This Needs to Stop! Guide Trampled to Death After Tourist Yanks Captive Elephant’s Tail

Just recently, Yongjie He, a Chinese tour guide in Chonburi, Thailand was trampled to death by a captive elephant after taking a group of 30 tourists to an elephant park. According to the Daily Mail, Pai Utain, a 17-year-old male elephant was giving two of the visitors a ride when he became agitated after some of the other tourists surrounded him to take photos. While taking photos, one of the tourists reportedly yanked Pai Utain’s tail, further irritating him, sending him charging.

Yongjie He tried to protect the group, but was, unfortunately, trampled. The two tourists who were riding Pai Utain at the time of the incident sustained injuries and have been taken to a local hospital.

“One of the girls fell down and one held on. The elephant charged towards the group. They were running everywhere but the leader could not get out of the way in time,” Sakda Malee, one of the managers of the elephant park, told the Daily Mail.

According to the Bangkok Post, the elephant camp owner and a mahout (the elephant handler) were charged with “recklessness causing death and injuries” and the rides have been suspended for only a week while fences and barriers are put up. While the tourist should have never pulled the elephant’s tail in the first place, really what this heartbreaking situation shows us is that elephant rides need to END NOW.

When tourists see captive elephants, they all too often view the animal as a pet who wants people to ride on its back, and they forget to think about where the elephant came from. Elephants are not domesticated animals; they are captive wild animals. And tragically, these “entertaining” elephant experiences often lead tourists to believe that these excursions are normal and somehow acceptable. Most tourists are unaware of the abuse elephants face when in captivity but considering how endangered Asian elephants are, the facade needs to end now. Between poaching, the tourism industry, and habitat loss, both African and Asian elephants are in danger of becoming extinct within our lifetimes.

Elephants are highly intelligent and emotional beings and when pushed to their limit, they will react just as a person under great stress will. The reality is that these creatures don’t belong as tourism props and no matter how hard we may try to make them conform, we can never truly suppress their wild spirit. No animal or human should have to suffer or pay the ultimate price just for the sake of paltry entertainment.

If you want to help elephants, the first most effective thing you can do is to never ride an elephant. Tell your friends and family members about the cruelty behind these rides and urge them to steer clear. If you want to see elephants, visit a professional elephant sanctuary, where elephants live in a natural environment.

Please share this post and encourage others to boycott captive elephant attractions – for the sake of elephants, and their own safety as well.

Image Source: artfuns/Pixabay