Surin Safari: Day 10

Hmm think it’s day 10, have lost track [who cares anyways]. Yesterday we spent by the pool, which seems to have gotten a tad freezing the last few days. Getting in requires a few minutes courage plucking followed by a few minutes of frantic in-pool-movement to ensure hypothermia doesn’t set in.

We went on our second tour today, to a conservation “safari” camp somewhere in Phuket [Chalong, near to Rawai so southish].

In the write up it described the tour as one where you learn about Thai elephant conservation, the only camp in Thailand to receive the Thai government standard award - boasting Thailand’s best cared for elephants.

We were looking forward to seeing the elephants and monkeys in their natural habitat, but instead it turned out to be almost some kind of circus performance. The elephants were taught to play golf, dance, kick footballs amongst other things.

The monkey simply does his short 5 minute show and then goes back in to his enclosure waiting for the next show.

People were given the opportunities to take photos next to the animals, during this time the elephants seemed extremely distressed, shaking their heads from side to side, their eyes looked strained.

It was a pretty bollocks half day tour, and completely mis-sold. A blatant wanna be eco/conservations lodge, set up purely for the benefit of tourists whilst exploiting the animals there.

They weren’t mistreated in anyway but for me it’s a piss take to see such intelligent animals trained to do unnatural tasks just to entertain tourists.