Posted: 1/26/2005 2:07:44 PM EDT
 www.nbc10.com/news/4129877/detail.html  Caught On Camera: Elephants Using Gigantic Toilets POSTED: 7:57 pm EST January 25, 2005 UPDATED: 9:55 pm EST January 25, 2005 Elephants in Chiang Mai, Thailand, are being trained to use several specially designed toilets. A group of animal trainers are hoping to get their elephants to use the facilities to make their life easier. Each of the elephants at the facility eats more than 100 pounds of food each day, which translates into lots of scooping for the preserve's staff. The trainers are hoping the giant toilets will keep their elephant preserve clean and help attract more tourists. So far the experiment appears to be a great success. The seven elephants at the preserve are now using the toilets regularly, and are even flushing when they're finished. A spokesman for the elephant preserve says the next challenge will be teaching the elephants to read the morning newspaper while they're on the bowls. All seven elephants at the preserve were rescued from the streets of Bangkok, where they were earning their living by performing for tourists. Thailand is home to roughly 4,000 endangered Asian elephants, down from more than 100,000 elephants one century ago. |