(14 Mar 2008)
Pattaya, Thailand - March 13, 2008
1. Wide of baby elephants playing hula hoop while parading.
2. Close up of an elephant eye.
3. Wide of elephant parade.
4. Various of fruit on the table for elephants' banquet.
5. Close up while elephant using its trunk to grab fruit.
6. Close up of an elephant while enjoy eating its banquet.
7. Mid of an elephant eating.
8. Mid of a baby elephant trying to sit on a chair before eating.
9. Close up of an elephant's eye.
10. Wide of banquet.
11. Cutaway of a young tourist.
12. Mid of Sanguan Bubphatha, the elephant's trainer at Nong Nooch village while playing with an elephant.
13. SOUNDBITE: (Thai) Sanguan Bubphatha, the elephant's trainer at Nong Nooch village
"For Thai society, since the old days, we used elephants as a vehicle and we also used them in the battle. Until now, Thai still have a deep relationship with the elephant as the elephant is a revereance animal for Thailand. We closely relate to the elephant�for Thai, we can not separate from elephants."
14. Mid of a baby elephant writing a Thai word on the canvas.
15. Close up of a baby elephant's eye.
16. Mid of the canvas while the baby elephant writing.
17. SOUNDBITE: (Thai) Sanguan Bubphatha, the elephant's trainer at Nong Nooch village
"Thai elephants is quite clever animal. For Thai elephants, they can be trained. Nong Nooch village trains the elephants when they still are a baby. And they become our famous actor as they are very popular among foreign tourist."
18. Wide of elephants standing in line and trumpheting.
19. Mid of two elephants lift up their trunk.
20. Cutaway of tourists.
21. Close up of an elephant's face.
22. Wide of the stage during Thai traditional blessing ceremony for elephant.
23. Wide of elephants during blessing ceremony.
24. Mid of mahout during blessing ceremony.
25. SOUNDBITE: (English) Diane and John Nixon, British Tourists
REPORTER QUESTION : "Thais seem to have relationship with elephants ?"
DIANE : "Yeah, which like we have relationship with our animal, which like we have horses. It same thing, isn't it.
JOHN: Yeah, yeah, they are special animal really, like we have special animal in our country. That's their special animal, isn't it? Their the best looked after animal of them all, really. From what I've seen anyway."
26. Mid shot of a baby elephant sitting and eating in the banquet.
27. Close up top shot of elephant's banquet.
28. Close up top shot of elephant's banquet. (Another angle)
30. Wide top shot of the elephant's banquet.
LEAD IN :
The elephant is inescapably linked with Thai traditions and culture.
Since 1998 the country has celebrated ' National Elephant Day' on March 13.
A huge elephant buffet has been held at the village of Nong Nooch annually since 2004 to honour this charismatic creature.
STORYLINE:
More than 35 Asian Elephants lined up to enjoy their buffet feast on National Elephant Day in Thailand.
The elephants paraded with their mahouts (trainers) in a grand ceremony as two tons of sugarcane, banana, pineapples and many others fruits were set out on four round tables as a banquet at Nong Nooch Village in Pattaya.
The 39 elephants then all enjoyed large meals with a huge helping of their favourite fruit.
It took just forty minutes for them to finish their all-they-can-eat buffet.
Local people say this event is different from similar events as this is the first time that ten baby elephants can be seen sitting at the table eating a meal.
The festival attracts thousands of tourists to the small city of Pattaya, 165 kilometers southeast of Bangkok.
Keyword animals wacky
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