AYUTTHAYA, 30 May 2012 – The government has pledged to speed up the registration of domestic Thai elephants, in another bid to prevent animal trafficking.
Mr. Ittipan Kaolamai, manager of the Royal Elephant Kraal and Village in Ayutthaya Province, said that officials from the National Institute of Elephant Research and Health Service and the Thai Elephant Conservation Center on Tuesday have started the inspection and the registration of 159 elephants at the Kraal.
He said that the entire process is expected to be completed within 3-days.
Mr. Ittipan commented that the inspection and registration work show the government’s serious interest in tackling the problem of wild animal trafficking after Thailand has hardly kept official records of domestic elephants and their new-born.
According to Mr. Ittipan, there have always been attempts by unscrupulous groups to register wild elephants and trade them.
The Royal Elephant Kraal and Village manager added that the Department of Natural Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP) has pledged to complete the registration of domestic elephants nationwide within this year.
He went on to say that, under the current practice, all registered elephants will be implanted with 16-digit microchips to allow for verification later.
