Tuesday, August 20, 2024 Anantara Golden Triangle celebrated World Elephant Day with a two-day event featuring cultural ceremonies, educational sessions, and a focus on elephant conservation. Immersed in a verdant jungle, the Anantara Golden Triangle Elephant Camp & Resort, in partnership with the Golden Triangle Asian Elephant Foundation (GTAEF), hosted a two-day celebration for World Elephant Day on August 12-13, 2024. The event highlighted the vital importance of elephants to ecosystems and promoted conservation efforts.
Activities over the two days featured traditional Thai cultural ceremonies, a marketplace for crafts, a lavish fruit feast for the elephants, and educational sessions for both local students from Chiang Rai and resort guests. The commemoration kicked off on August 12th with an engaging educational session for students, where they learned about elephant anatomy and behaviors from the camp’s veterinarian. This included target training exercises, which encourage natural elephant behaviors and avoid the use of coercive tools.
Additionally, there were seed planting activities aimed at fostering an appreciation for environmental and elephant conservation. The craft market offered a display of unique handmade items by local craftsmen, highlighted by live art demonstrations by area artists. The celebration wrapped up with a generous spread of fruits and vegetables loved by elephants, delighting them as the event’s finale.
The second day of the event began with a revered ‘Pakham Ceremony,’ a traditional elephant blessing performed by the Khru Ba Yai, or Elephant Spirit Men, from Surin. This sacred ceremony set a reflective tone for the day. The festivities concluded with a hosted lunch followed by an educational session involving students from The School of the Blind in Mae Sai, enhancing the event’s focus on inclusivity and education.
In celebrating World Elephant Day we aim to share knowledge and highlight the importance of elephants, demonstrating their way of life to enhance awareness and foster an understanding of their crucial role in the conservation of ecosystems where they live in the wild as well as celebrating their cultural importance to Thailand. John Roberts, Group Director of Sustainability & Conservation at the Golden Triangle Asian Elephant Foundation and Minor Hotels. This year’s World Elephant Day event was a heartfelt gesture from our community to the elephants.
We aimed to make an impact by planting seeds of awareness among students and guests about the importance of elephants and conservation. Additionally, we featured live painting performances and a handcraft market to support the indigenous knowledge and skills of local artisans. Arnaud Béril , General Manager of Anantara Golden Triangle Elephant Camp & Resort.
Since its inception in 2003, Anantara Golden Triangle Elephant Camp & Resort has collaborated with the Golden Triangle Asian Elephant Foundation (GTAEF) to provide a sanctuary for 20 elephants rescued from urban areas and illicit logging operations in Thailand. The partnership extends support to the elephants’ caretakers, the mahouts, and their families, ensuring comprehensive care and well-being..
