HARROWING IMAGES: A zoo in Thailand has been widely criticized after shocking images of severely underweight animals went viral on social media.
The images taken on Friday show a very thin Asian elephant being forced to perform tricks at Samut Prakan Crocodile Farm and Zoo.
With its spine and ribs clearly visible the elephant is made to walk along metal rope and balance on wooden tables.
The images posted on the We Love Samut Prakan Facebook page also showed a horse, which people said looked like it was ‘starving’.
Others commenting shared their harrowing tales after visiting the zoo.
One user wrote: “This place is disgusting. It stinks and most of the animals are so thin, it is not only the elephants. I visited recently but cried as I was walking around. It’s horrible.”
Others said the zoo should be shut down, while many questioned the authorities responsible for checking the welfare of animals at zoos in Thailand.
Images online show from the zoo show elephants forced to ride skateboards, while handlers can be seen putting their heads inside the mouth of a crocodile.
On Tripadvisor, people rated the zoo as “Terrible”, and asked for it be shut down, while others described it as “absolutely awful”.
Samut Prakan Crocodile Farm and Zoo, which is reportedly the world’s largest crocodile farm, is also known to use two-tier pricing for entrance, with Thai nationals charged a fee of 60 baht, while foreigners are charged 300 baht.
This isn’t the first time Samut Prakan Crocodile Farm and Zoo has been in the news for the way it treats animals.
In 2017, Thai media reported on the filthy conditions at the zoo, with crocodiles and bears forced to swim in putrid green water and other animals forced to live in cages forced to live in cages with plastic bottles and other litter strewn on the floor.
