Elephant In Thailand Dies After Being Fed Bananas By Tourists
Many countries often have attractions that allow tourists to interact with wild and exotic animals. However, such interactions may unknowingly cause harm to the animals themselves.
Recently in Thailand, a 20-year-old male elephant died after eating bananas fed to it by tourists.
Source: Dave Bezaire on Flickr, for illustration purposes only
The bananas were apparently chemically-contaminated with ethylene gas.
After consuming the fruit, the elephant fell sick and passed away.
Elephant eats chemically-contaminated bananas given by tourists
According to The Thaiger, the elephant was from Kaebai Meechai Elephant Camp in Koh Chang, eastern Thailand.
After a few tourists offered the elephant bananas, it fell sick within a few weeks. The creature reportedly began to suffer from flatulence and indigestion.
Understandably concerned, the camp called in a veterinarian from the Elephant Hospital in Lampang province to check on the animal.
Unfortunately, despite receiving many treatments, the elephant’s condition deteriorated and it passed on.
Source: The Thaiger
Following the elephant’s sudden illness, its mahout (trainer) Chaisawan “Nueng” Phisin apparently discovered that the tourists had bought the bananas from a market.
Fresh fruits from markets and stores are often treated with ethylene gas to allow them to ripen on their own. As such, the elephant had likely consumed a contaminated banana.
Camp to bury elephant’s carcass
In light of the incident, camp owner Sakchai Khanrakul claimed that a group is keen on buying the elephant’s carcass for S$3,907 (100,000 bath).
However, the camp doesn’t intend to sell it as the elephant had been raised there all its life. Moreover, staff at the camp loved the creature and had a strong connection with him.
Perhaps out of respect for the elephant, they thus chose to bury him.
Tourists shouldn’t feed animals fodo containing chemicals
Hoping to raise awareness about elephants’ diet, Director of Phattana Animal Hospital Phakphong Sangwiset shared that the creatures generally like to eat:
- leaves
- grass
- sugarcane
- bananas
They can also occasionally eat watermelon, cucumbers, and other fruits as a treat.
While such options appear to be safe, the elephant camp in question is taking precautions by warning visitors against feeding the elephants chemically-contaminated food.
Whether they intend to adopt other measures is unclear but we hope they’ll be more careful and perhaps stricter moving forward. That way, they can hopefully ensure the safety of the elephants in their care.
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Featured image adapted from Dave Bezaire on Flickr and The Thaiger. Image on the left for illustration purposes only.
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