National Geographic USA – June 2019

Recognizing that a nonhuman animal is in pain

is difficult, often impossible.

But we know that animals feel pain. All mam-

mals have a similar neuroanatomy. Birds, rep-

tiles, and amphibians all have pain receptors.

As recently as a decade ago, scientists had col-

lected more evidence that fish feel pain than

they had for neonatal infants. A four-year-old

human child with spikes pressing into his flesh

would express pain by screaming. A four-year-

old elephant just stands there in the rain, her

leg jerking in the air.

O

F ALL THE silently suffering animals

I saw in pools and pens around the

world, two in particular haunt me:

an elephant and a tiger.

They lived in the same facility,

Samut Prakan Crocodile Farm and

Zoo, about 15 miles south of Bangkok. The ele-

phant, Gluay Hom, four years old, was kept

under a stadium. The aging tiger, Khai Khem, 22,

spent his days on a short chain in a photo studio.

Both had irrefutable signs of suffering: The ema-

ciated elephant had a bent, swollen leg hanging

in the air and a large, bleeding sore at his temple.

His eyes were rolled back in his head. The tiger

had a dental abscess so severe that the infection

was eating through the bottom of his jaw.

When I contacted the owner of the facility,

Uthen Youngprapakorn, to ask about these

animals, he said the fact that they hadn’t died

proved that the facility was caring for them prop-

erly. He then threatened a lawsuit.

Six months after Kirsten and I returned

from Thailand, we asked Ryn Jirenuwat, our

Bangkok- based Thai interpreter, to check on

Gluay Hom and Khai Khem. She went to Samut

Prakan and watched them for hours, sending

photos and video. Gluay Hom was still alive,

still standing in the same stall, leg still bent

at an unnatural angle. The elephants next to

him were skin and bones. Khai Khem was still

chained by his neck to a hook in the floor. He

just stays in his dark corner, Jirenuwat texted,

and when he hears people coming, he twists on

his chain and turns his back to them.

“Like he just wants to be swallowed by

the wall.” j

Natasha Daly is a staff writer and editor at
National Geographic. Kirsten Luce is a freelance
photographer based in New York. They traveled
together through six countries to report this story.

Some guidelines

for seeing

wild animals

Figuring out how to observe

exotic animals humanely can

be complicated and confusing.

Watching them from a safe distance

in the wild is ideal, animal welfare

advocates say. To assess how facilities

treat captive animals, you can

refer to internationally recognized

standards inspired by a 1965 U.K.

government report. Known as the

“five freedoms,” they’re used by

animal welfare groups worldwide and

by the U.S., Canadian, and European

veterinary medical associations.

Freedom from

hunger and thirst

Look for facilities where animals

appear to be well-fed and have

access to clean water at all times.

Freedom from

discomfort

Observe whether animals have an

appropriate environment, including

shelter, ample space, a comfortable

resting area, and a secluded place

away from crowds.

Freedom from

pain, injury, or disease

Avoid facilities where animals are

visibly injured or are forced to

participate in activities that could

injure them or cause them pain—

or where enclosures aren’t clean.

Freedom to express

normal behavior

Being chained, performing, and

interacting with tourists—giving rides,

posing with them, being washed

by them—are not normal for a wild

animal, even one born in captivity.

Freedom from

fear and distress

Be aware that fear-based training,

separation of babies from mothers

at birth, unnatural noises, and large

crowds cause distress.

To learn more, visit

natgeo.com/wildlifetourism.

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