Who needs a school bus when you have an elephant?
A TikTok clip showing a young Buri Ram student riding an elephant to school went viral on Friday.
The clip, posted by “@Ole FcThailand”, was quick to capture hearts as people were amazed by the love shared by the little girl and her giant friend.
Inspired by the clip, Nation TV visited the girl at home in Buri Ram’s Tha Muang district on Friday and learned that the 25-year-old male elephant is called Ole and is owned by her father Wisanchon Yongram, 38.
Wisanchon owns three other elephants, namely 22-year-old Wassana and 2-month-old Ngamta, both female, and 4-year-old male Ngamchoke.
The elephants used to perform at the Ayutthaya Elephant Palace, but Wisanchon was forced to return home with his troop when the place shut down temporarily due to Covid.
He said his daughter Phatcharapha, 11, has helped him feed and bathe Ole for years now and began riding him when she was six. Phatcharapha is now a Prathom 5 student and gets Ole to carry her the half-kilometre to school every day, so her father can save on fuel.
Phatcharapha said she wants to be a veterinarian when she grows up.
