Former beauty pageant entrant, Sararat "Arf" Klinthai, who was born Sawek Klinthai, now 30, said she underwent a sex-change operation at 17 and had entered nearly 700 beauty contests. She enjoyed considerable success including the Miss Alcazar runner-up at Pattaya and the Miss Siam Contest in Bangkok, and has 200 trophies.

After retiring, Arf returned to her hometown in Tambon Tai Talad in Muang Lop Buri and raised some 100 Brahman cattle, on which she also conducted artificial insemination without help from veterinarians.

Arf said she spent her prize money - and donations from fellow transvestite contestants - to save 50 buffaloes and cows bound for the slaughterhouse and gave 30 of them to the locals and let them sell the calves.

She said her love of animals and the province's sharp decline of buffaloes inspired her, and along with some friends, she bought the buffaloes and cows and distributed them for poor locals to raise. She said this not only helped raise people's incomes but also conserved the animals for future generations.

Arf's 58-year-old father, Ode Klinthai said at first he was alarmed when he discovered Arf was a transvestite but soon accepted the fact as he did not want to scold her or cause her misery.

He said he taught Arf to be a good person, refrain from drugs, work hard and save up because a career in beauty pageants would not last.

Ode said he was glad that, despite undergoing a sex change, Arf was still capable of doing things and had never let her family down.

He said  Arf had always loved animals and he was proud of her for having saved the buffaloes and helping poor neighbours.

The Nation

Lop Buri