Thai Police Seize 16 Elephants Believed to be Smuggled or Illegally Taken from Wild

Police in Thailand said they have seized 16 unregistered or illegally registered elephants believed to have been smuggled or taken from the wild to be used for entertainment purposes at tourist destinations around the country, the Bangkok Post reported Wednesday.

Police have said they plan to conduct another raid Friday and expect to seize another 10 unregistered elephants.

"If the mission is successfully completed on Friday, it will be the biggest seizure we have ever had -- 26 elephants in total,'' said police colonel Watcharin Phusit, who leads the nature crimes division of the Royal Thai Police.

Elephants seized this week were removed from popular resort areas in three provinces along Thailand's southern isthmus. Among the resort communities where elephants were seized are: Phuket, Krabi, Ko Chang and Phang Nga.

Elephants are employed for an array of entertainment purposes in Thailand where international and domestic tourists can take part in elephant safaris or watch the pachyderms tightrope walk, paint or play football, according to the Bangkok Post.

The capture of wild elephants for entertainment purposes has been banned since the 1970s; last year police raided several establishments and seized 25 elephants, the Post reported.

Law requires domesticated elephants to be registered with the state. Once registered, the elephants are deemed commercial animals and their owners have the right to trade and use the animal at will, according to the wildlife organization Traffic.

Official registration is usually only given to animals born from female domesticated elephants, but the system does not require proof that the animals were born in captivity.

"The system thus opens the door to the laundering of elephant calves, with criminals catching these calves from the wild, smuggling them into the country and registering them as domesticated elephants," Traffic said in a statement.

A report by the Associated Press lists the number of elephants seized in the raids slightly lower at 14, citing Natural Resources and Environmental Crime Suppression chief Police Maj. Gen. Norasak Hemnithi.

Maj. Gen. Hemnithi told the AP that the raids happened after registered elephants were not residing at the the addresses indicated by their identification certificates. The seized elephants were believed to have been smuggled in from neighboring Myanmar or taken from the wild.