Activities organized to observe National Thai Elephant Day March 13

SURIN, THAILAND, March 13 (TNA) - Activities have been organized in several Thai provinces to observe the National Thai Elephant Day, which falls on every March 13, aimed to promote public awareness on elephant protection and conservation. In Surin Province in the Thai Northeast, well-known for its high elephant population, Thursday's activities include alms-giving to Buddhist monks on elephants to make merits for late mahouts and dead elephants and to raise public awareness on the importance of elephants in Thailand. In Lampang Province in the Thai North, the Thai Elephant Conservation Center also organized a Buddhist ceremony to make merits for dead elephants and hosted a special meal for local elephants. In Chiang Rai Province, also in the Thai North, Karen people in Baan Ruammit conducted a ceremony for the well-being of their elephants and also held a special feast for the pachyderms. In Ayutthaya Province in the central region, the management of the Elephant Palace & Royal Kraal organized an old-fashioned ceremony of elephant keepers to pray for good luck and held a special feast for about 100 elephants. Meanwhile, Laithongrian Meephan, Chair of the Pra Kosjaban Foundation, called for the government and concerned agencies to help promote the well-being of elephants, amend laws and regulations to facilitate the conservation and breeding of pet and wild elephants, as well as to set up a fund to sponsor elephant care as their keeping was costly and villagers who kept elephants could not afford it on their own. (TNA)