THAILAND TRAVEL NEWS: For almost an eternity the site of elephants slowly trundling their way around the bars and nightlife areas of Bangkok has been a common one.

While some tourists might have found the close-up and personal contact with the pachyderms a novelty and the opportunity of having their photo taken feeding the giant animals for a dollar or two in change a minor expense, for years animal rights groups have opposed the practice.

Though successive Bangkok governors have promised to put an end to the practice, which each year results in dead and/or injured elephants and their mahouts, the rhetoric has often failed to significantly reduce the numbers.

The current Bangkok City Administration (BCA) appears to be more determined in their efforts to get the giant animals out of the city though, with the latest attempt seeing a bounty offered for information on city dwelling elephants’ locations.

Demonstrating the desire to stop the abuse of Thailand’s elephants, deputy Bangkok Governor Theerachon Manomaipiboon, this week handed over a Bt2,000 (about $US60) reward for information that led to the arrest of three Buri Ram men who were allegedly begging with a six-year-old elephant at Soi Lat Phrao-Wang Hin 5.

The men will face court at a later date and their two elephants have been sent to Kanchanaburi’s Elephant Shelter.

Mr Theerachon said the reward demonstrated the seriousness with which the current city administration viewed the problem and said anyone who phone the 1555 hotline with information that led to the arrest of other mahouts begging with their elephants will receive an identical reward.

By John Le Fevre

Thailand Travel News for October 31, 2009