Wildlife tourism in Thailand is like visiting 'house of horrors' says Leamington photojournalist

WILDLIFE tourism in Thailand is like ‘visiting a house of horrors’ says a photojournalist from Leamington.

Aaron Gekoski has been documenting the plight of animals around the world for some years – from the habit destruction caused by the palm oil industry in Borneo, to shark finning in Mozambique and seal culling in Nambia.

Now the 37-year-old has turned his attention to Thailand where he says more than half a million animals are taken from the wild to a life of squalor and abuse in the form of neglectful zoos, elephant-back safaris, monkey theatres, dolphin shows and more.

He said: “Their spirits are broken by handlers, who beat them into submissive states – elephants, for example, go through ‘the crush’ – a form of torture designed to break their spirits. They then live the rest of their lives in unsuitable habitats and are abused and mistreated on a daily basis.

“What I saw was truly shocking – orangutans forced to box each other in humiliating routines, elephants which appeared so drugged they could barely walk, monkeys yanked around on chains and made to ride bikes, a gorilla living in a filthy cell at the top of a shopping mall.

“There’s zero justification for this – it’s all about maximising profits. The fact they’re allowed to operate legally is astounding.

“There must be a crackdown on these abusive operators.”

Aaron – whose adventures began with a film course in South Africa’s Kruger National Park – has made a series of short films which has captured the attention of authorities in Thailand. The series shows animals being force-fed, dressed up in clothes, stuck in tiny cages and being struck for bad behaviour.


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