Petition to save elephant from 'deplorable' conditions in Langkawi

PETALING JAYA: Non-governmental organisation Friends of the Orangutans (Foto) has uncovered allegations of animal cruelty towards an elephant at the Langkawi Elephant Adventures (LEA) park, which the group says has been held under "deplorable conditions" for ten years.
In a post shared on Facebook, its director Upreshpal Singh called on Malaysians to join their campaign to save the 36-year-old Asian elephant called Lasah, which is kept under merciless conditions and chained after a long day of giving rides to tourists.
"When not used for entertainment of tourists Lasah is kept in brutal conditions behind public eyes, chained on all four legs," Foto revealed, adding that the chaining method is against Malaysian wildlife law.
According to the LEA official website, Lasah was born in the wild and has spent over 20 years in several zoos, performing in shows, appearing in commercials and regional TV programmes and was even featured in the 1999 film "Anna and the King".
"After years of abuse and exploitation Lasah was sent to Langkawi in March 2006 and has since been forced to give rides for hours in sweltering heat and humidity while at the mercy of his handler.
"Lasah has endured a lonely life of abuse and exploitation at the Langkawi Elephant Adventures and other places long enough," Foto said.
The group urged the public to "speak up" for Lasah by signing and sharing a petition which demands for the elephant to be transferred to the Kuala Gandah elephant sanctuary, where it will have the companionship of other elephants, space, and care that it deserves.
The petition will be sent to the Minister of Natural Resources and Environment, Datuk Seri Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar, the Wildlife Department and the Langkawi Development Board.