Chang: Check out man’s best friend!

You know home’s far away when you’re climbing onto an elephant! These majestic creatures, man’s most useful ally in the jungle, will let you see Thailand from a whole new perspective. A journey you’ll never forget awaits you in Chiang Mai. So you have decided to go on a safari to an exotic location and see one of the world’s most beautiful animals – the elephant. You don’t have to head to Africa to see one of these gorgeous creatures either. Instead, you can find some of the tamest and beautiful elephants in Thailand. Thailand has long been known for these gentle giants, and they differ slightly from their African cousins.

The Indian Elephant

There are several species and sub-species of elephants found around the world. These species are the African and Asian. The Asian elephant is divided into sub-species of Sri Lankan, Indian, Sumatran and Borneo. Thailand’s famous elephants belong to the Indian species. Indian elephants are smaller than their African counterparts and there are subtle differences between other Indian elephants as well. Their height is shorter than other Indian elephants, they have shorter front legs and their body is thicker overall. Their ears are smaller than the African elephant and also shaped slightly differently as well. They have a more angled appearance than the larger African elephant. They also tend to have smaller tusks and not all elephants will have them, whereas African elephants do tend to always grow tusks.

Food

Elephants are herbivores and they eat ripe bananas, bamboo, tree bark, leaves and various types of fruit. It takes an elephant 18 hours a day to eat until it’s full, consuming about 200 pounds of food a day. An elephant, however, will only digest about 40 percent of the food it eats so it must eat more than it will actually get the nutrients from in order to stay healthy.

Where They Live

Elephants are migratory, meaning they don’t tend to stay in one area all the time, they like to move around to find food. You will find Thailand elephants in the tropical forests that flank much of the country. The Thailand elephant was placed on the endangered s pieces list and efforts are being made to protect these animals so future generations can enjoy them. In recent years, scientists have found that the numbers of wild elephants have been increasing Thailand’s elephants have played an integral role in society. They have been used in manual labor and the tourism industry. There are many domesticated elephants now in the country and can be trained to live well with humans. If you are interested in learning more about these fascinating animals and seeing them in person, you can book a tour with one of the numerous tour companies in Chiang Mai. Ask your hotel reception for more information about booking a tour to see these fantastic animals.

01. November 2022         # Nature