Sickest show on Earth
Elephants forced to do tricks, orangutans made to box each other.. all for the tourist trade
It was an animal house of horrors... incredibly distressing AARON GEKOSKI WILDLIFE CAMPAIGNER
An elephant sits on a cold, stone floor as it tosses a hoop into the air with its trunk. The audience of tourists gasp with delight, apparently unaware of how much the animal is suffering.
At another zoo, terrified orangutans have boxing gloves strapped to their wrists and are forced to slog it out in front of baying crowds, while female apes are dressed up as ring girls in bikinis and mini-skirts.
Animals are abused for entertainment like this every day in so-called sanctuaries in Thailand. More than 10 million people a year flock to the wildlife shows.
Environmentalist and photojournalist Aaron Gekoski, who has been docu- menting the mistreatment, says: “I saw drugged elephants shackled to chains by night, and then made to ‘dance’ or play football all day; grossly overweight or underweight orangutans kept in tiny cages or forced to box each other; emaciated tigers kept on tiny chains so they could barely move; a gorilla living in a filthy cell at the top of a shopping mall; and monkeys dressed up, yanked around on leads and made to ride bikes.
“What I witnessed was incredibly distressing. It was a wildlife house of horrors. Many animals are beaten and mistreated and have their spirits broken by handlers, rendering them completely submissive. Yet most tourists aren’t aware of the abuse or how poor the quality of life is for captive animals.”
At Safari World, near the Thai capital
Bangkok, orangutans are forced to take part in daily boxing bouts, which are proudly advertised on the zoo’s website.
In the wild, orangutans are solitary, gentle creatures. But the handlers force them to perform stunts on stage before climbing into the ring to fight.
The female orangutans, who act as ring girls, even have their pants pulled down for a cheap laugh.
Aaron said: “The orangutans are not doing it because they want to, they are doing it because they are forced to. One can only imagine how these animals were trained in order to perform like this.”
British photographer Aaron claims he also saw animals abused in Phuket Zoo and Pata Zoo.
His revelations come after the BBC came under fire for filming former MP Michael Portillo at a park in India where the elephants are allegedly chained up overnight, forced to give visitors rides or lift them with their trunks, and have their sensitive skin painted by strangers.
Earlier this year, the broadcaster also pulled a documentary that showed presenter Monty Don riding an elephant after a public outcry.
Aaron wants to see a Trip Advisorstyle website set up so tourists can “raise the red flag” on parks that abuse animals by posting photos, videos, and reviews online. He is also crowdfunding so he can return to Thailand to film a documentary about animals abused for entertainment.
A spokesman for animal rights group Peta said: “When you see animals performing what are uncomfortable or stressful tricks, know they are doing it because they are afraid, often subjected to electric shocks, cigarette burns or beatings if they do not obey.” Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand have been fighting the cruel tourist industry for 17 years. A spokesman said: “Thailand has numerous attractions which exploit wild and domestic animals. “Some are operating and obtaining animals illegally. “I visited a well known Bangkok zoo and witnessed huge numbers of infant chimpanzees and orangutans. Many of the animals you have seen will have been illegally poached.” The Mirror asked the Thai Embassy, London, for comment.