Activities held in Thai Far South to mark National Elephant Day

SONGKHLA, THAILAND, March 13 (TNA) - Many activities have been held at Songkhla Zoo in the Thai Far South to mark the National Elephant Day, including a buffet feast for elephants. Zoological Park Organization Board Chair Panthep Rattanakorn presided over a ceremony to launch the activities at Songkhla Zoo on Monday, marking the National Elephant Day, which falls on every March 13. A large number of international visitors, including youths, joined the activities, aimed to raise public awareness on the protection of declining elephants. The activities include an elephant buffet and an exhibition on the life of elephants, as well as demonstrations on how to make papers and flower pots from elephant dung. Songkhla Zoo currently houses three female elephants, all are raised naturally as the zoo feeds them with about 1,000 kilograms of grass daily and provides them with a pond to cool down during the summer in Thailand. The senior official acknowledged that elephant problems in the country remain worrisome, both for domesticated and wild elephants. "Domesticated elephants are raised in cities for tourism purposes, while wild elephants are seen roaming and looking for food in plantations in many provinces. These are problems that need to be addressed by relevant agencies", said the senior official. (TNA)