PETITION TARGET: Thai Authorities
Tigers pulled by their tails, elephants struck with bullhooks, and crocodiles with handlers’ fists jammed down their throats: these are the cruelties Lady Freethinker recently uncovered when investigators visited five wildlife facilities in Thailand that use animals to entertain and interact with tourists.
Across the parks, lions, tigers, elephants, monkeys, crocodiles, and other animals were confined in barren cages — some isolated and others crammed together — suffering from insufficient nutrition, visible stress, and constant abuse.
LFT Investigation/Blake Moynes & Scott Bradley of SOSA
LFT Investigation/Blake Moynes & Scott Bradley of SOSA
Tigers were found on chains so short they couldn’t even stand upright, while lion cubs were dragged by their tails and struck so tourists could pose with them. A white tiger chained for photos appeared exhausted and was constantly sleeping. Another tiger flinched and retreated when a man lifted his hand in a threatening gesture. Big cats at these facilities were noticeably underweight, some with visible wounds.
Elephants were kept on chains so restrictive that they could only shuffle miserably in tiny circles, and were forced to give rides and perform in endless shows — all under the constant threat of bullhooks.
LFT Investigation/Blake Moynes & Scott Bradley of SOSA
Orangutans were forced into costumes, paraded before crowds, and degraded in humiliating performances. A distressed hyena was spotted pacing back and forth in her enclosure, consistently returning to an adjacent separate pen where her young were kept.
Crocodiles were seen piled on top of each other in their tiny enclosures, yanked by their tails, struck with sticks, and forced to endure handlers shoving their fists, heads, or cash from tourists into their mouths. At one facility, crocodile heads, purses, belts, and keychains made from their feet were openly sold — an on-site restaurant even served dishes made with crocodile meat.
LFT Investigation/Blake Moynes & Scott Bradley of SOSA
Disturbingly, children on school trips were often brought to these facilities, normalizing animal cruelty and exploitation for the next generation.
These innocent animals are denied every natural instinct and forced into submission through violence and fear — all for fleeting tourist entertainment. Their dignity, autonomy, and lives are destroyed so visitors can take selfies, watch shows, or buy trinkets made from their body parts.
Thailand’s leaders must act now to end this cruelty.
Sign our petition urging Thai authorities to ban cruel exotic animal selfies and performances at wildlife facilities in their country, and protect animals from being abused and exploited to amuse tourists.
