Thailand looks askance at Indonesia elephant request

Thailand looks askance at Indonesia elephant request

BANGKOK, Thailand (AP): Thailand, buffeted by political and
economic crises, has a new worry: someone is trying to steal its
elephant-training know-how.

The someone is Indonesia, and the motive is to build up an
echo-tourism industry around the mighty beasts, according to
officials and animal experts quoted in Friday's edition of the
Bangkok Post.

The report said tourism and forestry officials, as well as the
private Friends of the Asian Elephant foundation, are suspicious
of a request from Indonesia to borrow a dozen trained elephants
to help in rounding up their own wild jumbos.

More than a decade and a half ago, Thailand lent Indonesia
four trained elephants to help "civilize" rampaging jumbos that
terrorize communities on the island of Sumatra, but they were
never returned, the report said.

Thai elephants have been called the best trained in the world,
and they show off their skills annually to visitors from around
the world at a well-attended elephant roundup in the northeast.
Now there are fears Indonesia is trying to grab this specialized
tourist market.

Thai forestry department, suspicious about the matter, had
refused a number of requests for the elephants, but influential
people now have revived the issue, said Soraida Salwala, founder
of the elephant foundation.

The department's wildlife research division director, Chawan
Tunhikorn, was quoted as saying he did not oppose the request,
but needed a clearer statement of purpose from the Indonesians.

He suggested it was strange that Indonesia would request
younger elephants rather than older ones with more experience,
and asked for fewer mahouts - elephant trainers - than would seem
necessary.