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| Thailand is the world’s 50th largest country in land mass and the 28th largest in terms of population. Although it is one of the economic tigers of Southeast Asia there still is poverty and overwhelming need relative to HIV/AIDS in the country. Thailand’s culture incorporates a great deal of influence from India, China, Cambodia and other Southeast Asian countries. Elephants—Thailand’s national animal—hold a revered place in society because of their symbolic importance to monarchs, religion and the nation as a whole. Mahouts (elephant handlers) are working to preserve the country’s 4,400 endangered elephants. |
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