The mahout talks about chaining the legs of two elephants in Thu Le Park.

On July 17th, the online newspaper Dan Tri published an article titled: "Heart-stopping moments of 'being beaten' by elephant and hippo caregivers," recounting the work of animal caretakers at Hanoi Zoo (Thu Le Park).

Images of the elephants, whose skin appears aged, with patches of graying and ears scarred, have sparked feelings of sorrow and concern among many about why these two elephants are living in chains.

Many readers have questioned whether elephant care is currently adequate. Why are the elephants in zoos chained?

Some people have spoken out, calling for the rescue of these elephants and hoping they will be released soon.

Hanoi Zoo workers stand next to Banang the elephant.

In response to these comments, a representative from the Hanoi Zoo's technical department told a reporter from Dan Tri newspaper that the two elephants were received by the zoo in July 2010 (named Thai) and April 2014 (named Banang).

"The Thai elephant was received by the zoo from Military Region 9, while Banang was gifted to us by people in Dak Lak four years later. The Hanoi Zoo received these two elephants for the purpose of nurturing and conserving wildlife," a representative from the technical information department stated.

The reason the two elephants have their movement restricted and are kept on chains by their legs, according to the technician, is that when they were brought here, they were very aggressive. Therefore, at times, the mahouts have to chain each elephant in a different area to avoid conflicts.

"Before the zoo received the Thai elephant, its legs were chained because it had an aggressive temperament. The two elephants currently at the zoo are not from the same herd or origin, and they both exhibit aggressive behavior, so at times we have to chain them up to prevent them from fighting. Chaining the elephants also ensures the safety of the mahouts and staff directly caring for them," said a zoo technical officer.

According to a representative from the Hanoi Zoo, the two elephants at Thu Le Park are aggressive, and therefore must be chained up to prevent conflicts and fights between them.

Mr. Pham Ngoc Anh, head of the elephant and hippo breeding group, also explained that due to the nature of elephants, not every individual is easy to tame.

Having worked at the zoo for over 20 years, the zoo director said he has witnessed many times elephants suddenly erupting into aggressive behavior while otherwise behaving normally.

"Even after many years of directly caring for these 'gentlemen,' we can't be sure the elephants won't attack us. Every time we feed them or clean up after them, we remind each other to be extremely vigilant because even a strange noise or the sound of car horns outside can startle the elephants and cause them to react impulsively," said Mr. Ngoc Anh.

Source link: https://dantri.com.vn/lao-dong-viec-lam/quan-tuong-noi-ve-viec-xich-chan-hai-chu-voi-trong-cong-vien-thu-le-20230718163619100.htm