Thai Caregivers’ Perspectives on Relationships with Their Elephants and Tigers

Logging prohibition in Thailand national parks in 1989 ended work for most elephants and mahouts. Animal tourism developed, affording food and husbandry for elephants, and introducing tourism with young tigers. Media and research on wild animals in tourism have explored the animals’ welfare, but not how tourism shifts human-animal relationships and affects the animal caregivers. Caregivers of elephants (n = 55) or tigers (n = 18) in both private and government tourism facilities in four cities were interviewed in Thai concerning how contexts and management styles impact the relationship between captive animals and caregivers. Mahouts working in private facilities used one-to-one management and were younger and more poorly compensated than those working at government-funded tourism facilities. Tiger caregivers in tourism had direct contact with young tigers, with group management; these caregivers also were younger than in government facilities, with fewer benefits. Most mahouts considered their elephants as family members; a slight majority of these mahouts questioned the ethics of this use of elephants. Tiger caregivers classified tigers as family or friend equally often; one-third of all declined answering whether they approved of use of tigers in tourism. While somewhat solving problems, animal tourism also creates some challenges.

1989年泰国国家公园实施的伐木禁令（Logging prohibition）终止了多数大象与象夫（mahouts）的营生。随后动物旅游业兴起，不仅为大象提供了食物与饲养照料，还衍生出幼虎互动旅游项目。目前针对旅游行业野生动物的媒体报道与学术研究多聚焦于动物福利维度，却未探讨旅游业如何重塑人兽关系，以及对动物照料者产生的影响。本研究针对四座城市的私营与国营旅游机构中的大象照料者（n=55）与老虎照料者（n=18）开展泰语访谈，探究经营情境与管理模式如何影响圈养动物与照料者之间的关系。私营机构的象夫采用一对一管理模式，相较于国营旅游机构的象夫，他们年龄更小且薪酬水平更低。从事旅游行业的老虎照料者采用集体管理模式，可直接接触幼虎；与国营机构的老虎照料者相比，他们同样更为年轻，且福利待遇更为微薄。多数象夫将自己照料的大象视为家庭成员，但其中略超半数的象夫对这种利用大象开展旅游活动的伦理合理性提出了质疑。老虎照料者将老虎归类为家人或朋友的比例相当；有三分之一的受访者拒绝回答是否认可利用老虎开展旅游活动的行为。动物旅游业在一定程度上缓解了部分困境，但同时也催生了若干新的挑战。