Nearly 60&nbsp;elephants&nbsp;enjoyed a huge fruit banquet at a Thai botanical park on Sunday as the Southeast Asian country marked its annual Elephant Day.

Elephants&nbsp;are a source of&nbsp;national&nbsp;pride and cultural identity for&nbsp;Thailand&nbsp;and are used for labour, transport, and battlefield triumphs by warriors and kings.

The event is commonly observed in various other parts of the country, but due to the pandemic and economic woes, some have scaled down&nbsp;celebrations this year.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/thailand-bids-to-avert-population-crisis-as-birth-rate-crashes-459836">Thailand bids to avert 'population crisis' as birth rate crashes</a>

At Nong Nooch Tropical Garden in eastern Chonburi province,&nbsp;elephants&nbsp;were treated to two tons of fruits and vegetables laid&nbsp;out&nbsp;on an eight metre wide table.

With the absence of foreign tourists for a long time, the&nbsp;buffet&nbsp;and some visitors brought some joy to the heavyweights.

"Of course, they get bored because they get used to being with people. That's why you see our&nbsp;elephants&nbsp;are very friendly to everyone," said Kampon Tansacha, president of Nong Nooch Tropical Garden.

Also read |<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/its-still-bangkok-thailand-quells-talk-of-name-change-454126">&nbsp;It’s still Bangkok: Thailand quells talk of name change</a>

"People enjoy seeing&nbsp;elephants, give them food, especially bananas that they like and they look all healthy and happy".

Animal rights groups have long been calling for the elephant camps in&nbsp;Thailand&nbsp;to end animal shows and rides, branding the shows as a form of animal abuse.

Nearly 60 elephants enjoyed a huge fruit banquet at a Thai botanical park on Sunday as the Southeast Asian country marked its annual Elephant Day. Elephants are a source of national pride and cultural identity for Thailand and are used for labour, transport, and battlefield triumphs by warriors and kings.

Nearly 60 elephants enjoyed a huge fruit banquet at a Thai botanical park on Sunday as the Southeast Asian country marked its annual Elephant Day. Elephants are a source of national pride and cultural identity for Thailand and are used for labour, transport, and battlefield triumphs by warriors and kings. The event is commonly observed in various other parts of the country, but due to the pandemic and economic woes, some have scaled down celebrations this year. Also read | Thailand bids to avert 'population crisis' as birth rate crashes At Nong Nooch Tropical Garden in eastern Chonburi province, elephants were treated to two tons of fruits and vegetables laid out on an eight metre wide table. With the absence of foreign tourists for a long time, the buffet and some visitors brought some joy to the heavyweights. "Of course, they get bored because they get used to being with people. That's why you see our elephants are very friendly to everyone," said Kampon Tansacha, president of Nong Nooch Tropical Garden. Also read | It’s still Bangkok: Thailand quells talk of name change "People enjoy seeing elephants, give them food, especially bananas that they like and they look all healthy and happy". Animal rights groups have long been calling for the elephant camps in Thailand to end animal shows and rides, branding the shows as a form of animal abuse.

Thailand lays out buffet for elephants in national celebration

Santa Claus swapped his reindeer for elephants Monday as he arrived at the Thai city of Ayutthaya to spread holiday cheer to school children. Four elephants of all ages and sizes wearing red and white costumes handed out presents and wrapped candies to excited students, many of whom were also wearing Christmas costumes.

Elephants spread Christmas cheer at Thai school

elephants-in-thailand

Elephants In Thailand, News on Elephants In Thailand, stories on Elephants In Thailand, articles on Elephants In Thailand, Elephants In Thailand stories at Wion, Elephants In Thailand news, Elephants In Thailand latest news

elephants in-thailand

Thailand lays out buffet for elephants in national celebration

Elephants spread Christmas cheer at Thai school