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The large and powerful land animal known as the elephant finds no equal in its cultural history with man. Elephants have been depicted in many episodes of the Lord Buddha's lives in mural paintings in Thailand, Lao PDR, Cambodia and Myanmar.
This Asiatic species of elephant, Elephas maximus, was used for heavy work in the logging industry, and as vehicles of war as late as the end of the 16th century in Thailand. Adopting Hindu rituals very early, Thai people regarded white elephants' as auspicious, perhaps because of their rarity and other qualifications.
In the reign of King Rama II (1809-1824), the 'elephant flag' was used with a white elephant depicted in a circle on a red background. Andrew Jackson (1767-1845), the seventh president of the U.S., presented as a gift a sward featuring an eagle and an elephant embossed on a gold handle to King Rama III (1824-1851) through the American envoy Edmund Roberts in 1833, King Rama IV, or King Mongkut (1851-1868), offered elephants to the 15th U.S. President, James Buchanan (1857-1861), to be released in the forests of the U.S.A. and utilised for heavy work. The relationship between the two countries was examined in a USIS publication metaphorically entitled "The Eagle and the Elephant."
Today, while the role of the elephant in society has diminished, they are not forgotten. In Lampang, the Thai Elephant Conservation Center has, since its establishment in 1969 been active in nursing and training baby and young elephants. There is also a mahout training school at the Centre. In 1996, Thai Airways International set up an elephant village in Surin that holds an annual event to demonstrate the skills and intelligence of elephants, drawing crowds from around the world.
Veterinarians from the Centre and from the Asian Elephant Foundation are always travelling around the country to treat sick elephants. Non-government organizations, such as the Elephant Alliance of Thailand and the Treasure Our Elephants Fund, in co-operation with the government's Natitonal Committee to Co-ordinate Elephant Conservation, have played an increasingly important role in earing for these giant beasts that are still beloved by all Thais.
It is with this respect that the Thai Government made the elephant the national animal, and every March 13th is designated Elephant Day, when interested government and non-government organizations jointly celebrate and undertake fund raising and public awareness activities aimed at elephant conservation.
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