BANGKOK, 7 March 2013 The Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation is set to organize special activities to showcase the importance and the progress of Thai elephant conservation.
Deputy Director-General of the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation Theerapat Prayurasiddhi said that elephants in Thailand and Asia are now at risk of extinction after their natural habitats have been increasingly destructed.
Mr. Theerapat added that the pachyderms have also been hunted for ivory or captured for commercial use.
He stated that the department has been working hard to restore the natural habitats of Thai elephants while setting up the Thailand’s Wild Elephant Food Security Fund to keep the giant beasts to be fed and out of farmland.
Mr. Theerapat went on to say that the department already collaborated with the Interior Ministry to amend related laws to solve the problem of wandering elephants.
In order to inform the public of these and many more initiatives introduced to protect the pachyderms, a number of activities will be organized to mark the Thai Elephants Day on March 13.
The Department of National Parks’ Director-General said that the event will be held at the Queen Sirikit Park in Chatuchak District, Bangkok, from March 9 to 15.
