Jumbo fruit buffet to mark Elephant Day

Gentle giant: A mahout standing next to an elephant during Thailand’s National Elephant Day celebration in Pattaya. The date was chosen because the Royal Forest Department designated the white elephant as the national animal on March 13, 1963. — Reuters

Nearly 60 elephants enjoyed a huge fruit banquet at a botanical park as the South-East Asian country marked its annual Elephant Day.

Elephants are a source of national pride and cultural identity for Thailand and are used for labour, transport, and battlefield triumphs by warriors and kings.