They're holding the King's Cup Elephant Polo Games in Hua Hin this week; the tournament raises funds for elephant projects around the country. Naturally, the Usual Suspects have a problem with this:
"Thailand should be focused on protecting these majestic animals in nature, not exploiting them for a fleeting moment of human amusement," said Ben Williamson of the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).
Apparently, that the elephants are taking a bit of a vacation from their usual roles over there in order to get in some good exercise and good eats while raising money for conservation programs really weighs on the neurons of the professional agitators. These professional bleeding hearts really would be better served by focusing their efforts on improving their own track records, as they really suck. If they cleaned up their own operations, rather than just snuffing animals, they might have room to talk. However, as things stand, they're in no position to yap at people who've been living and working among elephants for 3,000 years.