Nikki Beach Phuket has vowed to stop using elephants for entertainment in response to anger over images from a recent pool party rager featuring a baby elephant.
After initially responding that wild drunken parties featuring baby elephants “represented Thai culture” failed to placate angry netizens, the resort announced this morning it would stop providing elephants for entertainment.
Via its Facebook page, the resort said, “we understand that this has upset many of our customers and animal advocates around the world, so effective immediately, we will stop granting the requests for elephants at Nikki Beach Phuket. The Nikki Beach family will never stand for the mistreatment of animals.”
The resort’s decision came after public derision for photos showing drunk foreign assholes partying with and atop a baby elephant at the resort’s pool parties were shared by Wildlife Friends Foundation of Thailand last week, instigating what would best be described as a social media shitstorm.
One of the foreign assholes featured in some photos taken a year ago showed Hollywood actor Kellan Lutz of the “Twilight” series celebrating his 29th birthday at Nikki Beach Phuket. Apparently for 30 two weeks ago he got his hands on some different wildlife.
Photo: Kellan Lutz on Facebook
Nikki Beach first responded by taking the cultural identity defense, saying Saturday its practices fell “into the normal behaviors in usage of elephants to represent their culture.” That excuse seemed to only result in an organized boycott effort which picked up a few hundred likes within hours.
