For centuries, elephants in Thailand were not simply animals. These clever and good giants have always enjoyed the local people not only a special love, but respect and even reverence. Indian, or, as the Thais call them, Asian elephant, was indispensable in a medieval Siam. In the main monastery of the Thai capital of Bangkok – Wat Phra Kaew Prakeo, you can see a lot of bronze elephant figures. It is believed that this is absolutely realistic sculptures of animals, who served with the Siamese court in the past century. And other than the service work of these giants can not be named.

They performed a lot of variety of functions and were the only animals capable of moving major weight in the construction of city walls and fortresses. During the wars fighting with elephants could easily overthrow the enemy army.

These are the main characteristics of the elephants

• Elephant needs 250 kg of food and 200 liters of water per day
• During the life of the teeth of elephants changed 6 times
• Average life expectancy of elephants is 70 years
• An adult elephant weighs from 3 to 4 tons
• The period of gestation of elephant is 22 months
• The baby elephants are born with gray-brown skin, as they grow older it is noticeably lighter, especially on the head, ears and trunk, getting a little old white
• A newborn baby elephant weigh usually about 90 pounds
• During the first three years of life baby elephants are being fed with mother’s milk, and all this time the mother and the calf are inseparable

The duel on elephants was one of the main forms of explanation of the relationship between the rulers of South-East Asia. History brought us a lot of cases.

In general, the elephant was not only the main labor force, vehicles and weapons, but even a symbol of good luck and victory. True, the latter mostly belonged to the white elephants. But because albinos came across very rarely, the possession of such animal for the monarch became a cherished goal and for the State sign of prestige and power.

The number of elephants has been steadily declining, although now introduced a strict ban on hunting, the same applies to the sale and export of ivory. What is the reason? It’s the fact that elephants simply do not thrive in the wild. Their delicate mental organization does not withstand the conditions of modern life. Bad air, cutting down forests and jungles – all of this damages the natural living conditions of the elephants. Besides that they do have a food shortage. So why to give birth to offspring, if they will still not be able to feed even themselves?

Elephant for the people of Thailand are not just an animal. Due to the fact that the Thai elephants are declared to be endangered species, in November 1998, a charitable program to save them – Elephant Help Project (EHP) started its activities. It includes various organizations, companies and individuals, concerned about the rapid decrease in the population of elephants. Funds to support this program come primarily from tourism, other sources of income are less significant.

On the island of Phuket, where the company began this actions, there are special boxes for donations from everyone to help save the elephants. The fact that this money will go exactly in the fund program, no one doubts. Work on the project  is being implemented within individual local programs in several areas, ranging from monitoring the health of the elephants and ending the program “Ivory – Property of elephants”.

And if in the northern Thailand there were no special elephant nurseries, these animals would generally disappear from the Thai jungle. Several of these nurseries are located in the vicinity of the city of Chiang Mai. One of them – Mesa emerged, for example, was developed eight years ago. And since the number of animals albeit is slowly growing. I must say that the elephants like it here, besides the process of obtaining food is much easier than in the wild. But every adult elephant in the day requires 250 kilograms of food. Basically they get bananas and bamboo from compassionate strangers, for whom it is – a real pleasure.

However elephants understand that food is not being served for free, but for the work especially for breathtaking stunts for which that elephant is taught from childhood. I must say that elephants, like humans, are very clever, and there are only a few exceptions… So, the last to learn something new is almost impossible. So those who are stupider will just roll everyone in their litter. By the way, elephants are usually led by only one person – the man whom they regard as its host and to which they are attached to. If you get an animal to do something to try an outsider, this probably will not work. But if the elephant started to shout and swear, then he can get unsettled and fall into depression.

So, for all its impressive size the elephants are rather quivering animals.