Thailand: Let’s make 2025 a better year for animals
Let’s make 2025 a better year for animals
By Jason Baker
Every year, Thailand’s Je Festival brings me hope and optimism. This celebration showcases a stunning array of vegan food, proving just how easy it is to enjoy meals that don’t harm animals. For a vegan, it’s like being “normal” for a week. The festival plants seeds of compassion, showing that a diet free from cruelty is not only possible but delicious.
Yet, just as Thailand inspires, it also lets me down and as we step into 2025, the need for change has never been clearer. The recent news of a baby gorilla smuggling attempt likely linked to Bangkok’s Chatuchak Market is a sad reminder of the ongoing animal exploitation in Thailand. While the authorities thankfully intercepted this attempt, it highlights the thriving illegal wildlife trade in the country, with Chatuchak Market long having been a notorious hotspot for trafficking endangered animals. The Chatuchak Market fire was another horrifying example of animal suffering. Around 1,000 animals—cats, dogs, birds, and more—burned to death in the pet zone, a seedy section of the market where animals had already been enduring disease and filthy conditions. This tragedy should be the final straw, a clear signal to shut down this cesspool of misery once and for all. Any plans to reopen it would serve as a gut-wrenching reminder of how far we still have to go.
Chatuchak Market’s denial of cruelty mirrors Thailand’s coconut industry, where monkeys are whipped, beaten, and chained to pick coconuts. For years, the government denied these abuses, even as PETA’s investigations revealed the harsh realities—baby monkeys stolen from their mothers, confined to sheds, or tied to trees. However, 2024 did mark a turning point. Two major Thai companies took a stand: Chef’s Choice eliminated Thai coconuts from its supply chain, and Merit Food Products dropped suppliers implicated in monkey labor and sought import licenses for monkey-free coconuts. These victories demonstrate that meaningful change is possible when companies prioritize ethics.
But coconuts weren’t the only industry exposed. This year, PETA Asia documented the horrors of python farms supplying luxury brands like Louis Vuitton. Shipping labels linked gruesome footage of snakes being bashed with hammers, impaled, and skinned alive. These sensitive animals faced unimaginable suffering—all for handbags and belts. With 2025 ushering in the Year of the Snake, Thailand has a unique opportunity to turn the tide by rejecting snake skin products and embracing cruelty-free alternatives.
Even individual animals weren’t spared from exploitation in 2024. Baby pygmy hippo Moo Deng is paraded at Khao Kheow Open Zoo, as if cuteness makes her suffering invisible. Hippos are nocturnal and thrive in rivers and forests—not pens where they’re ogled under harsh daylight. When PETA suggested moving her to a sanctuary, public denial drowned out the conversation. Similarly, a sedated cat on the set of The Empress of Ayodhaya sparked outrage after scenes showed the clearly anesthetized animal convulsing. Unlike Moo Deng’s case, this time the public’s reaction was groundbreaking. Thais condemned the mistreatment, sending a clear message to the entertainment industry: CGI and animatronic animals are the future.
Still, obstacles persist. Pata Zoo, notorious as one of Thailand’s most appalling animal attractions, continues to confine animals in deplorable conditions.
Challenges bring opportunities for hope. The Thai people have repeatedly demonstrated their capacity for compassion and meaningful change. As we walk into 2025, it’s crucial for individuals to hold the government and industries accountable. However, the power to drive change also lies with you—by making mindful choices with your spending. Without financial backing, exploitative practices could finally become a thing of the past.
Jason Baker is PETA Asia’s senior vice president.
