Elephants feast and fight on Thailand’s National Elephant Day

Thai mahouts take part in an elephant fighting demonstration during Thailand's national elephant day celebration in the ancient city of Ayutthaya. (REUTERS)

Updated on: Mar 14, 2017 1:01 PM IST

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Thai mahouts take part in an elephant fighting demonstration during Thailand's national elephant day celebration in the ancient city of Ayutthaya. (REUTERS)

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Mahouts pray while sitting on top of elephants. For centuries, elephants carried warriors into battle, took a key role in royal ceremonies and provided haulage for logging and other industries, in the absence of machines. (Chaiwat Subprasom/REUTERS)

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A baby elephant stands under its mother during the celebrations. (Chaiwat Subprasom/REUTERS)

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Elephants jostle together as they take part in the fighting demonstration with their Mahouts. (Chaiwat Subprasom/REUTERS)

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Today they are more likely to be part of tourist attractions - where the animals are often mistreated, however, say rights activists. (Chaiwat Subprasom/REUTERS)

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Mahouts ride on their elephants during the event. (Chaiwat Subprasom/REUTERS)

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A Thai Buddhist monk blesses and sprinkles holy water on the elephants. Spectators also watched a pair of the animals lock tusks to re-enact a scene from an ancient historic battle. (Chaiwat Subprasom/REUTERS)

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Students feed elephants as the villagers serve a buffet for them. (Chaiwat Subprasom/REUTERS)

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An elephant scoops a watermelon from a student’s hand during the celebrations. (Chaiwat Subprasom/REUTERS)