While the shocking abuse takes place on the ground, an excited crowd of tourists are seen cheering on the elephant show from a balcony above.
SARA MALM: ‘Animal handlers at a zoo in Indonesia have been caught abusing elephants and stabbing them with sharp objects to get them to perform for tourists, a wildlife charity claims. Photographs show elephants having their tails pulled, and handlers punching them in the trunk while allegedly concealing sharp tools in their fists, at the Taman Safari zoo in Bogor on West Java, Indonesia.
While the shocking abuse takes place on the ground, an excited crowd of tourists are seen cheering on the elephant show from a balcony above. The alleged abuse has been documented by wildlife charity Born Free, and photojournalist Aaron Gekoski, who claims the injuries to the elephants’ trunks seen in his images were caused by handlers stabbing them to control them.
Mr Gekoski said: ‘Every day the elephants perform in shows which involve elaborate reconstructions of human and elephant conflict caused by the palm oil industry. ‘After a show when we were there, the elephants became boisterous. A handler was seen to punch one on its trunks and pull its tail in order to control it… Elephants are much loved, intelligent and sentient beings that should not be ridden, touched or used in shows’. SOURCE…
ELEPHANT CRUELTY: