Elephant Round-Up Festival - Surin - Thialand

The most popular of Northeastern festivals with foreign tourists is the Surin Elephant Round-up which is held annually in November which is held in Thailand. The people of Surin have long been renowned for their skill in capturing and training wild elephants and the round-up. In the past wild elephants lived in the forest areas of nearby Cambodia. Unfortunately, these areas have been inaccessible due to civil war in Cambodia, and at the same time, the elephant population is markedly decreasing thus the elephant catchers must now make a living by taking their charges around the country giving shows. The greatest event of the Surin round-up is a beautifully organised display of the talents and abilities of these superb beasts. The round-up first look place in 1960. It begins with a mass procession of all the elephants taking part, usually 120-150, ranging from calves only a few weeks old to the well-trained elephants with many decades of experience. During the show, hundreds of the huge animals demonstrate their prowess at moving logs, playing soccer and winning a tug-of-war against human teams. Other demonstrations are designed to show not only the great strength of the elephants but also show they can be very intelligent, gentle and obedient. The show concludes with a mock battle illustrating what was formerly an important part of their duties.