THAILANDS ALL ABOUT ITS ELEPHANTS TODAY

2017-03-14 - Surin, Thailand.

Hundreds of performers and more than 50 elephants staged shows and historical re-enactments to show the importance of elephants to Surin’s history. More than 100 elephants feasted on watermelons, pineapples, bananas and jicama on tables stretching 100 meters.

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Surin annual elephant round-up

2013-11-16 - Surin, Thailand.

The over 200 elephants and mahoots congregate at the Elephant Stadium to the south east of the city centre. Here the main show is performed culminating in a re-enactment of the battles of a past century.

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Elephant kills man during Thai offering ceremony

2012-07-31 - Surin, Thailand.

An elephant stomped a 50year old man to death before the alms offering ceremony on elephants´ backs began yesterday at Surin. The event was being held to welcome PM Yingluck Shinawatra´s mobile cabinet meeting. The unnamed victim, who appeared drunk, reportedly sneaked into the area where the elephants were kept at Wat Jumpol Sutthawat, and played with an elephant there. It got upset, grabbed him by its trunk, threw him onto a tree, and stomped on him after he landed.

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Monk ordination on elephant-back in Surin

2012-05-01 - Surin, Thailand.

Ban Ta Klang in Surin province is Thailand´s largest elephant village and where elephant raising has been passed down through generations for centuries. People here speak the Kui language and have well-preserved their ancient culture and traditions, such as the worshipping of ancestors before capturing wild elephants and the wedding and monk ordination procession on elephant-back.

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Wedding on an Elephant on Valentine’s Day

2012-02-14 - Surin, Thailand.

The provincial administrative organization in Surin will hold the sixth “Wedding on the back of an Elephant” event on Valentine’s Day on 14th February 2012. About 55 local and foreign couples are expected to take part in the wedding. Mr. Thongchai Mungcharoenphorn, president of the Surin provincial administrative organization, said the event will take place at Ban Ta Klang Elephant Village in Tambon Krapoh of Thatoom district, Surin province. The event is aimed at promoting warmth, family ...

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Report from the Surin elephant roundup festival 19-20 November

2011-11-21 - Surin, Thailand. Dan Koehl

King Naresuan´s elephant is now standing out on the stadium field, prepared to battle. The black color also has a reason; Naresuan (then known as Prince Naret) was also known as the Black Prince (Thai: พระองค์ดำ). His younger brother Ekathotsarot was known as the White Prince, and his elder sister Suphankanlaya was known as the Golden Princess.

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Largest online elephant database now includes more than 7000 elephants

2011-04-12 - Surin, Thailand.

The submissions of some 180 elephants from Ban Ta Klang in Surin, Thailand, made the database tip over 7000 elephants. The elephant database now includes 7081 elephants from 1980 location facilities in 110 countries.

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Groundwork is set to get Elephants off of the Streets and back to Surin

2009-12-07 - Surin, Thailand.

On November 19th, 2009, the night before the start of the annual Surin Elephant Round-up (20-22), Award-winning environmentalist Sangduen (Lek) Chailert and Surin Project Manager Jeff Smith met with Wichian Chawalit, the appointed governor of Surin, and Thongchai Mungcharoenporn, the Chief Executive of the Surin Provincial Administration Organization, to discuss their plans to bring elephants back to Surin.

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Empire of elephants

2008-11-22 - Surin, Thailand. Veronica Matheson

FOUR old men with weather-beaten faces stand by their ancestral spirit house in the small village of Ban Ta Klang in northeastern Thailand to make offerings to protect the village elephants, who are off to the annual elephant festival in the nearby city of Surin. Offerings -- including a bottle of beer, some home-brewed whisky and a pig's head -- sit on a table as one of the old men chants incantations while another lights incense sticks, and another plays droning music on a horn that looks like...

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Surin elephant round-up

2008-11-22 - Surin, Thailand.

Surin, the northeastern province known as ''the Land of Elephants'', has been holding the annual Elephant Round-up for nearly half a century. This year, the exciting spectacle is scheduled to take place November 22-23 in the compound of the Elephant Study Centre. Surin natives are naturally skilled in rounding up wild elephants as well as taming them. This upcoming 48th edition will boast seven eye-catching performances with no less than 200 trained elephants showcasing their extraordinary talen...

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Thai mahouts ride tourist craze for elephants

2008-08-18 - Surin, Thailand. Gillian Murdoch

Trudging the city streets with a hungry four-tonne elephant at your heels is not a job for everyone. But add a cute baby, and tourists flock to pet and feed the grey-brown giants, making the plodding pachyderms more of an investment than a curse for modern mahouts working in Thailand, one of Asia's top holiday destinations. With logging banned in 1989, more babies are hitting streets and trekking camps to meet tourism-driven demand for docile, good-looking animals, said the director of the Thai ...

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Jobless and homeless, what"s a jumbo to do?

2007-12-24 - Surin, Thailand. Gillian Murdoch

Sucking up sugarcane with their trunks and circling busy traffic roundabouts, the elephants that roam Thai towns at festival time seem as much at home in the city as in the forest. Shows that feature elephants painting pictures, playing polo and whirling hoola hoops on their trunks have become an economic lifeline for more than a thousand domesticated elephants, who lost their incomes when Thailand banned logging in 1989. But entertaining locals and tourists has become a life or death business f...

