Thailand National Treasure Knowledge

Asian White Elephants

White elephants are white Asian elephants. Elephants were abundant in the ancient Kingdom of Siam (now Thailand). White elephants were very rare, so they were regarded as Treasure, ordinary elephants can be used for labor, but white elephants can only be used for support and cannot labor. Scientists have proven that white elephants are not a breed of elephant, but ordinary elephants have albinism. But if the elephant does not work, it will cost a lot, and even the ordinary nobles in Thailand cannot afford it. If the King of Thailand is dissatisfied with the minister and gives him a white elephant, which is both a treasure and a royal gift, then the minister will He worshiped the white elephant better, and the family soon declined. Later, English used white elephant as a synonym for expensive and useless things, and it was used all over the world.

African White Elephant

Photographer Mike Holding recently took a photo of a pink African elephant calf in Botswana's Okavango Delta. He was working for the BBC at the time The wildlife program filmed a herd of 80 elephants.

The baby elephant with pink skin is believed to have albinism, a very rare phenomenon among African elephants. Experts said the calf, which appeared to be three months old, may have suffered from skin conditions including sunburn, but was able to protect itself by wallowing in mud and staying in the shade. Holding said: "The elephants were crossing the river and we observed the pink calf for several minutes. It was a really exciting moment for everyone in the camp. We knew this was a rare event. Phenomenon, no one believes their eyes."

The skin of albinos is not always white, and their skin appears reddish brown or pink. While albinism is relatively common in Asian elephants, it is rare in larger African elephants.

Ecologist Mike Chase said: "I have only encountered three albino African elephant calves. I saw them in Kruger National Park in South Africa. We study Africa The elephant is ten years old and this is the first graphic evidence I have seen of an albino African elephant calf, which was seen in the Okavango Delta in Botswana, and its chances of survival will be high. For some, it can hide under a big tree, roll in the mud, and cover its body with a thick layer of mud to protect itself from the sun. The baby elephant that is two to three months old seems to have grown up. This behavior of walking in the shadow of the mother elephant shows that she knows that she cannot withstand the hot African sun and adopts unique behaviors to improve her chances of survival. I know that elephants are very adaptable and intelligent. "Thailand is known as the "Land of Elephants". Huge elephants with legs as thick as pillars and a body like a city wall are symbols of auspiciousness in the minds of the Thai people. The tour guide once showed off Tao, elephants in Thailand are considerate, hardworking, smart and smart. They are both cheap labor and well-behaved travel pets. In my impression, a clumsy elephant is just a look at it. There's nothing to be said about this silly thing, it's just bragging.

In the mountains of northern Thailand, elephants are the most hard-working model workers. They can carry thousands of kilograms. A big trunk over 1 meter long can roll up something weighing 1,000 kilograms. The mountains are densely forested and the slopes are steep and the roads are slippery. The elephants pull giant trees tied with iron chains from the rugged mountains to the building block field. There are two elephants gathering wood. They flap their big dustpan-like ears, shovel with their two tusks, and roll up their trunks. Like a crane, they gently pick up the thick wood and place it according to the owner's gestures. At the designated location, the scattered pieces of wood will be arranged neatly and neatly for you. Visitors can also ride on the back of the elephant and take a leisurely stroll on the winding mountain road. The elephant will know how to do it. Your requests will be met without any complaints or demands)

Elephants play an important role in the lives of the Thai people. They are the symbol of Thailand and the pride of the Thai people. Elephants have a very close relationship with Thailand's history, culture, religion, economy and other aspects. Therefore, whether it is the king of Thailand or ordinary people, almost everyone loves elephants and has deep feelings for them. According to legend, Buddha Sakyamuni was born after his mother dreamed of a white elephant. Thailand uses Buddhism as its national religion, so the white elephant has been regarded as an auspicious animal throughout the ages, symbolizing prosperity and good fortune. On the Buddha table in Wat Pho in Bangkok, elephant sculptures are placed together with the Buddha for people to worship. Among Thai elephants, white elephants are the most precious. The so-called white elephants are not all white. All elephants with golden, silver, green, light red and other skin colors are called white elephants. In fact, it was foreigners who mistakenly translated "Auspicious Elephant" as "White Elephant", which has been passed down over time, and Thailand is also known as the "White Elephant Kingdom". Many folklore, literary works, paintings, sculptures and even proverbs in Thailand are related to elephants. The image of elephants can be seen everywhere in Thailand, especially the lifelike elephants carved from teak wood, which are the richest in Thailand. Unique handicrafts. It is said that when the King of Thailand and his Queen visited 14 European countries in 1960, the gifts given to the heads of state of these countries were also teak carved elephants.

In addition to helping people open up wasteland, build roads, cut trees, and carry heavy objects, domesticated elephants have also been heroes in Thailand's history who have fought on the battlefield and experienced hundreds of battles.

Like war horses charging into battle, elephants were used as mounts in ancient Thai battles, and monarchs used white elephants as royal mounts to increase their power. Several famous ancient battles in Thai history are not only related to elephants, but elephants also made great achievements in wars. A Thai historian once said: If there were no elephants, Thailand's history might have to be rewritten.

This teak wood war elephant image vividly reproduces the wonderful moments of elephants helping people fight in ancient Thai wars. It can be seen from the wood carving that the elephant the commander is riding is richly decorated, with a wooden palanquin mounted on its back and crowned with a canopy. The two fighting elephants are charging forward and fighting hard. Sitting on the elephant's back and in the sedan are the general and the commander, and the person sitting on the elephant's buttocks is the elephant master. In a fight, the role of the elephant master cannot be underestimated. He manipulates the war elephant to wait for an opportunity to lower its head to hold the opponent's war elephant's chin, so that its head is raised high. In this way, the warrior sitting on it will lose its balance and be at a disadvantage. , are often hacked to death on the elephant's back by their opponents with their swords. The most famous elephant battle in Thai history took place on January 25, 1592, between King Naresuan of Thailand and the prince of Burma. At that time, the Burmese prince led two armies to advance towards Kyoto, Thailand, and the two sides launched a decisive battle in Suphan Province. At that time, the elephant the King of Thailand was riding was in estrus, and when he saw the enemy elephant running away, he pursued it. When the war elephant stopped, the Thai king realized that he was surrounded by the Burmese army. At this time, the Burmese prince was leading the crowd to enjoy the coolness under the tree. When the King of Thailand saw this, he had an idea and said, "Do you dare to come and compete alone?" The Burmese prince immediately drove the elephant towards the Thai king and fought to the death with him. In the first round, the Thai king was at a disadvantage and his helmet was also cut. Immediately, the Thai king seized the opportunity to raise the head of the war elephant mounted by the Burmese prince high, and chopped the Burmese prince to death on the elephant's neck with the knife in his hand. Seeing that their coach was dead, the Burmese army had no intention of fighting anymore and returned in defeat. From then on, King Naresuan became famous. In the next 150 years, Myanmar did not invade Thailand again. This elephant battle was known as the Elephant Formation Battle in history. To commemorate this elephant battle, an elephant battle tower was built in Suphan Province, and January 25 was later designated as Thailand's Army Day.