Elephant tourism in Thailand in the eye of controversy again

Thursday, December 23, 2021

Those who have attended the elephant swimming exhibition at KhaoKheow Open Zoo southeast of Bangkok are surprised that it has been criticized citing animal cruelty and misuse.

A recent controversy over an award-winning photo of a swimming elephant at KhaoKheow illustrates the friction that exists between animal rights activists and people who manage, appreciate and benefit from elephant tourism in Thailand.

The debate centers on issues of animal welfare, media representation and cultural bias.

The latest uproarstarted in October 2021 after a photo by Australian photojournalist Adam Oswell bagged the Wildlife Photographer of the Year (WPY) award for Photojournalism. Run by the Natural History Museum (NHM) of London since 1964, the annual WPY is a prestigious contest.

Taken at KhaoKheow and called, “Elephant in the Room,”Oswell’s photo depicts an elephant with its head and body submerged while a trainer, or mahout, swims above in what looks to be a relatively small tank. People of various ages, mostly Asian, are featured watching the elephant.

WPY host Chris Packham called the scene “wholly unacceptable.” Reactions to the photo on social media were harsher, using adjectives like “sickening,” “vile” and “barbaric.”

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