Horrifying images of a baby elephant tied to a pole and forced to perform tricks has sparked a push to have it freed, just weeks after one of the endangered animals was ridden by drunken tourists around a swimming pool. The campaign was kicked off by Jaime Singleton, who saw the baby elephant, Nadia, tied to a pole outside a restaurant at Marina Phuket Resort in December last year. The change.org petition, titled 'Please release Nadia the baby elephant to a sanctuary immediately and let her live the life she deserves!', has received 50,627 signatures since it was launched a month ago. The target is 75,000. Scroll down for video . Baby elephant, Nadia, seen in a picture posted to Marina Phuket Resort's Facebook page, is a 'mascot' for the resort and is forced to do tricks for guests . Ms Singleton said Nadia is also used by another company in Thailand in weddings . Another holiday resort in Thailand has come under fire after it posted a picture online of drunken guests riding an elephant around its swimming pool . 'It's absolutely barbaric,' Ms Singleton told Daily Mail Australia. 'They use bull-hooks and chains on the animals, and handlers sneakily have nails in their hands they hit the elephants with to make they move around the resorts. It's terrifying.' Ms Singleton said she has been told by sanctuaries and animal rights workers in the area that the resorts don't own the elephants themselves, and they instead rely on private contractors who 'rent' the animals out to different places. The elephants are bought at a very young age by these groups, so that they can be 'trained' for the job and are often forced to live in appalling conditions. The elephants are also put through a breaking in process called 'Phajaan' that uses cruel behaviour and negative reinforcement to break its spirit. Jaime Singleton launched the online campaign after she saw Nadia tied up outside a restaurant (pictured) at the resort . Elephants are forced to pose for pictures and be ridden by guests at the resort, and others across Thailand . 'They use bull-hooks and chains on the animals, and handlers sneakily have nails in their hands they hit the elephants with to make they move around the resorts. It's terrifying' Nikki Beach Resort in Phuket published the picture along with a caption that stated it was 'amazing Sunday brunch' Ms Singleton said Nadia is rumoured to be kept in a tiny enclosure, and does not have any interaction with other elephants. She also said a elephant sanctuary has committed to taking Nadia in if she was released, which would allow the elephant to 'live the life she deserves, surrounded by other elephants, and in the care of those who will love and cherish her.' Ms Singleton said she had repeatedly tried to contact the resort since earlier this year, but she it had not replied to any of her calls or emails. Ms Singleton said she has been told by sanctuaries and animal rights workers in the area that the resorts don't own the elephants themselves, and they instead rely on private contractors who 'rent' the animals out . World Animal Protection's Dr Jan Schmidt-Burbach said this sort of behaviour is a 'far cry from their natural lives in the wild'. 'When you look behind the scenes, holiday snaps like these support an industry that relies on animal cruelty,' Dr Schmidt-Burbach said. Animal rights activists slammed the way resorts treat animals, and said tourists should not take part in the behaviour . 'This sordid side of tourism is conveniently hidden from public view.' Earlier this year, TripAdvisor posted a blog criticising Beyoncé after the superstar was snapped riding an elephant while on vacation. 'Hi @Beyonce! We don't want to ruin your vacay, but elephant rides are not fun for elephants,' the company tweeted. 'Hi @Beyonce! We don't want to ruin your vacay, but elephant rides are not fun for elephants,' TripAdvisor tweeted . 'People often think that an elephant in captivity is domesticated, and so somehow it's OK to have them under human command,' the company wrote. 'But the reality is that [elephants] never have been domesticated like dogs or horses. Even if born in captivity, they are still a wild animal, and need to be "broken" to accept human control. 'There is much evidence that this process is exceptionally cruel.' World Animal Protection's Dr Jan Schmidt-Burbach said this sort of behaviour is a 'far cry from their natural lives in the wild' 'When you look behind the scenes, holiday snaps like these support an industry that relies on animal cruelty,' Dr Schmidt-Burbach said . One sanctuary in the area has said it would be willing to take Nadia in, if it's owners freed her . The petition comes after another resort in the island holiday haven was criticised last month for allowing tourists to party with a baby elephant. A holiday resort in Thailand has come under fire after it posted a picture online of drunken guests riding a baby elephant around its swimming pool. The picture, which drew widespread criticism immediately after it was posted, was accompanied by a caption that stated it was 'amazing Sunday brunch'. The resort is located about 30 minutes away from the tourist hot-spot of Patong . Nikki Beach Resort in Phuket was flooded with complaints over the photo, reports The Daily Telegraph. People were enraged such a young elephant had been brought onto the property so that guests could ride it for fun, and that guests were more than willing to take part. The resort quickly deleted the photo, and released a statement to address the controversy. 'We would like to make it clear that we do not, have not and will never own an elephant,' the statement read. 'The elephant in the photo is from a reputable elephant caretaker who has no affiliation with Nikki Beach. 'We would like to make it clear that we do not, have not and will never own an elephant,' a statement from the resort read . 'Elephants are a highly respected and regarded symbol of Thailand. As a global company, Nikki Beach respects every country's culture and traditions and as such, we fall into the normal behaviors in usage of elephants to represent their culture. 'We never intended to be disrespectful.' The statement did little to calm the stampeding herd of online protesters, and the anger spilled onto the resort's TripAdvisor page. However, TripAdvisor deleted negative reviews based on the elephant incident. To sign the petition to have Nadia released, click here .
Shocking photo of baby elephant tied to a pole spark online campaign .
More than 50,000 have signed petition to have baby elephant, Nadia, freed .
Marina Phuket Resort reportedly keeps elephant in tiny enclosure .
'Nadia' is also forced to perform tricks and is ridden by resort guests .
'It is absolutely barbaric,' says Jaime Singleton, who started campaign .
Comes after Phuket resort posted pictures of baby elephant near pool .
Party-goers snapped dancing with elephant, and one person seen riding it .