Canadian photographer Brent Lewin has captured these poignant photographs of elephants living in a remote suburb of Bang Bua Thong, Thailand.
Abandoned after the Asian economic crisis in 1997, these apartments were abandoned and are now home to over 1,500 elephants, which are accompanied with their farmers.
To supplement their income after rice planting season is over, these farmers bring the elephants to Bangkok, letting tourists feed and pet these animals in exchange for money.
This practice may be illegal, but many turn a blind eye as elephants are revered creatures in the country.
Yet, these photographs show the problems of poverty as well as the loss of the elephant’s natural habitat.
[via Brent Lewin]