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Main | Science / Natural History | Award of Excellence
First Place
Benjamin Rasmussen
Freelance
"THE KILL"
Second Place
Lucas Jackson
Reuters
"UNTITILED"
Third Place
Kemal Jufri
Panos / Polaris
"THE PYROCLASTIC EFFECT"
Award of Excellence
Brent Lewin
Freelance
"CRUSH"
Award of Excellence
Christian Ziegler
Freelance
"POLLEN DUSTED"
Award of Excellence
Brent Lewin
Freelance

"CRUSH"

A baby elephant braces for a hit during a training session in a Karen village in Burma. The training session is coined the 'crush' as its goal is to break the elephant's spirit. Wild elephants are typically tied up and beaten for 3 days straight and left to starve. Burmese Karen mahouts near the Thai border operate a clandestine and illegal trade network smuggling elephants into Thailand to be sold to mahouts for the Thai tourism industry. Officials estimate that 1 Burmese elephant is smuggled into Thailand every week.

 
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