British royal wedding to aid elephants in Thailand
By Associated Press
Mar 24, 2011 1:55 AM CDT

Endangered Asian elephants stand to benefit from Britain's royal wedding.

Charitable donations requested by Prince William and Kate Middleton instead of wedding gifts will help the London Zoological Society. It works in Thailand with the Elephant Conservation Network to reduce conflict between villagers and the animals in the western province of Kanchanaburi.

Network director Belinda Stewart-Cox said Thursday the gift would help ensure "we really make a difference to the lives of these amazing animals and the villagers who accommodate them."

Wild elephants in Thailand number probably no more than 3,500.

Other charities selected by the couple support military families, earthquake recovery in New Zealand and other causes. Their wedding is April 29.

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Royal wedding charity fund website: http://www.royalweddingcharityfund.org/