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FEATURE-Fun is serious for Asian elephants" struggle to survive

2007-12-24 - Surin, Thailand. Gillian Murdoch

Sucking up sugarcane with their trunks and circling busy traffic roundabouts, the elephants that roam Thai towns at festival time seem as much at home in the city as in the forest. Shows that feature elephants painting pictures, playing polo and whirling hoola hoops on their trunks have become an economic lifeline for more than a thousand domesticated elephants, who lost their incomes when Thailand banned logging in 1989.

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Thai mahouts ride tourist craze for elephants

2007-12-17 - Surin, Thailand. Gillian Murdoch

Trudging the city streets with a hungry four-tonne elephant at your heels is not a job for everyone. But add a cute baby, and tourists flock to pet and feed the grey-brown giants, making the plodding pachyderms more of an investment than a curse for modern mahouts working in Thailand, one of Asia's top holiday destinations. With logging banned in 1989, more babies are hitting streets and trekking camps to meet tourism-driven demand for docile, good-looking animals, said the director of the Thai ...

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Thai mahouts eager for tourists

2007-12-04 - Surin, Thailand. Gillian Murdoch

Trudging the city streets with a hungry four-tonne elephant at your heels is not a job for everyone. But add a cute baby, and tourists flock to pet and feed the grey-brown giants, making the plodding pachyderms more of an investment than a curse for modern mahouts working in Thailand, one of Asia's top holiday destination. With logging banned in 1989, more babies are hitting streets and trekking camps to meet tourism-driven demand for docile, good-looking animals, said the director of the Thai E...

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Thai mahouts ride tourist craze for elephants

2007-11-26 - Surin, Thailand. Gillian Murdoch

Trudging the city streets with a hungry four-tonne elephant at your heels is not a job for everyone. But add a cute baby, and tourists flock to pet and feed the grey-brown giants, making the plodding pachyderms more of an investment than a curse for modern mahouts working in Thailand, one of Asia's top holiday destinations. With logging banned in 1989, more babies are hitting streets and trekking camps to meet tourism-driven demand for docile, good-looking animals, said the director of the Thai ...

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Faa Sai free!!

2007-11-26 - Surin, Thailand. Antoinette van de Water

Only a few minutes after we sent out the urgent call for help last week, the responses came in. Thank you so much for all your support and sympathy! It is special to notice how much involved everyone is. Together we were able to rescue Faa Sai! I’m so proud of Bring the Elephant Home. Beneath you will find a report about the rescue of Faa Sai.

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Thailand Elephant Roundup

2007-11-20 - Surin, Thailand.

A mahout, or elephant keeper, sits on the back of his elephant while waiting for the show to start during the 47th annual Elephant Roundup in Surin province, northeastern Thailand, Saturday, Nov. 17, 2007. The festival, which attracts thousands of tourists to the small city of Surin, celebrates the elephant as both a noble patriotic symbol and a longtime companion of local tribal minorities.

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Pachyderm parades. Elephants join the Buddhist Lent celebrations in Surin province

2007-07-13 - Surin, Thailand. Phoowadon Duangmee

The northeastern province of Surin pays homage to its traditional beasts of burden in celebrating the Buddhist Lent this year, with 80 elephants coming to town to take part in parades and spiritual ceremonies on July 28 and 29. The celebrations are being held two days before the start of the Buddhist Lent on July 30 to allow visitors to head to Ubon Ratchathani for the Candle Festival. "Eighty elephants will be joining a total of six processions," says Surin Governor, Pornsak Panuthonraphan.

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The World in Photos: Elephants downtown Surin

2006-11-22 - Surin, Thailand. Bart

I took this one when I was myself riding an elephant! It's important to mention that these elephants are in the streets because of the Annual Round-Up Show. Else, Surin is a lot more quiet.

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Elephant Roundup 18-19 November 2006 in Surin Province

2006-11-18 - Surin, Thailand.

The Surin Elephant Round-up Show has been organised by the Tourism Authority of Thailand since 1960 and has been well-received internationally. The everyday life of the Thai elephant and its keeper is the central theme of the world-famous Surin elephant round-up held annually. Tickets for The "Elephant Show": 500 Baht and 200 Baht.

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Bring the Elephant HOME Education Tour Starts

2005-12-31 - Surin, Thailand.

Bring the Elephant HOME, a Dutch organization founded by Antoinette van de Water has started her education tour. Together with two elephants the "elephant rescue team," which consists of 8 people, will make their way through the heart of Thailand (including Ayuthaya, Lopburi and Sukhothai). The group will stay at temples and hold workshops at local primary schools. Showing the beauty of the elephants and the Thai culture the team hopes to raise awareness about the importance of nature conservati...

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Surin prepares fruit buffet for over 300 elephants

2004-10-23 - SURIN, Thailand.

Thailand's northeastern province of Surin plans to feed more than 300 elephants at the 44th annual elephant fair next month, the provincial governor, Kasemsak Sanpoj, told TNA on Friday. The elephant performance at the fair is aimed at attracting more tourists, he said. This year's elephant fair is scheduled to run from 12-23 November.

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24 years on Internet!

ELEPHANT NEWS was created on 2001 in Munich, and relaunched in Phnom Penh in 2020, with almost 8 000 links to news articles about elephants on the Internet. A number of articles now also have a cross reference to the elephant database, either for individuals elephants and/or to an article about the location holding