Surin’s elephant roundup

It was not easy to make the arrangements in advance to attend the Elephant Roundup in Surin, Thailand, but it was well worth the effort. The Elephant Roundup, a “rodeo” in which elephants participate in events, is held each year during the third week of November.

The morning we attended the show, we took a tuk-tuk to the elephant arena at 6:45 a.m. The elephants were assembling and being fed just outside. The show began at about 8 o’clock. We were glad we had had friends reserve bleacher seats for us in the shade for the 3-hour show.

The events included introducing the baby elephants that had been born during the year; a parade of 240 elephants; elephant school with tricks, and elephant lassoing (none were caught). Next they had a tug-of-war, one large elephant against 80 men. The elephant won.

Other events included relay races, hula-hoop twirling and an elephant painting T-shirts, which were for sale. Spectators would run down the bleachers to the wall of the arena where the T-shirts were hung. They didn’t last long.

In between the events there were parades, bands and performances by dance groups. The final events were a mock war and then the procession of the kings, all with fancy costumes and decorated elephants. We spent the afternoon visiting temples and walking around the town watching the elephants.

Surin is located in the northeast of the country not too far from Cambodia. Visitors can see elephant demonstrations at other times of the year at the town of Ban Ta Klang, 40 kilometers north of Surin.

DORIS NEILSON

Avoca, MI