[no elephant riding in Angkor Wat] in response to the appeal of environmental activists around the country, the Cambodian government decided to stop the famous elephant riding activity in Angkor Wat, a Cambodian official said yesterday. 14 local elephants, once used to attract tourists, are about to embark on their new home trip.
Aon & middot, director of Angkor Elephant Group Committee; OAN kiry said: 'from the beginning of 2020, our association plans to stop using elephants to transport tourists.' He added that visitors to the community forest can still communicate with elephants, but keep a certain distance.
'They can still watch elephants and take pictures of them in our conservation and breeding center. We want elephants to live as naturally as possible, 'Kerry said.
Since 2001, elephant riding in Angkor Wat has been a major local project. There are as many as 2 million tourists every year. Elephants are already tired. In 2016, an elderly female elephant named Sambo died of heart failure after transporting tourists in hot weather. It is reported that the elephant was crushed by high temperature and high blood pressure just after completing a 45 minute travel shuttle.
This has aroused great repercussions in animal protection organizations and the whole society. More than 180000 people petitioned at change.org to stop the project.
According to officials of the Apsara authority, which oversees the UNESCO World Heritage site, the first two 'liberated' elephants are already on the way to the forest of BOS Thom community, where they can spend the rest of their lives' in the natural environment '.