Animals this Week

A picture made available on 31 May 2016 shows Krit, a 12-year-old Thai student with disabilities, interacting while he is riding on female elephant named Pang Kam Moon during the Elephant Education Program for Blind and Disable Children at the Thai Elephant Research and Conservation Fund in Pak Chong district of Nakhon Ratchasima province, Thailand, 25 May 2016. The elephant is the national animal of Thailand. Alongkot Chukaew, the director of the Thai Elephant Research and Conservation Fund, started a project seven years ago after he noticed that blind and autistic children interact with the elephants. The program was designed using elephants and nature to help young children with multiple disabilities to adapt themselves better to society by helping them to learn to manage their emotions and develop specific skills for their daily lives. The program provides opportunities for the children to interact with the elephants and nature, such as listening to the sound, touching, feeding and riding the elephants. Moreover, the program aims to help the children to improve their muscles and physical movement by balancing their bodies while they ride the elephants. Currently, the center has two elephants, a female elephant named Pang Kam Moon and a young male elephant named Plai Kwan Mueang, which were rescued by Alongkot. Thailand has an estimated 1,995,890 of disabled people and around 600,000 of blind people, who make up one percent of the country's population, while only 17 schools for children with disabilities exist in the country. The financial support of the government is limited for facilities for the disabled. The Elephant Education Program relies on donations. (Photo by Rungroj Yongrit/EPA)
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