Footage shows elephants being released back into the jungle after coronavirus decimated income from tourism.<br /><br />Eight jumbos were left unemployed after Covid-19 lockdown restrictions in place since March forced their show to close in Trang, southern Thailand.<br /><br />Penniless mahout Tassana Sasimonton, 48, said he has been unable to feed his herd of underweight elephants so he took them back to his home village.<br /><br />They were then released into woodland to forage for themselves. <br /><br />Tassana said it would costs around 10,000 baht (250GBP) a month to care for a single elephant. With no money from tourism, he has been unable to pay for their upkeep.<br /><br />He said: "My income has stopped after the spread of coronavirus and the elephants don't have enough food. I took my elephants back to the woods in my hometown where they can eat in the wild.''
