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Elephants in Thailand's Ayutthaya province were treated to a fruit buffet on Thursday (March 13) to mark National Elephant Day, aimed at promoting awareness on the importance of the friendly animal.

Seventy-five elephants were fed with corn, watermelon, bananas, pineapples, and carrots arranged on tables in an Ayutthaya village, 76 kilometres (47.2 miles) north of Bangkok.

It is an all-day feast for the gentle giant, with around 10 tons of fruits pouring into the Royal Elephant Kraal, a village dedicated to the conservation of Thai elephants.

As part of the ceremonies, 'mahouts' or elephant keepers, apologize to the elephants for any past wrongdoings.

This year the celebration included foreign volunteers participating in an "Elephantstay" program in which they get to live with elephants and learn to take care of them.

A national symbol of Thailand, elephants are praised as a sacred animal among Thais. Elephant conservationists would like to see the animals revered everyday, not just once a year.