Nong Nooch Tropical Garden marked National Elephant Day with merit making and a feast for the beasts.
Park Director Kampol Tansatcha and employees led 65 elephants to the March 13 merit-making ceremony with nine monks from Samakkee Banpot Temple and its abbot Kasemkittisophon. They blessed the elephants with holy water.
In the afternoon, Nong Nooch management was joined by Sattahip Deputy District Chief Manas Suwanrin and officials from the Tourism Authority of Thailand, regional animal-health office, and Khao Chi Chan municipality to watch elephants do the Baisri dance and form a parade.
One of the magnificent beasts leads the herd to begin the feast.
Names were given to baby elephants and, at the end, the great pachyderms were let loose on a buffet of fruit and vegetables.
With its huge herd of elephants, National Elephant Day is the biggest day of the year for Nong Nooch, Kampol said. The park always hosts a great event to raise awareness about elephant conservation and commemorate the giant beasts’ role in Thai history.
