stand.”

“I’m just concerned for the elephants and want to ensure their welfare is properly taken care of,” she further added, as per the Daily Mail.

The tourist was clearly concerned about the treatment that these gentle giants and their calves receive.

“There are many more baby elephants tied with their mother walking around with tourists at their backs enjoying under the heat of the sun while these elephants are suffering,” she said.

The video and photos of the incident show that the calf was obviously exhausted.

However, a spokesperson of the Nong Nooch Tropical Gardens told the Daily Mail that the elephant was not tired or mistreated. “All of the elephants are healthy and treated very well. If there is a problem they are treated by vets. All of the babies here are healthy,” he said.

In another incident, a 2-year-old elephant calf named Dumbo from Phuket Zoo died on April 20 when his front legs got stuck in the mud three days prior. He was unable to free his front legs. With the pressure exerted on his back legs, they gave way and snapped. According to the campaign group Moving Animals, Dumbo was emaciated and was still forced to perform tricks, such as kicking a soccer ball, balancing on a podium, and twirling hula-hoops.

Moving Animals filmed the distressing video of Dumbo and shared it on social media in the hope it would bring awareness to the calf’s plight and get him freed. The footage went viral, and the group began a petition, which garnered 200,000+ signatures in a week in a desperate attempt to see him released to an animal sanctuary. However, their efforts were in vain, as poor Dumbo died tragically and his short life came to an end.

When he was sent to a veterinarian, it was revealed that Dumbo had been suffering digestive tract infections for months, which made him extremely weak. “He had an infection that resulted in constant diarrhea, which caused other health complications, including the fact that his body was not absorbing nutrients as it should, which made him very weak,” the vet told local media, NY Post reported.

Moving Animals co-founder Amy Jones said: “His skeletal body clearly suggested that he was unwell and could be suffering from malnourishment and exhaustion. And yet the zoo did nothing until receiving international criticism...This is a tragic and horrific end to Dumbo’s heartbreakingly-short life. For Dumbo to die whilst under the so-called ‘care’ and ’treatment' of the zoo shows just how neglected these animals are in captivity.”

The group is hoping that by highlighting the plight of these elephants being forced to perform for money and entertainment, the public will get behind a push to help save them. “No animals deserve to repeat Dumbo’s tragic story,” said Jones.

Most tourists who enjoy the interactions with these gentle giants have no idea of the torture they may be enduring. It is only by educating ourselves to their plight that we can hope for a positive change.