One more Christmas, several elephants dressed as Santa Claus have returned to the streets of Ayutthaya, a city north of Bangkok, to deliver gifts to the little ones.

A tradition typical of this town, declared a World Heritage Site, which raises enthusiasm and criticism in equal parts. On the one hand, the parade fills Ayutthaya with joy for a few hours, as the elephants hand out balloons and candy to the children.

Elephant Santas bring festive cheer to school children in Thailand https://t.co/tE71Uvj6vH

— People r People (@PeoplerPeople4) December 30, 2021

However, year after year, animal associations raise their voices to reproach that this type of massive events are still allowed. Elephants, according to Peta, can become frightened and cause an unintentional accident, among other risks.

“Elephants have very unique and distinct personalities, and when left in the wild, they would never behave that way. If we want to teach children a Christmas message, if we want to spread the Christmas spirit, the best thing we can do is to leave animals out of performances like this and use people instead,” concluded Ashley Fruno, Peta’s Asia director.

-Thailand News (TN)