Royal Elephant Kraal in Ayatthuya, Thailand total's 150 elephants!!!!

Staff at the Royal Elephant Kraal in Ayatthuya, Thailand, have prepared the elephants for performances in Hollywood films starring Colin Farrell, Val Kilmer and Jackie Chan.

It is the largest private collection of elephants in the world and the mahouts, or keepers, have successfully trained them for complicated synchronised movements involving several individuals and staged fights with each other.

The money the film roles generate helps fund rehabilitation for other elephants.

Since then the centre's elephants have been used in films, game shows, and even reality television show Big Brother in Croatia and Thailand. Contestants were given a baby elephant to look after for a weekly task.

The elephant kraal was established in 1996 by Thai zoologist Laithongrien Meepan and his wife Romthongsai.

Their aim was to prevent the predicted extinction of the Thai elephant and ensure it remained a visible part of Thai people's lives.

The centre is now a leading centre in elephant breeding - producing 37 calfs in nine years.

The wild elephant population in Thailand has fallen from 100,000 to just 3,000 in the last century.

As well as acting, the elephants give tourist rides at the Ayutthaya Elephant Palace and tourists can stay at the centre as part of an eco-tourism project.

"Filming with the elephants is very demanding work," said Ewa Narkiewicz, a worker at the school.

"It is important to keep them stimulated and movie work this is one of the many ways we do this. It requires a close relationship between the elephant and his mahout to be able to perform the stunts asked of them."

Miss Narkiewicz and her partner Michelle Reedy, 44, first visited the sanctuary in 2003 when Jackie Chan was filming Around the World in 80 days.

Two elephants were used, and one was specifically trained for the scene of martial artist Chan's escape.

"Chan loved the elephants," said Miss Narkiewicz, 42, who now works permanently at the Kraal.

"He kept feeding them on the film set, because it was a market place so there was lots of food.

"An elephant was born at the kraal while he was filming and he named it JJ for Jackie Junior."

Courtesy of Joey Ratliff