A baby elephant attempted to hide behind an incredibly narrow pole after it was caught eating sugar cane in a Thailand farm. The photos were taken in Chiang Mai, which happens to be a rather big city in the more mountainous area in the northern portion of Thailand that’s better known for its sugar cane plantations.
The adorable baby elephant thought that it wouldn’t be seen in its attempt to hide behind the post when it saw that humans were approaching. Of course the fact that it’s body is much wider than the pole only made it look that much cuter in its attempts at camouflaging itself.
As the locals entered the sugarcane field with their flashlights as they approached the elephant, the baby calf attempted to stand incredibly still, hoping that it wouldn’t be seen.
Of course, the whole attempt was captured in photos, which went viral and became highly publicized all over the world as they were shared via social media. The first photo that was shared was posted on Facebook on November 16 with the caption, “Keep calm. Officers will see. Let’s continue eating sugarcane.” To most people’s delight, the post eventually showed up on Twitter, Reddit and Imgur soon after.
Thailand has around 7,000 elephants living in the country, with over half of them kept in captivity. Meanwhile others live in the wild, in the deeper jungles of the country as those in captivity are in national parks, protected legally by a number of wildlife laws. Sadly, some locals that live in the more rural zones that grow and cultivate food in those areas look at elephants as pests, as revealed by a study that was conducted by one of Thailand’s foundations, Bring the Elephant Home (BTEH). Sadly, ‘about 70 percent of the plantation owners working for sugar industry giants even wish that elephants would be totally eradicated, compared to 34 percent of households.’
Thankfully, there are laws in place in the country, making elephants a protected species within Thailand. The killing of an elephant can result in a maximum prison term of up to three years, as well as a 1,000 Baht fine, roughly exchanged to $33. These days, a number of elephant parks are available for both locals and tourists to have their own experience with these beautiful creatures.
The elephant, which is also considered the national animal of Thailand, represents strength, loyalty and resilience for the Thai people. In fact, for the Thai and Buddhist cultures, they are also considered a ‘basis of folklore in the Southeast Asian nation throughout its modern history.’ Due to its popularity, elephants can be found on a number of different items throughout Thailand, from clothing, to beer bottles, popular culture, and even the national flag up until 1917.
Also, up until 1989, elephants were a vital part of the country’s labor for its commercial logging industries. So when Thailand eventually suspended their logging activities, elephants that were now unemployed were left to roam all over the farmlands they once worked on, as well as look for shelter where they could find it, like under highway underpasses.
Although there is no longer an elephant logo on the national flag, the country still continues to use them everywhere. One such example is the Elephant Building, a 1997 high-rise building that was shaped to look like an elephant.
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