Four elephants, dressed in Santa’s decorations and giant masks, marched on Wednesday for their annual visit to a school in Thailand.
Pachyderms Sri Mongkon, 14, Sri Raya, 6, Peter, 15 and King Kaew, 18, they carried baskets of masks in their trunks to distribute to students and families outside the Jirasat Wittaya school in Ayutthaya, an hour from Bangkok.
The children sang carols and took pictures of the animals.
For Brett Baxter, Professor of English and Science, The event aimed to promote the Christmas spirit, with a Thai twist.
“It’s fantastic for children. It mixes two cultures, Christmas, with Santa Claus and the joy it brings … and Thailand, with elephants,” he told AFP.
“They are very well prepared and cared for. We have known these elephants for many years,” he added.
Ayutthaya, the ancient capital of the Kingdom of Siam, is considered to be the cradle of the Christian community in Thailand. European Catholic missionaries built a church in this city on the banks of the Chao Phraya River three centuries ago.
The children of Ayutthaya were visited by these elephants dressed in Santa Claus for 17 years, recalled the director of the Ayutthaya Elephant Center, Ittipan Paolamai.
“This year, due to the pandemic (…), We took this opportunity to raise awareness about the spread of covid-19he told AFP.
But some NGOs criticize these performances in schools, a “highly questionable and unacceptable” activity, according to Jan Smith-Burbach, a veterinarian and member of the World Society for Animal Protection, contacted by video conference.
“It gives children a totally wrong picture of these complex animals that are an endangered species. They turn into puffs and clowns, when in reality they are wild animals,” he says.