43left A traditional wooden
carving of a decorated elephant
sits backstage
above Actors re-enact a
battle between Thai and
Burmese armies
right Thai performers wait
backstage at the Surin Elephant
Roundup
awaits the mighty creatures, who are
known for their voracious appetites.
Approximately 50 tonnes of neatly-
arranged pineapple, sugar cane,
cucumber and watermelon sits on a
400-metre-long table set up on the
road. As elephants descend on the
food, visitors wander among the chaos
in the street, with a loudspeaker
blaring in the background to remind
people that they must not join in the
feast. It’s no surprise that in 2003, the
buffet set a Guinness World Record for
the world’s “largest elephant buffet”.
Today, the festival is a nod to the region’s
elephant heritage, with re-enactments of
preparations for and participation in a hunt