Boon Rod - back on the streets
"By Lek Chailert" 28 Jul 2005
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Boon Rod back on the street |
I loved watching the herd at night. It was when they rested and joined their groups. I would go to see the park's young elephants. After a full day of playing and eating tiredness overtook them and they slept snugly in the bosom of their motherss. They lived a carefree and natural life; the very picture of a big happy family.
Suddenly my thoughts returned to Boon Rod. I knew she had returned to street begging the moment she left the park. When she was at our park she slept happily amongst her adoptive mothers. She loved the company of the herd and even lay alongside our young males Jungle Boy and Hope. I knew that her life was so different than the short time she had spent with the elephants at our park. I drove nearly 70 kilometers, from the park to the city, hoping to find her. I brought bags of bananas and water melons.
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We drove around the super highway, an area of many busy restaurants, pubs and bars. We asked local staff if they had seen her and were told that between ten pm to midnight a baby elephant comes with a group to beg money.
We keep driving and looking for her but a torrential rain storm stops us and we have to pull over to the side of the road. My driver thinks that no elephant would be working in this weather but I decide to stay. We waited just 15 minutes and see a little grey elephant walking with her mahout, who is sheltered under an umbrella. It is Boon Rod. She is soaking wet after waking through the heavy rain. She transports two heavy banana bags on her back. I run across the road to meet and hug her. Under the light of the street I can see the steam come from her body. She is cold and and soaking wet. Her eyes looks anxious and scared. No shelter at the place where she stopped as we stand in the heavy rain to talk. I bought all the bananas to empty her bags and ask the mahout to take Boon Rod back to rest early.
Every night I look for Boon Rod and bring her food. Some nights I see other baby elephants in this twilight world. Pang Nam Choke, Pang Pan and Plai Chokdee are among
this unfortunate group. Some of them are less than 3 years old. They are so drowsy and are forced to do tricks before they can have any food. It make me so sad. They all carry big two large bags of food for sale on their back and the mahouts have tied plastic bags on their neck and tails. Every year street elephants are injured and
many die from injuries caused by cars. Around 15 elephants each month are struck and injured by vehicles. They have work so late at night around bars and pub
areas. The elephants are so often the victims of drunken drivers.
Boon Rod it just one of many forced into this type of late night street work. More than 200 elephants share her sad plight. A plight without hope of release
or freedom from this relentless slave work
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