<p class="title">A troupe of elephants and school students held a silent march at a Thai elephant camp on Monday to pay their respects and raise awareness for the millions of animals killed in Australia's raging bushfires.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Elephants and their mahouts held up placards saying "Pray for Australia," with pictures and cartoons of animals at the event organized by the Ayutthaya Elephant Palace & Royal Kraal, a local tourist attraction.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"Today I want to send my support to all wild animals in Australia. I want all the animals to hang in there, and I want all of them in Australia to stay alive," said primary school student Laksaporn Loetpiriyakamol.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The Australian government has called the bushfires crisis engulfing the country "an ecological disaster", with up to a billion animals killed or at risk in the aftermath.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Those affected include populations of koalas and rock wallabies, along with critically endangered species including the regent honeyeater bird and the western ground parrot.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Elephants are culturally significant in Thailand. They are the Southeast Asian kingdom's national animal and are important in its history and literature.</p>
<p class="title">A troupe of elephants and school students held a silent march at a Thai elephant camp on Monday to pay their respects and raise awareness for the millions of animals killed in Australia's raging bushfires.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Elephants and their mahouts held up placards saying "Pray for Australia," with pictures and cartoons of animals at the event organized by the Ayutthaya Elephant Palace & Royal Kraal, a local tourist attraction.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"Today I want to send my support to all wild animals in Australia. I want all the animals to hang in there, and I want all of them in Australia to stay alive," said primary school student Laksaporn Loetpiriyakamol.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The Australian government has called the bushfires crisis engulfing the country "an ecological disaster", with up to a billion animals killed or at risk in the aftermath.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Those affected include populations of koalas and rock wallabies, along with critically endangered species including the regent honeyeater bird and the western ground parrot.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Elephants are culturally significant in Thailand. They are the Southeast Asian kingdom's national animal and are important in its history and literature.</p>