Among wild animals - because of evil people
- Ye-Soon und Horst
- May 21, 2023
- 5 min read
The marking for the "Wildlife Friends Foundation" on my Google map has been peeking in the category "I want to go there" for a very long time. Thanks to a friend, we finally managed to visit this wildlife refuge. About a 45-minute drive from Hua Hin is this privately operated and donation-funded sanctuary for various wildlife. About 20 years ago, the European private citizen Edwin Wiek became aware of the many animals simply given away at a Buddhist temple. The monk explained to him that according to Buddhist teachings, animals should also have a good life. As a monk, he could not afford this, but he could provide a piece of land if Wiek wanted to take on the task. He wanted to - and now more than 700 animals live on a huge site. There is much more space for the individual animal species here than in all the zoos I have visited.
And this Wildlife Rescue Center is no more a zoo than an entertainment park with elephant rides or tiger photos. It is anchored in the ethical principles of the Foundation that one wants to offer the animals as much natural freedom without human contact as possible. Many animals also come to the facility injured or orphaned, are cared for and cared for and then released back into the wild. Unfortunately, this is no longer possible for a large number of residents of this foundation. Some animals have been illegally imported into Thailand and could not be bad in the wild. Others have been in captivity or accustomed to humans for so long that they cannot be released back into the wild either.
We drive to the first enclosure of our highly recommended day tour. It goes to a now 75-year-old elephant lady, who is allowed to enjoy her retirement peacefully in her own enclosure. Her body is marked by abuse and decades of carrying heavy loads on her back.
At this point we also learn how the elephants are already separated from their mothers as babies and broken in their normal behavior. They are squeezed into small boxes and lured with food. As soon as they reach out for the food, they get a stick blow. They are brutally drilled and their natural behavior is stopped. They have to work, beg, carry, show tricks... but are no longer allowed to be elephants. Some elephant cows have their babies snatched from them for several years in a row after birth. A drama for these social animals, which drastically traumatize the lives of the elephant mothers and the babies. Such a "breeding" elephant also lives here. She is now so aggressive towards humans that even the most experienced Mahouts do not dare to enter her enclosure.
Male elephants become loners as they get older - grumpy, bad-tempered grandpas. We were able to get to know two of them. They live in a spacious area, which stands out due to concrete posts instead of shady trees. The trees, which initially provided shade, have long since been destroyed by the cops, so that massive parasols with concrete bases now provide the necessary shade. Again, you shouldn't get too close. They can enjoy their retirement here undisturbed by humans and other elephants.
Another species that we encounter everywhere on the site are the many monkeys. Each of them has its own destiny and story. Live cuddly toys that suddenly destroy the home or trained macaques that have been trained and used to harvest coconut. Most of the time, these are simply abandoned somewhere in old age and left to their own devices - or hung on a fence. You can also see many gibbons that come into contact with humans by restricting their habitat and are then injured or sold as lap bulls. If they're lucky, they'll end up here. These gibbons, which are very social and live in family ties, get a piece of their natural life back here. Since gibbons cannot swim, they have found a new home not only in large, 10-meter-high cages, but also on an artificially created island. You can hear their family calls for miles and they are almost always on the move, very curious and like to steal visitor utensils in passing.
A very special fate brought an illegally imported chimpanzee here. He was smuggled in from Africa as a baby by private individuals and illegally kept as a pet until he was about 2 years old. When the owners could no longer cope with him, they sold him to a supermarket in Bangkok, where he sat for the next 35 years in the middle of the city as an "attraction" in a 2x2 meter cage. Even 3 years after his rescue, he is still apathetic, behaviorally conspicuous and lives alone on his small island in the refuge. In order to build this facility, Edwin Wiek himself sat in this small cage for days and nights, accompanied by cameras, to collect donations for the chimpanzee's new home. He was able to raise over 30,000 euros through this campaign, so that he could start building the plant after leaving the cage.
Unfortunately, the illegal import of wild and domestic animals is still a huge business in Thailand today. Among other things, a huge cassowary that is very dangerous for humans, some otters, some large agama lizards and even a cougar live here. All of them given away by private "animal lovers" or rescued from their hands. Even a domestic pig has managed to grow old here. It has 6 toes on each forefoot - it is therefore considered sacred and may not be eaten.
We continue with the safari bus to a bear enclosure. Nine Thai black bears currently live here. It is explained to us that these are kept and bred illegally because of their importance for Chinese medicine. Their claws and teeth are removed alive and the bile juices are sucked out in order to sell them lucratively to China. The bears suffer hellish agony and often develop inflammation and tumors due to the constant extraction of bile, which lead to an agonizing death. But even dead, the bears are still valuable: fur, paws, liver, teeth and sexual organs go to China for thick bundles of money. Here the bears lie in a hammock or do yoga... They deserve it.
In addition to many other animals on our tour, there is another small sensation to marvel at: 9 Bengal tigers, rescued from a zoo on Phuket that was bankrupt due to the pandemic, found a new home here. It was the largest tiger rescue operation in Thai history. In 2022, the almost starved animals were picked up in Phuket and given medical care and rebuilt here. Meanwhile, these imposing tigers, which are not comparable to the wild Thai tigers, live in a huge area with plenty of water and hiding places. Tigers have also been decimated because of their importance for Chinese medicine, especially for virility. A living tiger has a market value of 50,000-70,000 US dollars as a living "drug". But only in China. The tiger enclosure is particularly well monitored and is primarily intended to protect the tigers, not the visitors.
Despite all the proximity to the wild animals, we are repeatedly reminded of the need to maintain minimum distances. No petting, no photo posing with young monkeys, no elephant rides. Everything remains as nature wanted it to be - with one small exception. Two former working elephants, who are very good-natured and used to dealing with people, let us spoil them with homemade banana dumplings.
Everything around us seems very professional, tidy, cleaned and very well organized. Everywhere we meet volunteers from all over the world who work here for a few weeks or months without pay. An experience that can only be wished for every young person. Because in addition to enlightenment, it also takes one's own experience with these wonderful creatures to turn the tide for our world.
As I wrote this, about 40 species worldwide have disappeared forever.
For more information about the Wildlife Friends Foundation and volunteering, please click hier
More videos about the work and history of WFFT can be found here on Youtube.
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