Animal rights activists are up in arms after a five-start resort in Thailand used a baby elephant as a party “prop.” The photo has been removed from the Mövenpick Resort Bangtao Beach hotel in Phuket.
In the photo, the elephant is by the side of the pool surrounded by guests including children. The resort’s TripAdvisor page shows an example of the baby elephant at a pool.
According to Metro UK, the elephant was brought by a guest for use at a private event.
Animal rights activist Amy Jones, from the group Moving Animals,said, “Elephants are sensitive, intelligent animals, not products to be used as a ridiculous party prop.
Mövenpick Resort Bangtao Beach should not be promoting and supporting such cruelty, and this stunt will undoubtedly be bad for business as more and more tourists turn away from activities which exploit elephants.
No elephant should have to suffer from this kind of abuse, and Phuket must take steps to make sure that these beautiful animals are protected.”
Accor Hotel Group, which owns the resort, gave a statement to Metro UK which included an apology, “We sincerely apologise for this incident and are committed to doing better in the future to raise awareness of the importance of treating all creatures in an ethical way.”
Asian elephants are endangered and currently still part of a harmful tourism industry in Thailand.
You can sign this petition standing up against the exploitation of elephants in Thailand’s tourism industry.
This article was first published by OneGreenPlanet on 20 December 2019.
What you can do
Support ‘Fighting for Wildlife’ by donating as little as $1 – It only takes a minute. Thank you.
Leave a Reply