NEWS FROM ELEPHANTSTAY

LAITHONGRIEN MEEPAN (PI OM) RECEIVED THE "TAN KHUN PAN DIN" AWARD.

Tan-Khun-Pan-Din Project has been held continually for four years.

The project selects candidates from various career fields whos creative works and profile are inspirational, benificial to -and recognized by the public in the long run according to the Ministry of Culture, Thailand web-site.

Underneath Laithongrien Meepan (back row, 5 th. from left)and 75 fellow social contributors are posing for photos during the Tan Khun Pan Din ( Outstanding Social Contribution Award) presentation at the Centara Grand Hotel. In collaboration with various organisations, Nation Multimedia Group Plc. organised this project.

MR. LAITHONGRIEN MEEPAN

was born in 1958. A qualified zoologist and with a Masters Degree in Community Development, he is the Founder and Director of the Ayutthaya Elephant Palace and Royal Elephant Kraal Village and the "Phra Kochabaan Foundation". He has lived on site in the village with the elephants, overseeing and directing everything since it's inseption. He is one of the world's foremost experts on Thai elephant history and culture.

Meepan is the largest private elephant owner in the world, with over 150 elephants. He is the foremost world expert on captive elephant bticereeding, having personally bred more than 40 calves succrsessfully in only 10 years through exper natural breeding. His ex expertise extends to training, unique nutrition development and meeting the special needs of elephants of all ages, character and temperaments, including retraing of elephants that have killed people, to live in free contact with humans.

Meepan personally researched and started a farm to grow special food for elephants. He specialises in training elephants for films, including work with Jackie Chan and Oliver Stone. In addition he trains elephants for theatre productions that include re-enacting elephant fighting during war time. He was the consultant on the "Blue Elephant", Thailand's first animation feature.Meepan also advises the government departments on elephant problems. This includes advice and solutions for street elephants -and wild elephants that have been injured and require relocating and rehabilitation.

Most importantly, Meepan encourages the development of mahouts and staff to raise the status of elephants and their keepers to the noble po once held in the Thai society.

As usual; all the information comes from www.elephantstay.com own Ewa Narkiewicz and Michelle Reedy