RELEASED: 7 Apr 2021 at 04:00
CHON BURI: After waiting fruitless for travelers to go back to Pattaya for more than a year, 5 elephants and their owners are heading back to their house in the northeastern province of Surin– a journey of some 500 kilometres– on foot.
The elephants were accompanied by their owners’ loved ones, who drove pickup in front and behind the elephants to safeguard the group as they took a trip along a roadway next to the Map Prachan tank in tambon Nong Prue, Bang Lamung district the other day.
Napalai Mai-ngam, 26, stated she brought her loved ones and their elephants from Surin to operate at an elephant resort in tambon Lam Huay Yai about 5 years back. Prior to the pandemic, they made 15,000 baht a month prior to pointers, taking travelers on elephant flights.
When the Covid-19 pandemic started in January in 2015 and tourist ground to a total stop, their company suspended their incomes as the Chinese travelers who comprised most of their clients were not able to take a trip, she stated.
Without any instant return of travelers in sight due to the continuing pandemic, the elephant owners lastly quit and chose to go back to Surin to work as farmers.
The pachyderms would need to stroll the whole 500-km-long path to Surin due to the fact that the owners might not manage to work with huge trucks to carry them. Ms Napalai stated that it would take about 2 weeks for her group to return house.
She stated she and the group can just accept food and water for their elephants. They can be reached by phone at 093-3357062.
