ELEPHANTS first arrived in Bangkok in the late 1980s after a logging ban made them redundant in forestry work.

Since then, they have been trafficked into the city from rural Thailand and even neighbouring Myanmar by politically connected gangs who count on corrupt government officials to look the other way.

The elephants' handlers persuade tourists to buy the animals sugar cane and other snacks or use the elephants to promote the sale of ivory trinkets. Many of the animals get hurt when they collide with cars or step into drains or potholes.

The city has tried repeatedly to evict the animals - at one point bringing in trucks to cart them away - only to have the plans undermined by lax enforcement.