A Dundee taxi driver has raised thousands of pounds towards rescuing elephants in Thailand after learning about their cruel treatment at visitor attractions.
Ronnie Adamson is urging tourists to boycott elephant rides due to the barbaric methods used to tame the animals – including beatings, starvation, sleep deprivation and being pieced with sharp objects.
The 55-year-old, who works for an airport transfer company, said that volunteering holidays at elephant sanctuaries were a better alternative for animal lovers.
Ronnie explained: “About four or five years ago I decided I wanted a holiday with a difference.
“I’d always been an animal lover and wanted to go on an elephant trek, so I started looking into it.
“In Thailand these are very popular with tourists, but while I was researching it I saw lots of articles on how cruel the practice is, so I decided against it.
“I then saw a link to an elephant rescue centre. They have ex-tourist elephants and also ones rescued from illegal logging.
“You spend time at the rescue feeding them, washing them, and you can swim with them too.
“I saw the good work they were doing, so decided I wanted to raise money for them.
“Last year I raised £1700 and the year before that I collected £1300 after I held a race.
“I will probably do something this year too, and might make it an annual thing.
“But the main thing is to make people aware of what goes on, because many tourists going on elephant rides don’t know about the cruelty.”
Elephants would not let a human ride on top of them so they need to be tamed when they’re young, often through a process called “phajaan”, meaning “crushing of the spirit”.
This involves methods such as taking baby elephants away from their mothers and confining them in a cage, then beating them with clubs and piercing them with bull hooks, as well as depriving them of sleep and food.
Long-term, the animals can also suffer health problems due to exhaustion, overwork and spine damage.
