Can a foreigner buy an elephant in Thailand?

October 2, 2011 9:44 PM

Can a foreigner buy an elephant in Thailand? Assume you're not interested in taking it out of the country. If so, how much do they cost, roughly, and what sort of red tape is involved?
posted by gottabefunky to pets & animals (3 answers total)

(a) No, (b) $64,000, (c) a crapload of cash in the bank.
posted by Crotalus at 10:55 PM on October 2, 2011 [13 favorites]

If the elephant, as opposed to the country, is what interests you, I suggest you read Travels on My Elephant, written by a British travel writer who bought an elephant in India.
posted by ShooBoo at 7:18 AM on October 3, 2011

(that is $64K in Australian dollars.. ~$61K in US Dollars, oh so much cheaper)
posted by edgeways at 10:23 PM on October 3, 2011