Winner
Brent Stirton
Getty Images
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"GOD'S IVORY"
SURIN, THAILAND, NOVEMBER 2011: "Jack," a Mahout at Surin Elephant Village, feeds and bathes his elephant in the early morning in a dam at Surin Elephant Village in Surin, Thailand. "Jack" worked in China for over 13 years as an elephant Mahout. There are over 200 elephants at this village, most of whom are used in shows which appeal to tourists. The Thai elephant used to be used in logging but this was banned in Thailand over 20 years ago due to deforestation. As a result there is a lot of pressure on Mahouts for survival and this has led to controversy in elephant matters in Thailand. The Mahouts come from a clan which has been responsible for the capture and rearing of elephants for the kings of Siam for well over a 1000 years. Their way of life is now under threat and some of the Mahouts are involved in the illegal elephant trade with Burma and also the trade in ivory and elephant parts, most of which is used in the manufacture of religious icons for the domestic trade or exported to China for foreign sales. The Thai legal system has many loopholes as a result of the domestic ivory situation and Thailand is suspected of being a major transit country for illegal African ivory as a result.
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