Just hoping that lessons were learned from the young elephant that the Sheraton Krabi had.
After having been at the hotel for about 6 years, most of them being mostly happy interacting only with humans, she became increasingly frustrated (she was chained a good part of the day, as she was often causing damages, when left unattached - the hotel, apparently, had not thought or was unwilling to construct a proper enclosure, for her).
She was purchased back from her Krabi owner and sent to a very good park in Chiang Mai, where she died a few months later of a massive heart attack, at a very young age. For most years, she had a very good mahout from the Isaan region , but he quit before RaRa's retirement, and did not follow her to Chiang Mai (which probably would have helped her). The mahout that replaced him handled her quite poorly and one of the main reasons was that he was scared of her. The new guy was let go at the park and replaced by a good mahout, but I guess that it was not enough.
The stress started with the long truck transfer, during which she refused to eat or get out of the truck, for breaks. The worst part was her sadness at the park where she had no 'social skills' with the other elephants (I guess the humans had become her real family) and was rejected by all the groups that the elephants had formed at the park (
www.elephantnaturepark.org).
It is almost certain that her constant stress, since she had left the hotel, was the cause of her sudden death.
I would probably be wise that Namwan, the baby elephant, stays with other elephants from time to time, in order not to forget what it is to be around other elephants and to learn from the adults, to ease her life when she is returned at the age of 4.
A fund (donations from guests, profit from the sale of elephants souvenirs, etc...) could also be organized by the hotel, to buy back Namwan at the end of her career, so she can be sent to a park, where the elephants are well treated.
The 2 elephants at the Sheraton Laguna Phuket were not very well treated, often had injuries on their skin, and the mahouts were letting guests giving beer and inappropriate food to the elephants. The positive part is that they could interact with each other, although one was definitely dominant, to the point of removing food from the mouth of the other, when he felt like it.
You might also want to read what the park posted, about RaRa:
http://www.elephantnaturefoundation.org/go/entry97
http://www.elephant.se/location2.php...id=1593&show=5
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BU2TH-P56lo
Originally Posted by
Le Meridien Khao Lak
Dear All, I read your concerns about our baby elephant well being and please rest assure this baby elephant is well taken care of. I understand you have doubt, but believe me, the living condition of Namwan (baby elephant) at the hotel is far better than she had with her owner in Bangkok suburb. At the hotel, she has one designated Care taker to take care of her 24 hours, 20 kg of banana and cucumber available 24 hours for her dining, checked by veterinarian once a month, and wash and bath twice a day. She will not have this privilege, once she return to her owner when she reaches 4 years old, because the owner has many big elephants to take care of, and financially can not afford to feed all elephants. She may have to work, but by then she would be strong enough to do so. That was the reason our hotel owner brought Namwan to Le Meridien Khao Lak during the flood.