Chips Track Rogue Elephants
Reuters
9:15 a.m. 2.Sep.99.PDT
Elephants brought illegally into Bangkok's city limits will get microchip
implants so authorities can track their movements to prevent them re-entering and further
cluttering the capital's already congested streets. Dozens of elephants wander the streets
of Bangkok in violation of city regulations with their mahouts, or keepers, who make a
fast buck by charging people to feed or take pictures with the beasts.
An official of the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration said authorities were
acting after animal lovers raised an outcry over exploitation of the animals and motorists
complained about traffic snarls.
"We can no longer tolerate owners of elephants who exploit these poor
animals and will take tough action against them," said Thirachai Wutthitham, a deputy
Bangkok governor.
Offending mahouts will have their elephants rounded up, implanted with the chip,
and trucked out of the city to their home provinces.
Authorities will then track the elephants to make sure they do not re-enter city
limits.
Thailand has nearly 3,000 elephants, which are revered as national symbols.
But the elephants and their owners are in dire straits now because many of the
beasts formerly employed in the logging business became jobless after the government
revoked all logging concessions in 1989.
