Three-day funeral for buffalo

A film actor in Thailand is holding a three-day funeral for a water buffalo which had a role in his most successful film.

The actor, Bin Banloerit, said the ceremony was being held to offer thanks to the buffalo; its unusually long horns were credited with drawing big crowds to cinemas.

The buffalo had a leading role in the film Bangrachan based on a battle between Thailand and Burma two-hundred-and-thirty years ago.

It has already taken more than a-million-and-a-half dollars at the box office.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service