Surin & elephants

[frank1965]

Who can tell me something/anything about Surin and elephants festival in November?

[ericthai]

What do you want to know. The festival happens every year in Surin in November. The dates are not always the same. This year it is from Nov 8th until the 19th. There are different events on different days. Elephants from all over Thailand will come to Surin. Google is your friend, do some searches and you will be able to find plenty of information.

[ccarbaugh]

I've gone a couple of times. Although I enjoy the elephants themselves, the atmosphere was far too commercial for me. Where Thais only paid a pitance, for me being a "farang," they wanted to charge 800 baht just for a ticket to sit and watch the elephants. I feel so sorry for the poor elephants that are simply being exploited so that some people make profit.

[circusman]

Perhaps, if the elephant owners make some money the elephants eat. If the promoters make it, not so good for the elephants.

[lovetotravel]

Perhaps, if the elephant owners make some money the elephants eat. If the promoters make it, not so good for the elephants.

Either way, not good for the elephants:

http://www.linktv.org/video/7852/baby-elephant-smuggling-exposed

[cbluck58]

Been there , seen the elephants, been ripped off - there are better places to see elephants.

In any case, the Asian elephant is nowhere near as impressive a the African fellow..

[khwaibah]

http://www.boundingoveroursteps.com/surin-elephant-roundup-behind-the-scenes/

[aechzen]

[khunPer]

I have been there in 2009 and had a very good experience.

I found a few years ago a kind of official web page about the event, which has been going on for more than 50 years. You may need to Google for it; I do not have a link.

If you decide to go there, buy ticket at the shadow side – the side with the big tribune – as it may get a bit hot in the sun. However, the show starts early and it may be quite cold in the morning in November, so be prepared to dress for that. You can book in advance, more information at the official web page. I will recommend to buy seat(s) at the VIP-tribune, good view, a light “breakfast & coffee” included, pillows to sit on, shadow. The show normally run two times (same show) over two days, one show a day. You may not need to book VIP-tickets in advance, but recommendable if you wish to be sure – else you may need to come to the elephant stadium quite early in the morning.

[David48]

Good info above and agree 100% ...

Forget the do gooders and the nay-sayers ... had a great time.

Accommodation gets tight.

I'll post some photos once I reduce the resolution.

[khunPer]

Thanks for like David48.

To the OP, frank 1965:
The are many photos and videos available if you Google or search at YouTube, and David may post some here. I have a few photos in reduced size, which shows the tribune conditions. I been to the show both days in 2009, first day at the sunny side (the group of Thai family and frinds said »Okay here«, but I think they were “to lazy” to walk all the way round the stadium to the other side, and after the sun started to warm up, they complained about it being »too hot« ). The following day my girls and I bought tickets at the “right” side, which was .

12AwDSC06087trunk.jpg

Show seen from the mingled in the audience at sunny side – in the back one of the two small, but good tribunes on the shadow-side.

10wDSC06238match1.jpg

The big sunny side tribune seen from the “right side”, note the umbrellas, which may cover a good view for other people.

05wDSC06202vipseating.jpg

My girls (front row) at the VIP-seats on the big shadow-tribune enjoys the “breakfast” and hot drink – as it is very, very cold so early in the morning.

Wish you may enjoy the Elephant Festival in Surin

[zappalot]

If you love elephants you certainly won`t go there.

If you don`t care of the well being of these sensitive creatures then you go there...

As some pointed out there are better places, one of them is www.elephantnaturepark.org

[David48]

I have been there in 2009 and had a very good experience.

I knew I've seen you somewhere before ...

[David48]

I can understand the feeling that 'we want to save the Elephants' and all that.

But to honest ... nothing changes till the Thai want to change.

When you look at the photos ... you will see it's not a Festival for the Farnags

... it's for the Thais ... sure, boycott if you wish ... won't change a thing.

The street parade the night before ...

The Buffet that awaits the elephants

Street Scene

The actual 'Show' ... only thing I had to pay for.

If you go ... as suggested above, pony up the big baht for the seats in the Stadium (you can see in the photo) so you're not looking/photographing into the Sun.

As you can see, almost not a Westener in sight.

Sure, you can be a conscientious objector ... but it ain't changing the fact that it goes ahead every year.

I enjoyed it.

.

[khunPer]

I have been there in 2009 and had a very good experience.

I knew I've seen you somewhere before ...

KL - Thailand Sept 09 046 LR.jpg

Unfortunately I did not attend the breakfast buffet – will for sure do that next time I go there – but both shows in 2009. First day about same spot as your photos are from, so if you've seen anbother farang there – yes, that might have been me .

There seems to be mainly farangs at the VIP tribunes, so at least some hundred foreigners come there.

Just wish to ad in view of the negative posts, that now when there are no more works in the woods for the elephants, they – the elephants and their mahouts – need to “work” for the tourists, to make a living. I have no opinion about how elephants in Thailand are treated, as I have no knowledge about it; however I have never seen anything I did not like or agree with (does not mean, that something I do not see may happen). I remember some years ago, when the King of Thailand gave three baby elephants to the Queen of Denmark, keepers from the Zoo in Copenhagen came to Surin to view the show and take the three babies with them to Denmark. The Danish TV followed to people from Zoo all the way and made two half hour programs. The Danish elephant expert from Copenhagen Zoo – they already had quite a number of Asian elephant for many years – said, that bringing so many elephants together, he assumed there were a couple of hundred, would be impossible without fighting and trouble, especially between the males; however the Thais did it in Surin so he concluded, that can only be done if you treat the animals very well.

For an outside viewer, it seemed like the elephants enjoyed playing at the show – especially the football game. You can get really close to the big bastards outside the arena and in the streets – some of them seems just to be parked all alone in front of shops like horses in an old “wild west movie” (the mahout was probably somewhere near), and that I presume, you cannot do if you treat animals so they will “hate humans”. However I do not know about elephant training, so I can only say what I saw in Surin and see other places in Thailand.