Diners become new threats of Thai elephants

Eating elephant meat becomes a new culinary trend in Thailand and it can threaten the survival of elephants in this Southeast Asian country.

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Nature conservation officials in Thailand told the AP that they recognized a dangerous food trend for elephants after two elephants were killed in a national park in the west.

'Poachers take the reproductive organs and taps of elephants to prepare food. Even many people are willing to eat some parts of the elephant, ' said Damrong Phidet, head of Thailand's wildlife protection agency.

Damrong added that poachers often used elephant tusks before. On the black market a pair of ivory sold for a few thousand dollars. The trade in elephant meat is much more dangerous, because it can cause the number of elephants to be killed many times more than taking ivory.

Elephants eat sugarcane on a farm in Ayutthaya province in central Thailand. (Photo: AP)

Elephant meat is not a popular specialty in Thailand, but people in some Asian countries believe that eating an animal's reproductive organs may increase sexual ability.

According to Damrong, elephant meat is always available in restaurants in Phuket - a popular tourist destination in southern Thailand. Officials do not know whether foreign tourists regularly eat elephant meat.

Damrong's comment came in opposition to Tri Akradecha, the head of Phuket province. Tri told the media that he had never heard of a restaurant in Phuket selling elephant meat. However, Tri still ordered the authorities to investigate the case.

Elephant hunting is prohibited in Thailand. Trafficking, transporting or possessing poached elephant parts is also illegal. However, people still secretly trade ivory. Many people even catch elephants for sale to circuses.

'The current elephant hunting situation has reached an alarming level. As long as we let those cruel acts take place, the time of elephant extinction will get closer , 'Damrong warned.

Many environmentalists claim that demand for ivory remains the leading reason for poachers to slaughter elephants in Thailand. Soraida Salwala, founder of Asian elephant friends, said that a pair of adult elephant tusks can be sold for between $ 31,600 and $ 63,300, while the value of an elephant testicle is greater. 950 USD.

'The number of people who want to eat elephant meat is not great. But once their needs arise, poachers will not be able to resist the temptation of money , 'Soraida said.

Thai officials said the country had nearly 3,000 wild elephants and about 4,000 domesticated elephants.