For years The Elephant Kingdom Park in Chonburi, Thailand has been a frequent tourist stop, especially among those visitors who crave the adrenaline rush of a thrilling activity. The park had become known for allowing visitors to take a raft ride on a body of water filled with hungry crocodiles, but that isn’t all.
The entire point of the ride was to permit guests to feed the animals. Now, thanks to the intervention of one tourist, the government has stepped in to halt the dangerous attraction.
Hundreds of visitors each year would take to the water in a makeshift raft where hungry crocodiles were waiting. Once surrounded by the creatures, the tourists were allowed to dangle large portions of meat in an effort to get the crocodiles to feed.
At any one time there could be ten or more of the animals in close proximity to the raft, jostling for position and causing the rickety watercraft to bobble and sway. No safety regulations were in place to insure the protection of the park’s guests.
The unsafe practice ended when John Nok, a tourist, saw the activity and became concerned. Nok took many photos and posted them to social media. Within a very short period of time the photos had gone viral and the story was picked up by mews media outlets all over the world.
There was an international outcry over the photos which forced the Thai government, with the assistance of local police, to close the park.
