Thailand

Thailand is located in Southeast Asia. The country borders Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos and Malaysia. The southern part of Thailand is covered with forests and mountains. However, the highest mountains are located in the north.

The rainy season or monsoons in Thailand take place between May and September. The moist and humid weather creates a good place for a large variety of animals to live. The most spectacular animals live deep in the forests, such as elephants, wild ox, leopards and tigers. Crocodiles and cobras also live in Thailand.

Around 90% of the Thai population is Buddhist. There are many temples and Buddhist structures all over the country. Thai food is influenced by Indian and Chinese cuisine. Most dishes are very spicy. The most common ingredients are lemongrass, hot chilies, basil and coconut milk.

Until 1939, Thailand was known as Siam. Thailand is the only country in Southeast Asia that has never been colonized by European powers. In 1932, Thailand became a constitutional monarchy, after a revolution. The king is the leader of the country. But, his function is only symbolic.
Tourism and agriculture are Thailand’s most important industries.

The elephant is the national animal of Thailand and plays an important role in Thai culture and in the national symbols. According to Thai beliefs, the mother of Buddha (Queen Maya) was only able to get pregnant after dreaming about a white elephant. This is the reason why the white elephant is considered to bring good luck and has a royal status.

In the past, a lot of trees were cut in Thailand. Most forests are in the mountains. So, it was too difficult to use machines and trucks to collect wood. Many elephants were used to pick up the trees that were cut by people. The elephants carried the trees to the rivers. The trees then floated down the river to nearby villages where the trees where cut into pieces of wood. It took many years to teach elephants how to work. 

Each elephant had its own trainer, called a mahout. A mahout would spend his whole life with the same animal.It was definitely not an easy nor cheap task to train an elephant. An elephant eats 550 pounds of plants and drinks over 80 gallons of water each day! The mahout trained the elephant for 20 years and only after training would the elephant begin to work. They would work for around 35 years.

In 1989, the Thai government banned all logging in protected areas. It was a very wise choice to protect the vulnerable areas. But, it left many elephants without work. The rapid rise in tourism around that time solved that problem. Today, more than half of the population of domesticated animals work in tourism.

There are nearly 2,700 domesticated elephants in Thailand today. 

Check out this sad but cool article about Elephants in Thailand and this video that accompanies the information. 

This video is 8 minutes long so get cozy and answer the questions on your worksheet as you watch.