An elephant camp has switched to dung fertiliser production to survive the coronavirus lockdown after revenues plunged.

Footage from the Mae Rim camp in Chaing Mai, northern Thailand shows the mahouts collecting dung from the elephants so they can compost them to make fertiliser.

The camp's owner, Panthong Sa-ardsri, said it is all he could do to help pay the bills after the COVID-19 decimated its income.

He said: "We only have four elephants and a few staff. Most of them have chosen to go back to their home towns but there are still two mahouts that could not go home because of the lockdown.

"I want to support them as much as I can, but I do not have much money not that tourism has been suspended. I let them collect the elephants' dung to make fertiliser for selling and the proceeds are helping to pay them.''

Thailand's elephant camp community, which relied entirely on tourism, has been badly hit by the restrictions on travel put in place to stop the spread of the coronavirus.

An elephant camp has switched to dung fertiliser production to survive the coronavirus lockdown after revenues plunged.

Footage from the Mae Rim camp in Chaing Mai, northern Thailand shows the mahouts collecting dung from the elephants so they can compost them to make fertiliser.

The camp's owner, Panthong Sa-ardsri, said it is all he could do to help pay the bills after the Covid-19 decimated its income.

He said: "We only have four elephants and a few staff. Most of them have chosen to go back to their home towns but there are still two mahouts that could not go home because of the lockdown.

"I want to support them as much as I can, but I do not have much money not that tourism has been suspended. I let them collect the elephants' dung to make fertiliser for selling and the proceeds are helping to pay them.''

Thailand's elephant camp community, which relied entirely on tourism, has been badly hit by the restrictions on travel put in place to stop the spread of the coronavirus.