More than a decade ago in Thailand, it was common for elephant owners to take their animals into the cities and beg in the streets. Other elephants were put to work by illegal loggers to harvest timber and haul it out of forest. Gradually, Thailand succeeded in reducing such practices and improving the lives of domesticated elephants. But now, coronavirus that is sickening humans around the world may threaten to undo that progress. A sudden drop in foreign tourists has forced the closing of dozens of elephant parks and similar tourist attractions, putting more than 1000 elephants in Thailand out of work and endangering their future. For many owners, just keeping them fed is now a more urgent concern. Feeding an elephant can cost as much as $40 per day – more than three times the minimum daily wage in Thailand. Unless the government intervened, some elephants would be forced back onto the streets or even into illegal logging operations. Due to outbreak of coronavirus, there is a sudden drop of visitors to Thailand. In February, overall tourists were down by 44% compared with a year early. Tourism is a huge part of Thai economy. The virus effects have been felt nationwide and the elephant attractions have been hit hard. The Maetaeng park used to get 1000 visitors a day. On last Saturday, there were only four. A group that promotes the welfare of elephants in Thailand has urged the government to establish a fund for elephant owners and park owners to buy food for the elephants.
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