The Daily Mail pictured the 33 year-old American singer and actress (otherwise known as Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter) going for a ride on a baby elephant during a Christmas break in Thailand.
Beyoncé, once of the R&B girl band Destiny’s Child, has been taking in the sights around Phuket with husband Jay Z and their daughter Blue Ivy
The Mail described the “Drunk In Love hitmaker, wearing a backless multi-coloured playsuit and a garland of yellow flowers, gleefully raised her hands in the air as she rode along. Clearly in an adventurous mood, the star … also had her face painted yellow and black by locals”.
Never slow to field a fast ball, Intrepid Travel, which has taken a stance against elephant riding and claims to be the first travel firm to end elephant rides, tweeted “Hi @Beyoncé! We don’t want to ruin your vacay, but elephant rides are not fun for elephants.”
Subsequent tweets included @mrkistic retorting “you say that now but it sure took you a while to realise that didn’t it?” To which Intrepid replied “Yes – but it’s a complex issue. We supported @movetheworldAU research before becoming 1st travel co to end elephant rides”
The tour firm Experience NL which claims “an unbounded passion for Newfoundland & Labrador” chipped in with the thought that it was “Almost Sure She Doesn’t Give A S@#t”.
Back in May, Intrepid wrote a detailed blog with the title ‘Why we no longer ride elephants’ (http://bit.ly/1sRQB9s ), saying that its staff and travellers “are a very passionate lot; unafraid to speak up about ethical and social justice issues they may be confronted with during their travels”.
