Newspaper Cutting 003 - Animals in Thailand’s private parks at risk of hunger as coronavirus pandemic keeps tourists away

Vocabulary :
(1) coronavirus pandemic = 冠狀病毒大流行
(2) outbreak = 爆發
(3) temporary closure = 臨時關閉
(4) recreational site = 娛樂場所
(5) serious setback = 嚴重挫折
(6) take selfies with = 與...自拍
(7) Thailand's Songkran festival = 泰國潑水節
(8) Ayutthaya Elephant Palace = 阿瑜陀耶 (旅遊景點)
(9) scooping up water = 兜起水
(10) trunks = 樹幹
(11) splashing it on = 潑濺
(12) ruins = 廢墟
(13) foraging for food = 覓食
(14) fields = 田
(15) emergency decree = 緊急法令
(16) mahouts = 馴象員
(17) elephant keepers =  大象飼養員
(18) carer = 照顧者
(19) hire out = 租出
(20) disrupt = 打亂
(21) habitat = 棲息地
(22) waged war = 發動戰爭
(23) deer = 鹿
(24) roam = 漫遊
(25) rely on = 依靠
(26) criticism = 批評
(27) intervention = 介入
(28) notably = 明顯地
(29) raid = 襲擊
(30) has temporarily closed = 臨時關閉
(31) founder = 創辨人
(32) entrance fees = 入場費
(33) buffalo = 水牛
(34) marmoset = 狨 (中南美洲熱帶雨林中的一種非常小的猴子)
(35) wildcats = 野貓
(36) skunk = 臭鼬
(37) papaya = 木瓜
(38) forage = 飼料
(39) meerkats = 貓鼬
(40) veterinary surgeons' advice = 獸醫的建議
(41) raw chickens = 生雞
(42) para grass grounds = 巴拉草草地
(43) elephant sanctuary = 大象避難所
(44) global travel restrictions = 全球旅遊限制
(45) donors = 捐贈者
(46) volunteers = 義工
(47) lodging = 住宿
(48) urgency = 緊急
(49) plea = 懇求
(50) drought and wildfires = 乾旱和野火
(51) sanctuary = 避難所
(52) stray = 流浪
(53) logging = 伐木
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Animals in Thailand’s private parks at risk of hunger as coronavirus pandemic keeps tourists away - 2 Apr, 2020

- The Covid-19 outbreak has led to the temporary closure of recreational sites in Thailand and a sharp fall in visitor numbers 
- This is a serious setback as the parks rely on tourists who come to ride on elephants, take selfies with tigers, interact with animals and watch live shows 

Every year during Thailand’s Songkran festival, about 75 elephants at Ayutthaya Elephant Palace and Royal Kraal entertain visitors by scooping up water with their trunks and splashing it on the crowds as part of the water fight the celebration is known for. The camp also draws tourists all year round for its elephant rides around the ruins of the old city of Ayutthaya. 

But this year, the elephants will be foraging for food in fields near the Unesco World Heritage Site as the Thai New Year festival has been postponed and the coronavirus outbreak keeps tourists away. 

Itthipan Kaolamai, the camp manager, said they shut before the government imposed an emergency decree on March 26 to close recreational sites, as visitor numbers had already dropped. 

“We can only pay our staff their full salary for March but we will pay for half for April,” Itthipan said. 

The Thai government said this week tourists from China, South Korea and Hong Kong were down by 84.9, 72.6 and 54.8 per cent respectively in February compared to last February. 

Camp manager Itthipan said about 60 mahouts, or elephant keepers, will remain behind. “Elephants are bonded with their carers,” he said. 

“We owned our elephants from the start, unlike other camps where they sometimes hire out elephants to work,” and they cannot let go of their elephants, he said. 

The Covid-19 outbreak has disrupted animal habitats elsewhere. In March, monkeys living in a central town in Thailand waged war on one another due to heat and lack of food as fewer people gave them food. Deer in Nara, Japan, wandered the streets looking for food after the visitors that normally feed them snacks disappeared. And in many countries under lockdown, animals have come out to roam the streets. 

The outbreak is a serious setback for many Thai parks that rely on tourists who come to ride on elephants, take selfies with tigers, interact with animals and watch live shows. Some of these parks have attracted criticism and even intervention, most notably the 2016 raid on the Tiger Temple in western Thailand in which over 100 tigers were removed. 

Pattaya Elephant Village, opened in 1973, is another park that has temporarily closed. “Since last month, we have had no income. Some days we only had three visitors,” said Purimprud Chaiyakham, the founder’s daughter. The park needs at least 70,000-80,000 baht (US$2,100-2,400) per day from entrance fees and shows to feed thousands of animals ranging from elephants, buffaloes, marmosets, wildcats, and skunks to various types of birds. 

Fortunately, its grounds are big enough to have mango, papaya and other kinds of fruit trees for animals like elephants to forage. Food for animals such as meerkats is prepared as per veterinary surgeons’ advice while wildcats are fed raw chickens. “Donations are welcome for their food,” said Purimprud. 

Samphran Elephant Ground and Zoo, about an hour from Bangkok, feeds raw chickens to its 8,000 crocodiles, some of which are trained for shows. Marketing director Parita Vacharakul said the facility has its own para grass grounds for its 30 elephants. “We are closed but workers look after the animals the same,” she said. 

In the northern city of Chiang Mai, an elephant sanctuary has found itself in financial difficulties as global travel restrictions mean foreign donors and volunteers, who pay for lodgings and other fees, cannot visit. 

“I’m looking around at what I can sell, maybe my car,” said Saengduean “Lek” Chailert, 59, owner of Elephant Nature Park and founder of the Save Elephant Foundation. 

There is a sense of urgency in Lek’s plea because Chiang Mai’s drought and wildfires mean the supply of sugar cane and banana trunks for elephants are scarce. There are over 80 elephants in the sanctuary, each of which consumes 300kg of food a day at a cost of 1,000 baht (US$30) each. Lek also looks after 98 buffaloes, 700 dogs and 800 cats that were previously stray. 

Her sanctuary is one of the few places in Thailand where animals do not have to work in exchange for food. In the 1990s Lek began acquiring elephants that were used in logging or tourism. 

“In the past, elephants stopped working when they died. Humans can always ask for help, but animals can’t do that so we have to help them,” she said. 

Source : https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3078005/animals-thailands-private-parks-risk-hunger

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