Send Golf,who is physically and psychologically damaged and potentially dangerous, to a sanctuary instead of back to work for tourist rides!

THE elephant which gored and trampled a Scot to death will be put back to work despite fears he could attack again.
Samui Island Safari bull elephant Golf killed professional diver Gareth Crowe just a few days ago – and will be hired out to tourists again within 10 days.
The elephant is currently subject to a 15-day ban imposed by the authorities while the tragedy is investigated.
He is being kept in miserable conditions on the Thai holiday island of Koh Samui!
With a rope tied round his neck and a chain round his legs, he is manacled to a tree.
Witnesses living nearby say they have have heard the animal in extreme distress since the incident in which 36-year-old Gareth, from Linwood, Renfrewshire, died.
The investigation has cleared Golf as fit to work – although locals fear he was badly mistreated following the fatal attack.

Animal activists say such abuse will have damaged Golf mentally and made him even more dangerous to the public. One local said: "It was very dark when they bought the elephant back to the spot just outside our house.

"My wife couldn't see what was going on but she could hear the elephant screaming, really screaming, and she and our neighbours were shouting, 'Don't kill the elephant.'

"The screaming went on for some time and then stopped.

"We don't know if they were abusing him or he was just screaming at them as they were trying to contain him. But the screams were awful. Eventually they stopped. The next morning we could see the elephant had been crying. It still had tears in its eyes.

"Since then, he has been tied up under the tree. He was on a very short chain at first – about a metre – but now the chain is longer – about four metres.

"The police came one day and took video of him and lots of photographs but then went away."

Experts said our pictures taken of Golf showed alarming evidence of maltreatment.

They warned that he should never be put back to work.
Duncan McNair, founder and CEO of Save the Asian Elephants (STAE), studied the shocking images of Golf and said: "The photos show a distressed captive elephant carrying many sores and wounds, some serious.

"Elephants' ears are very sensitive and so the large hole visible in the left ear will have been immensely painful when caused and often since.

"It could also be dangerous as a source of infection.

"The hole may have been used to hold a tether or chain to control the elephant by tugging and steering – a brutal practice."

McNair added that captivity for elephants is "disastrous in every way".

He added: "To spend their whole lives tethered to a tree or a concrete post, often fiercely held with chains or wire, is an hourly torment. Often the wire digs into the flesh, causing painful callouses and also loss of blood circulation, and infection which can be fatal over time. "

The campaigner said the evidence points to Golf having been beaten and tortured and added: "This, of course, does not happen in public.

"Captive Asian elephants, with few exceptions, live life in a bubble of fear and pain.

"Some such as bull elephants do sometimes react when the torment is extreme and they are especially stressed.

"Golf looks injured and tired. He has been physically and psychologically damaged.

"He should be moved to a genuine sanctuary in Thailand such as the Elephant Nature Park and assessed for future care."

Dr Neil D'Cruze, head of wildlife research at World Animal Protection, said: "Although elephants do not actively seek to harm humans, they can be extremely dangerous.

"The photos clearly show that Golf is restrained with ropes and chains. However, this is only a snapshot of the suffering he will have endured.

"The stress associated with cruel training methods, captivity and repeated rides for tourists can push any elephant to breaking point.

"Golf, and all other elephants, should never have been used for riding in the first place. They are wild animals, not entertainers."

Harry Huyton, director of Edinburgh-based animal protection charity OneKind said: "This is a tragic story for everyone involved and is a stark reminder of the cruelty behind tourist attractions that involve wild animals.

"Whether it's riding an elephant or taking a selfie with a chimp, we urge everyone to avoid these."

A spokesman for the safari firm said: "The company are willing to cooperate with the authorities and to compensate for the family's loss.

AND: "Golf will be OK to return at the end of the probation." ??????????


Dr Cherdchai Charoenvet, who has responsibility for animal welfare on the island, said: "We found Golf's stress level to be minor. ?????????
We demand with this petition that Golf will be send to a sanctuary at once, instead of being put to work again: he has been damaged on all levels and he is potentially dangerous due to all this past and present abuse!

"Therefore, we directed the company to separate Golf and observe his behaviour for at least 15 days to ensure that his condition is normal."


Read more at http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/revealed-killer-elephant-who-gored-7325426#SCbq70EuwUeBAlyc.99



Read more at http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/revealed-killer-elephant-who-gored-7325426#SCbq70EuwUeBAlyc.99