Thailand is one of the most visited countries in the world thanks to tens of millions of tourists from all over the world who visit it every year and want to enjoy the great abundance it offers to its visitors - Magical beaches, the most beautiful landscapes in the world, An unparalleled culinary experience (especially for lovers of seafood and particularly spicy dishes) and pampering resorts.
All of these, along with ridiculous prices that have no competition, make Thailand a great tourist destination for a perfect vacation in any vehicle - families with small children, loving couples who are during The honeymoon vacation their, backpackers and groups of all ages.
Another great thing about Thailand is that it is such a large destination that it has several climate zones, which simply means that it doesn't matter what time of year You choose to go to it, you can find an area where the summer season and the temperatures accordingly. However, it is important to take into account that in these months the prices go up, so it is recommended to book the flight tickets, accommodation and popular attractions as far in advance as possible, thus saving a lot of money and enjoying attractive prices.
During your vacation in the Kingdom of Siam, you will pay attention to some of its iconic symbols that have become a household name over the years and as such are an integral part of the journey of the tourists who visit it, among other things it is one of the noble and gentle animals that live in the exotic country, aka large-sized elephants that take part in various activities.
Before we tell you about these, it is important to emphasize and explain that some of the most popular activities in which the elephants take part involve harsh living conditions, mutilation and unbearable cruelty - this is a difficult and painful subject that is very undesirable to take part in, and we absolutely recommend avoiding it. For the avoidance of doubt, any show that includes an animal, riding them or photographing them while they are in chains is part of the dangerous and painful phenomenon, even if they try to convince you otherwise.
Elephants in Thai culture
Elephants appear in the writings and sources of the Kingdom of Siam from the very beginning of the exotic kingdom and it emerges from them that it is one of the most significant symbols in this culture. As such, they have become over the years one of the official national symbols of the country and among the various species that live there you can find the Asian elephant and its subspecies, the Indian elephant.
The two species differ from each other in their external appearance, including their size, the length of their front legs and the thickness of their bodies, but what they have in common is that they feed on bamboo and fruits and the tropical forests are their natural habitat.
These are particularly intelligent animals, which makes their exploitation by humans particularly difficult and may cause them severe symptoms such as depression and displays of violence (to each other and to humans) which can eventually cause death.
There is extensive documentation dealing with the connection of these noble animals with the royal family of the Kingdom of Siam. This relationship spans thousands of years and also appears in extremely ancient stone inscriptions. During these times they were used as property of the royal family and were a symbol of holiness. From then until today, they appeared in beautiful works of art, some of which can be seen in the various museums, in the local literature, and as decorations that appear on the walls of temples and palaces.
Although it is a sacred animal for the locals, which even appeared at the beginning of the 20th century on the flag of Thailand, today the elephants in Thailand are mainly used for tourist purposes that are not good for them, mainly as part of the local entertainment industry where they are tamed in ways that are not ways to perform stunts and actions that link them to their behavior in the wild weak.
Elephant rehabilitation farms in Thailand
Due to the phenomenon of using elephants for tourism purposes, in recent years the voices of animal rights activists have begun to be heard calling for the rescue of the captive animals and their transfer to rehabilitation centers where they can gain a new life, a corrective experience in the company of humans and perhaps even regain their trust.
Throughout Thailand there are several rehabilitation elephant farms of this type where adult elephants and cubs that have been rescued from shows, circuses and riding farms live. As part of their life at the rehabilitation farm, they receive medical care from the best professionals, most of whom work and volunteer and help the gentle animals to recover from severe wounds inflicted on them during their lives in captivity, both physical and especially mental.
In order to exist and continue their care and rescue activities, the farms allow a moderate entry of tourists in a measured amount every day. During the visit, the tourists enjoy a fascinating explanation about the life of the elephants, their importance in Thai culture and the importance of their rescue activities, and in addition to this, they get a joint activity in the lap of the noble animal which includes bathing in the river, applying therapeutic mud and feeding.
Please note that riding the mighty beasts is not part of the experience.
To the rehabilitation elephant farm in Chiang Mai
to the rehabilitation elephant farm in Phuket
National Elephant Day
Since it is a sacred animal that has accompanied the local history for thousands of years, it was only necessary that a special day dedicated exclusively to them be announced, aka the excellent national elephant day in the Kingdom of Thailand Every year on 13.3. In addition to this day, International Elephant Day is celebrated worldwide every August since 2012.
On National Elephant Day, celebrated in March, it is customary to hold processions dedicated to the sacred animal and to dedicate special activities for them in the local parks and zoos. Some of these activities are dedicated to elephants but do not benefit their people and their people. The activities held at the rehabilitation farm are the most recommended for a visit and include treats in the form of food (mainly sugar cane and fruit) and are special prayers calling for their safety and health.
5 interesting facts to finish
If you love elephants, you will surely be happy to learn some fascinating facts that you did not know about them:
- They are considered one of the most sensitive and intelligent animals, and as such they show a particularly high sensitivity to their environment and their family members and can even understand the meaning of death and the separation involved in it. There are quite a few recorded cases of elephants who died themselves due to grief and sorrow due to the death of a family member or close friend.
- As befits such a gentle and noble animal, they themselves are vegetarians and the amount of vegetables, fruits and grass they eat every day is at least 200 kilograms!
- If it seems to you that they are not talking - you are wrong! They are so intelligent and smart that they have their own language that allows them to communicate with each other. To us it sounds like grunts but there are many other sounds that are considered part of this language, some of which are not in the sound frequency that humans are able to hear. This is how they warn each other of dangers and also tell each other how much they love each other.
- They are huge - that is known. In order to give birth to such a large and sweet Philpilon puppy, the filly must survive a challenging pregnancy that lasts no less than two years!! At the end of this period, Temelit gave birth to a beautiful puppy with an average weight of one hundred kilograms.
- Endangered ☹ Although they are large and can with the wave of a spoon (or nose) eliminate large and tough enemies, they are in danger of extinction mainly due to illegal hunting. In the last decade the world's elephant population has decreased by more than 60% and according to the estimate in a few decades they will be completely extinct.
