We
live in Phuket,
Thailand. This is a well established world-class
vacation destination. But, there is trouble in
this paradise. The cause - it's gotten out of
hand. Too many consumers are finite resources
is the underlying problem. The government is faced with
a very tough job. On the one hand, the economy
is driven in large part by the tourism industry.
On the other hand, most of what is going on currently
is not sustainable.
To
say that PaddleAsia does
no harm to the environment would be inaccurate.
Fossil fuels are used to get here and they are used
to access specific destinations once our guests arrive.
The food packaging for the most part here is not exactly
recyclable. What can we do?
We can minimize our impact by thinking about every facet
of our stay. We can make choices when shopping or eating
and so on. The aim is to do as little harm as
possible.
Responsible
travelers please do research first!
Most
tourists don't seem to investigate
what harms the area they're visiting. Did you
know that prawn farms are responsible for the destruction
of enormous areas of mangrove? Do you know that
the mangrove forest is a key link in the ocean eco system?
In fact, it is the nursery for the ocean and that many
species are directly tied to this very important part
of the chain of life?
What
about eating seafood? We're not
about to tell you not to eat seafood. But, the
fishing industry is at fault for most of the coral reef
destruction as well and the physical pollution of the
seas and beaches. If you want to eat seafood, try eating
fish that didn't come directly from the coral reefs
or protected areas.
Animals
are often paraded at night through touristy areas.
White-bellied Sea Eagles, Iguanas (not indigenous to
this continent), large Reticulated Pythons, baby elephants
and other unfortunate living things are drugged to keep
them docile so their owners can con tourists into getting
their pictures taken with their "merchandise."
In the past, not so much these days, even gibbons were
stuck in bars or paraded around town. The only
way to get a baby gibbon is to shoot it and the mother
out of the tree. If the baby survives the fall,
it is doomed to a life of being hassled, taunted, and
abused. Despite being in the international endangered
species list, vendor did this openly. Besides the humanitarian
aspect of this trade, it is illegal under international
and Thai law to have these animals.
Elephant
Trekking: What you Might Not know
The way elephants are taught to accept
people riding on their back is by beating them and thus
killing their spirit.
If
you really care about the elephants, first make a visit
to one of the few elephant centers who don't do elephant
shows or treks like the Elephant
Nature Park north from Chiang Mai, and
only afterwards make up your own mind about doing an
elephant trek or not.
This information is not meant to sound
like Thais are exceptionally cruel to all animals. Intentional
cruelty to animals is a sure indication of sociopathic
behavior no matter what the race or nationality of the
perpetrator.
I
don't have all the answers, but what I do know is the
method used in Thailand (perhaps not by everyone) to
'train' the elephants is beating them, sleep deprevation
and other nasty acts. From what I've personally witnessed,
this appears to be used in Phuket at least. From what
I read online, this appears to be the method most often
applied.
What
would happen if no one rides them?
Well,
they could be retired to one of the parks/operations
that simply take care of them and don't exploit them
for $$. From what I've heard, Thai Elephant Conservation
Center in Lampang, does a good job of taking care of
the animals.
Some
could be released back into the wild. "In a bid
to reverse the precipitous decline of elephants in the
wild, Thailand's Queen Sirikit has encouraged an experiment
to release some from the royal household. The results
could be significant for other parts of the world with
plummeting elephant populations, writes Leyla Alyanak."
from this website.
Our
goal is to educate and change hearts.
We don't do this by force or preaching. We do
it simply by showing you the wonders that exist in this
still amazing tropical holiday destination.
You
will feel the pulse of the natural world as you paddle
through the timeless beauty of Phang Nga Bay, the islands
of Phang Nga Bay, Tarutao National Park, or Khao Sok
National Park. Though these are popular vacation
destinations, we can show you each place without the
crowds... that's our specialty.
