Tourists in Thailand put string on elephant's tusks for good luck

Tourists place string on an adult elephant's enormous tucks in a good luck ritual in Chiang Mai, Thailand, today (March 15).

Visitors to the elephant sanctuary were encouraged to show respect to the fully grown male bull by decorating its stunning ivory.

Tying the white bangles on the pachyderms tusks is believed to bring good luck for the year ahead.

The ritual was part of the celebrations which began on National Elephant Day that has taken place around the country every March 13, since 1998.

As the national animal of Thailand, the Asian elephant is steeped in its culture - even its national flag used to feature an elephant. The Thai government decided to create an annual day of recognition to raise public awareness of the importance of elephants.