In Thailand, Growing Concern For Elephants As Coronavirus Pummels Tourism
"On a March morning at the Maetaeng Elephant Park in Thailand's northern Chiang
Mai province, the elephants and their handlers, called mahouts, were entertaining visitors with tricks. Elephants painted pictures with their trunks and deftly back-kicked soccer balls into a net."
"Maetaeng is one of the biggest wildlife camps in the north, with 85 elephants. They are also available for guests to ride or go trekking with in the surrounding hills."
"It's a lucrative business in normal times. On a good day, says communications director Dhanapume Asoke-trakul, the camp draws about 1,000 visitors, mostly from China or other Asian countries. But this was not a good day."
"He counted the crowd with his finger."
"'One, two, three, four, five, six seven...' He stopped. 'Fourteen,' he said. 'Fourteen, from 1,000 people a day.'"
"He laughed grimly."