Elephant with deformed back goes viral, netizens call out tourist rides in Thailand

Bangkok: A photograph of a 71-year-old elephant from Thailand has gone viral on social media for all the wrong reasons. Pai Lin is a female elephant who worked in the tourism industry for 25 years and now has an irreversibly deformed spine.

The image was shared by the Wildlife Friends Foundation in Thailand (WFFT). The caption revealed that an elephant's spine should naturally be rounded and raised. But in the case of Pai Lin, it is caved in and sunken from the heavy weight of repeated work. When she worked in the tourism industry, she was forced to carry up to six tourists at a time.

The group explained that continuous pressure on elephants' bodies can deteriorate the tissue and bones on their backs. This causes "irreversible physical damage" to the spine.

WFFT told CNN that elephant rides are a popular tourist activity in countries across Southeast Asia and these animals spend decades of their lives carrying tourists on a cast iron seat strapped to their backs. It also has ropes and blankets. The weight of these seats and passengers are visibly scarring their backs.

Edwin Wiek, director and founder of the WFFT, explained that it is important to understand elephants are not bred to be ridden. They are not like horses which are an animal bred to be ridden. Elephants are also not domesticated animals. They are taken from the wild and kept in awful conditions.

To raise awareness about elephant cruelty, the organisation shared the picture of another elephant Boon Chuey with a similar deformity. "Boon Chuey, is another of WFFT's rescued elephants who also has a damaged back, after decades of strenuous work."

On the Instagram post, many users said the condition of these elephants is "horrific" and called to end tourist rides.