PHUKET: Police seized two young elephants on Phuket today and were likely to investigate claims that an entire elephant camp is operating on national park land on Phuket.
The raids and elephant seizures today came at the Sheraton Elephant Camp at Laguna Phuket - the camp retains the Sheraton name although the resort of that name is now the newly-opened Angsana Phuket - and at an ATV camp on Big Buddha Hill.
Other seizures were expected. The raids could extend from the initial investigation by the Bangkok-based Federal Bureau of Investigation to include the elephant camp allegedly operating on national park land.
The special police took DNA samples from several elephants in a coordinated raid on four sites on Phuket on February 10 and returned today to act on the results of those DNA findings.
The suspicion is that baby elephants have been stolen from their mothers in other parts of Thailand and rented or sold on to people on Phuket.
The elephants seized on Phuket this morning were Joey, removed by truck from the Laguna Phuket camp, and Popeye, taken from the ATV camp at Big Buddha Hill in Chalong, southern Phuket.
The raids and elephant seizures today came at the Sheraton Elephant Camp at Laguna Phuket - the camp retains the Sheraton name although the resort of that name is now the newly-opened Angsana Phuket - and at an ATV camp on Big Buddha Hill.
Other seizures were expected. The raids could extend from the initial investigation by the Bangkok-based Federal Bureau of Investigation to include the elephant camp allegedly operating on national park land.
The special police took DNA samples from several elephants in a coordinated raid on four sites on Phuket on February 10 and returned today to act on the results of those DNA findings.
The suspicion is that baby elephants have been stolen from their mothers in other parts of Thailand and rented or sold on to people on Phuket.
The elephants seized on Phuket this morning were Joey, removed by truck from the Laguna Phuket camp, and Popeye, taken from the ATV camp at Big Buddha Hill in Chalong, southern Phuket.
Good on the Bangkok-based Federal Bureau of Investigation for doing their job, well done indeed. Now if theft was involved, I hope the wrongdoers are brought to book, regardless of who they are. I hope the baby elephants can be reunited with their mothers, otherwise they will remain little orphans? Glad that the elephants now have a protecting force behind them. Elephants never forget.
Posted by Dun on February 27, 2012 10:33