EXOTIC SKIN BUSINESS IN THAILAND HAS NO MERCY FOR WILDLIFE 

SNAKES ARE TORTURED FOR THE SAKE OF PROFIT

One lady is wearing the suit made from the snake skin. She is walking proud down to the Fifth avenue in NYC and it seems that everyone is impressed how is she dressed. Her husband is also following with the style. Great outfit but his shoes are specially designed, high quality of snake skin. They are both trend setters and fashion maniacs who will eat in some of the luxurious restaurants  of the Big Apple and  will not probably think what story is behind exotic piece of clothes they bough for lot of money.But, as always , there is a story and that story leads us to the tropical Thailand with crystal water, white sands and patriotic Thais whose language is very difficult to learn. The country is known as a paradise for shopping and eating but also for dirty business and cruelty.

The beauty of Thailand is ended at the moment when the whole world is informed about the high level of animal cruelty over there. The lucrative tigers temple, mistreat  of elephants for the tourist pleasure, abuse of all animals within wildlife parks across the mentioned country and no any sign that those things will be stopped. It is said that Government will introduce finally  The Animal Welfare law to stop the cruelty towards animals born in captivity but as it looks for now, no one is really serious about it since the entertainment industry brings millions of dollars to this poor society. The majority of Thai people aren’t educated and indeed they are not ethically developed so they can respect and care about animals. They are skilled to see the source of profit in each of the animals they abuse and to not give up on that. Welcome to Thailand, where it is estimated about 400,000 people who are infected by HIV. Welcome to Thailand, known as  hell and heaven for drugs, depending on what you want and how do you get it. Welcome to Thailand, the place where exotic skin industry is torturing reptiles for their skin, so to make business and export it to  some of the lands which are claiming they are against animal cruelty.That Thailand welcomes you, my reader to discover its deepest dark secrets and to reveal the truth behind the glorious lights of Bangkok.

Whats happening exactly over there? The snakes are experiencing the horror, the slaughtering in the name of fashion accessory, for the styling taste of egoistic and greedy people who influence the balance of wildlife by their ignorance. Thailand is not the only case of wildlife crime. According to data, every year at least 440,000 pythons are slaughtered in Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam without any environmental concern.

The same problem is in Thailand and PETA from Asia brings the disturbing information how the snakes and accompanies crocodiles and lizards are continually being tortured:“Snakes are commonly nailed to trees and their bodies are cut open from one end to the other as they are skinned alive, in the belief that live flaying keeps the skins supple. Their mutilated bodies are then discarded, but because of these animals’ slow metabolism, it can take hours for the snakes to die. Lizards are often decapitated, and some writhe in agony as the skin is ripped from their bodies. Most crocodile and alligator skins come from farmed animals who are raised in crowded tanks or pools of fetid, stinking water. The animals are shot or crudely bludgeoned with hammers. Workers sometimes use a mallet and chisel to sever crocodiles’ spinal cords—which paralyzes, but does not kill, the animals” This basically mean that many of the captured animals are alive while they have been skinned and terrorized by so called human beings.

Some experts claim that more than 4 crocodiles must be killed for one simple hand bag to be made and even more snakes for expensive wallet. Those animals are hunted and dragged out of their habitat and brought into slaughtering Thai houses where family starts its own bloody business. Those farming facilities are butcheries of shame for the whole country which attracts people by tourism offer. The fact is that people who hunt and slaughter animals for profit are nothing but worthless humans who would sell their own family members for more dollars in their pockets. For a comparison , the investigative reports from Indonesia comes with so terrible numbers. Wakira aka Boss Cobra is owner of the slaughterhouse that is one of the leading in snake meat and skin industry in Indonesia. As he stated, the snake skin bag costs somewhere between  50,000 rupiah ($15) and 300,000 rupiah ($31) but when it is exported to western fashion market, it reaches the price up to  $4,000 (£2,500).

Thailand is also dealing with crocodile farming industry and PETA states that about 700,000 crocodiles are raised in small pools so they can be killed later and their skin used for the purpose of fashion. Many fashion brands are attracted to Thailand exotic skin diversity and that must be limited and declared as a specific form of wildlife crime.

People over there do not care much about moral standards and virtue of compassion towards animals when they have to earn money to feed their children. The poverty and lack of social awareness turned this tropical heaven into black hole of humanity. The  reality is even worse. Nobody ever thinks that these animal feel pain as we do and that they do have right to live as we do, this Planet belongs to every single creature, not only to those we decide they can live with us or among us.

The efforts to spread the truth about this shameful face of Thailand shouldn’t vanish but the good thing is that certain and responsible people founded The Snake Farm back in 1923 and after it was under the patronage of the Thai Monarchy,  it became the Queen Saovabha Memorial Institute and Snake Farm with the education purpose and wildlife management goals. This facility has also the concrete strategy to define the venom and anti-venom so the innocent people could be saved from dying from poisoning. The another side of this is also an introduction of local residents into the psychology and biology of snakes and their importance for ecosystem in general.

After a while, new generations of Thai will adopt the highest standards in behavior towards wild animals and give them their place into the nature they share with. In the meantime, country must work hard to enable people another sources of economical development and the hypocritical western world must control its own spoiled children of fashion who wear exotic snake skin while they preach about animal rights.Snakes are beautiful and they deserve more from this world.