The Festival of Elephants is an annual event taking place in Sayaboury, Laos which features up to 75 captive elephants.

During the event elephants’ are forced to parade in costumes, give rides (some using a howdah), paint, dance, perform tricks including poses such as the ‘sit’ and ‘headstand’ poses which are known to be physically damaging to elephants! So fearful are the elephants that many defecate or urinate through fear whilst carrying out these stunts!

Very young elephant calves are also present at the event and are intensely and brutally trained to perform, their distress is heartbreakingly apparent.

All mahouts at the festival carry bullhooks which they are free and easy with, other concealed weapons are also widely carried, such as nails to violently force the elephants into compliance.

Such is the open brutality towards the elephants here that come the closing days of the festival all the calves bear numerous injuries and wounds as do many of the adult elephants too.

As humans evolve and develop greater levels of consciousness the world has rapidly moved away from using wild animals for entertainment purposes, its therefore very disappointing to see Laos PDR and the Sayaboury local authority continuing with such an archaic heinous event.

The Elephant Festival serves to soil the reputation of both Laos PDR and Laotians as well as deterring tourism by presenting an extremely negative image of Laos to the world.

We request the relevant Laos authorities to URGENTLY review the ‘Elephant Festival’ and to  STOP the cruel event from taking place in 2025 or at the very least to make significant changes to ensure elephant welfare and wellbeing, as well as the reputation of Laos PDR.

(ການແປໂດຍ Google)

ບຸນຊ້າງ ເປັນງານບຸນປະຈຳປີ ທີ່ແຂວງໄຊຍະບູລີ ປະເທດລາວ ເຊິ່ງມີຊ້າງຈັບຕົວໄດ້ເຖິງ 75 ໂຕ.

ໃນລະຫວ່າງງານແຫ່ຊ້າງໃນຊຸດເຄື່ອງແຕ່ງກາຍ, ໃຫ້ຂີ່ (ບາງໂຕໃຊ້ວິທີດາດ), ທາສີ, ເຕັ້ນລໍາ, ເຮັດທ່າທາງຕ່າງໆ ເຊັ່ນ: ທ່າ 'ນັ່ງ' ແລະ 'ຂາງ' ທີ່ຮູ້ກັນດີວ່າສ້າງຄວາມເສຍຫາຍຕໍ່ຊ້າງ! ຢ້ານວ່າຊ້າງຫຼາຍໂຕຈະຖ່າຍ ຫຼືຍ່ຽວ ເພາະຢ້ານໃນຂະນະທີ່ເຮັດການສະດຸດເຫຼົ່ານີ້!

ຝູງງົວຊ້າງໜຸ່ມຍັງຢູ່ໃນເຫດການດັ່ງກ່າວ ແລະໄດ້ຮັບການຝຶກອົບຮົມຢ່າງເຂັ້ມງວດ ແລະໂຫດຫ້ຽມເພື່ອປະຕິບັດ, ຄວາມທຸກໂສກຂອງພວກມັນປະກົດຂຶ້ນຢ່າງໜ້າເສົ້າໃຈ.

ຝູງ​ຊ້າງ​ໃນ​ງານ​ບຸນ​ທັງ​ໝົດ​ຖື​ພາ​ເຂົ້າ​ທີ່​ມີ​ອິດ​ສະຫຼະ​ແລະ​ງ່າຍ, ອາວຸດ​ປິດ​ບັງ​ອື່ນໆ​ກໍ​ຖືກ​ຖື​ເຊັ່ນ​ຕະປູ​ເພື່ອ​ບັງຄັບ​ຊ້າງ​ຢ່າງ​ຮຸນ​ແຮງ.

ນັ້ນຄືຄວາມໂຫດຮ້າຍທີ່ເປີດເຜີຍຕໍ່ຊ້າງຢູ່ທີ່ນີ້, ເມື່ອຮອດມື້ປິດງານບຸນ, ງົວຄວາຍທັງໝົດໄດ້ຮັບບາດ ເຈັບ ແລະ ບາດແຜເປັນຈຳນວນຫຼວງຫຼາຍຄືກັບຊ້າງໂຕໃຫຍ່ຫຼາຍໂຕ.

ຍ້ອນວ່າມະນຸດມີການພັດທະນາ ແລະ ພັດທະນາສະຕິປັນຍາຫຼາຍຂຶ້ນ, ໂລກໄດ້ຫັນໜີຈາກການນຳໃຊ້ສັດປ່າເພື່ອການບັນເທີງຢ່າງໄວ, ສະນັ້ນ ຈຶ່ງຮູ້ສຶກຜິດຫວັງຫຼາຍທີ່ເຫັນ ສປປ ລາວ ແລະ ອຳນາດການປົກຄອງທ້ອງຖິ່ນແຂວງໄຊຍະບູລີ ສືບຕໍ່ມີເຫດການອັນໂຫດຮ້າຍດັ່ງກ່າວ.

ງານ​ບຸນ​ຊ້າງ​ໄດ້​ສ້າງ​ຄວາມ​ເສຍ​ຫາຍ​ໃຫ້​ແກ່​ສປປ​ລາວ​ແລະ​ຊາວ​ລາວ​ທັງ​ເປັນ​ການ​ກີດ​ຂວາງ​ການ​ທ່ອງ​ທ່ຽວ​ດ້ວຍ​ການ​ສະ​ແດງ​ພາບ​ພົດ​ອັນ​ບໍ່​ດີ​ຂອງ​ລາວ​ຕໍ່​ໂລກ.