Baby elephants are being bred into captivity to perform tricks for paying tourists, an investigation has found.
Disturbing footage allegedly taken at Maesa Elephant Nursery in northern Thailand shows animals being hit and scraped by sharp metal bullhooks.
One of the many baby elephants bred into captivity in Thailand (Picture: Amy Jones/Moving Animals)
A keeper holds a sharp metal bullhook over the elephant’s head (Picture: Amy Jones/Moving Animals)
A keeper rides an elephant as it’s forced to play football (Picture: Amy Jones/Moving Animals)
A curious baby elephant in seen in its wooden enclosure (Picture: Amy Jones/Moving Animals)
A chained elephant pulls heavy logs for paying tourists (Picture: Amy Jones/Moving Animals)
Activist Amy Jones claims the elephants are bred into captivity to become money-making ‘performers’ to entertain tourists.
She said tourists pay to see the infant calves at the ‘nursery’ before walking over to the camp’s performance ground, where older, trained elephants perform tricks.
Over 20 elephants take part in these performances, and perform three times a day, according to the investigators.
Elephants were seen painting pictures while their keepers pinch their ears to guide the paintbrush.
Other elephants use their trunks to throw sharp darts at balloon targets, and kick footballs into goals.
Tourists watch elephants paint a picture in the distance (Picture: Amy Jones/Moving Animals)
An elephant performs a trick for the watching tourists (Picture: Amy Jones/Moving Animals)
A keeper chains an elephant’s leg (Picture: Amy Jones/Moving Animals)
An elephant pushes a heavy log during a forced performance (Picture: Amy Jones/Moving Animals)
At one point in the disturbing footage, the elephants are forced to pull and stack heavy logs.