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Published on February 19, 2008

Thong Dee, supposed to be a goodwill ambassador from Thailand, almost created a diplomatic hiccup by her "inappropriate" behaviour.

Animal rights groups are crying foul at how the zoo let such an incident happen.

Nine-year-old Thong Dee was sent to Taronga Zoo as part of the government's exchange programme. She was supposed to showcase ladylike manners with prudence and poise.

Barely two years have passed since her migration. And now NGO groups in Australia are up in arms after finding out recently that Thong Dee is five months pregnant. It's a case of underage pregnancy because specialists say a female elephant should be aged nine before breeding, with an optimum age of 12.

We have heard that some conservative quarters in Thailand are planning to issue a condemnation, blaming Thong Dee for showing Thailand in a bad light.

But that's not the end of the story. Thai zoo officials are now discussing whether Thong Dee's baby, due in two years, should come back to Thailand. After all, the baby should have Thai nationality like its mother.

Never mind how this story ends, the Thong Dee saga tells a thing or two about Thai animals. Thai elephants, like other creatures, are generally happy and could mate even under social pressure and a not-so-romantic environment. (Remember the lizards at Government House.)

In contrast, you may recall the difficulties that zoo officials in Chiang Mai faced trying to persuade Chinese pandas to mate. They even tried to create a romantic environment by showing them X-rated panda porn videotape but to no avail. Perhaps Miss Thong Dee could act as the animal "sexpert" for those pandas at Chiang Mai.

jeerawat@nationgroup.com

The Nation