The number of elephants is
on the decline. There is a strong need to protect them from extinction. The
Forest Industry Organization will organize an event to raise and sustain public
awareness of the importance of elephants.
The event “The Great Legend
of Thai Elephant” is scheduled for 9-13 January 2014 at the Thai Elephant
Conservation Center in Hang Chat district, Lampang province.
Deputy Permanent Secretary
for Natural Resources and Environment Mingquan Wichayarangsaridh said that the
annual event in 2014 would be the third of its kind. It also aims to celebrate
His Majesty the King’s 86th birthday anniversary, 5 December 2013 and to
promote tourist sites supervised by the Forest Industry Organization.
More importantly, the
five-day event will provide the public with proper knowledge and understanding
about environmental management and eco-tourism. Among various activities are
elephant parades in the Lanna style, exhibitions, a drawing contest on
elephants, a bazaar of local products, and cultural performances.
There will be a contest of
souvenirs made from ceramics, as well. Lampang has become the largest
ceramics-producing area for Thailand’s ceramics industry. A plan is under way
to develop this northern province as a ceramics center in the ASEAN region.
Lampang province is a major
place for elephant conservation in Thailand. Visitors to the Great Legend of
Thai Elephant event will also be provided with an opportunity to watch elephant
shows and a light and sound presentation on the history of Thai elephants.
The province is the
location of the Thai Elephant Conservation Center, which was set up in 1993 and
is equipped with veterinarians, manhouts, and trainers. The Forest Industry
Organization in 2004 established the National Elephant Institute in the
compound of the Thai Elephant Conservation Center in order to extend the
center’s vast expertise and experience to support other government agencies and
private organizations working to help Thai elephants.
An elephant hospital has
been set up at the Thai Elephant Conservation Center to provide medical care
for elephants and serve as a training center for veterinarians. The center has
also launched a mobile veterinarian project, under which veterinarians have
been sent to provide treatment for sick elephants and offer medical check-ups
for elephants in various places free of charge.
The Thai Elephant
Conservation Center has become a major tourist attraction in the North, and has
helped promote Thailand’s eco-tourism.
In Thailand, the elephant
is recognized as the national animal. Thai people have lived in harmony with
elephants as both working partners and friends for a long period of time.
(thailand.prd.go.th)