Within the city Siem Reap, Cambodia lies the famous Temple of Angkor Wat. Tourists are encouraged to endeavor on several tours offered throughout the 400 square kilometers of holy temples. One of the most popular tours atop the backs of elephants recently led to the death of one of these gentle giants.
Forty-five-year-old Sambo collapsed while carrying tourists 2.1 kilometers throughout the winding temples for about 40 minutes. According to Daily Mail, “the elephant's death was caused by the hot temperatures which caused stress, shock, high blood pressure and a heart attack.” The high for that was around 40 degrees Celsius, which converts to 104 degrees Fahrenheit.
Once word of Sambo’s unjust death surfaced, a petition was started on Change.org to put a stop to cruel elephant rides. The petition has gained almost 80,000 supporters but is still asking for more signers. The petition overview states that “There is no such thing as cruelty-free elephant rides. Tourists may think that riding an elephant on holiday does not cause harm - you often can't see the cruelty - it's hidden from view.”
The petition isn’t wrong. Chris Draper from the Born Free Foundation told MSN News that "Elephants used for rides are generally trained using harsh and abusive methods, they may be kept isolated from social companions, and made to walk miles on hot roads." MSN also quotes him in saying “access to food and water can be restricted and the animals are often shackled by their feet when not carrying tourists.”
Animal activists such as PETA are speaking out across the world in rage. MSN states that "World Animal Protection believes at least 550,000 wild animals are suffering at the hands of irresponsible tourist attractions around the world."
Sambo is not the only animal to lose her life to the hands of tourists in the past several months. In February of this year, a baby dolphin was killed in the name of selfies due to irresponsible tourists. Animals' lives continue to be put in danger for the purpose of tourism and human entertainment.
When will enough be enough?
