Elephant Roundup, Thailand

An elephant painting at Surin Elephant Festival, Thailand © How3ird

There’s more to Thailand than just parties and beaches, and if you head northeast in November you’ll experience some serious Dumbo-themed fun.

The people of the Surin province are known for their skill in catching and training elephants, and they put it to good use during their annual Elephant Roundup, for four days over the third weekend of November.

Over 200 elephants star in this spectacle, performing tricks, eating from an elephantine buffet, playing in football matches and even partaking in a battle re-enactment from the days when elephants were used in war.

And they must have been useful in battle, reaching speeds of up to 35kph in the elephant races, and showing off their brawn in a tug of war against 70 members of the Royal Thai Army!

So if Elephant’s Got Talent sounds like your kind of thing, Surin is the place to be this November.

Written by - Edited by Charlotte Amelines - Photo by Howard Stateman

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