Elephant calf ‘collapses with exhaustion’ while tied to its mother giving rides to tourists in Thailand
An elephant calf collapsed ‘with exhaustion’ while tied to its mother as she gave rides to tourists in eastern Thailand last week.
The animal, believed to be around a year old, was attached to its mother by the neck with a length of rope in Pattaya.
In the clip, filmed by a concerned tourist, onlookers can be heard saying ‘oh no he’s tired’ as the baby rolls on the ground as temperatures approached 40C.
He then stands up and scampers away to keep up with the adult at the Nong Nooch Tropical Gardens.
This elephant calf, believed to be around a year old, was filmed after reportedly collapsing with exhaustion
The animal was chained to its mother who was giving tourists rides in Pattaya, eastern Thailand. A concerned tourist filmed the baby elephant rolling along the ground
According to the tourist, who refused to be named, the baby elephant appeared to be exhausted from walking around the area collecting tourists who pay to ride its mother.
She said: ‘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.
‘This one baby elephant was so exhausted, and you can see the mother comforting and encouraging her to stand.’
The tourist is a Filipino migrant worker in Thailand’s neighbouring country Myanmar where she is a teacher.
She was with friends spending their vacation in the area when the incident happened.
In the clip, he then stands up and scampers away to keep up with the adult at the Nong Nooch Tropical Gardens, who have denied that the elephant was tired or mistreated
The tourist added: ‘I’m just concerned for the elephants and want to ensure their welfare is properly taken care of.’
A spokesman for the Nong Nooch Tropical Gardens today denied that the elephant was tired or being mistreated.
They said: ‘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.’
Earlier this month a baby elephant nicknamed Dumbo died at a show in Phuket, southern Thailand, became so skeletal its back legs snapped while performing.
The three-year-old animal, who was forced to perform up to three times a day, was pictured looking emaciated and was suffering from an infection before he collapsed.
His keepers took him to a veterinary clinic on April 17 where a scan showed that he had broken both of his back legs, and he died three days later.
Heart-warming moment baby elephant is nudged awake by her proud mother then takes her first few steps after her incredible Christmas Day birth at a Belgian zoo
A whole family of elephants at the Planckendael Zoo in Belgium helped an expectant mother give birth to a calf that weighed around 200 to 320 pounds.
The expectant mother, May Tagu, was filmed lightly kicking the amniotic sac hanging out of her birth canal.
After a day in labour, or two in some cases, the sac drops out, breaking and releasing the calf and a lot of fluid.
A family of elephants rejoiced after a calf was born on Christmas day, at Planckendael Zoo in Belgium
The birth was filmed by the zoo which showed the elephants surrounding the mother and calf in the stall.
As soon as the baby was born, the mother, and those assisting her, scraped dirt and grass over damp spots so the smell won’t attract predators.
The baby elephant clings to its mother May Tagu who may have carried the calf for up to 660 days, which is the average gestation period of an elephant
When the baby elephant is finally born, it can weigh around 200 lbs (91 kg) and stand about 3 feet (1 m) tall
Caretaker Ben Van Dyck said: ‘During the day, we understood that it was not going to take much time. We noticed it from the quality of (May’s) stools. (So) they decided to put a team on the night watch’.
‘After 20-25 minutes (after the birth), we noticed that the baby could already stand up and was making its first steps – always with two (elephants) bodyguards next to it.
‘It was fantastic. This is fantastic news for the team in charge of taking care of the elephant, certainly the best Christmas present for Planckendael (Zoo).’
After the family rub dirt all over the newborn, to warn predators off the smell, the calf will try to stand on its four legs
Covered in dirt: adult elephants smother the newborn in dirt to ward off predators who, if in the wild, may smell it
Adult elephants welcome the baby by tapping the baby’s trunk with their own trunk.
Unlike other newborns, the baby elephant wakes up, savvy enough to try and stand up by itself, and take shelter under an adult elephant.
Elephant pregnancies last the longest, totaling up to 23 months, which is roughly around 95 weeks.
Adult elephants welcome the baby by tapping the baby’s trunk with their own trunk