Her Royal Highness Princess Sirindhorn together with Prince Akishino no-miya Fumihito
presided over the opening conference of the Human-Chicken Multi-relationship Research
at Science Park Thailand, Pathumthani, on March 16, 2007.

"The researches on pets and poultry so far mostly focus on the study on biology. However, these animals are different from wildlife in general. They can be called  "cultural living things" because they have been created by human beings. The study of poultry, especially their relationship with human, thus should not survey and research only in the biological science. We must consider how human are involved. the basic concept of the human-chicken multi-relationships research is that it should involve the participation, exchange of ideas and research is that it should involve the participation, exchange of ideas and research of scientists from many disciplines. The result is that now there are human resources in the fields of humanities, biology, economics, geography and others, both Thai and Japanese, joining the project  "

H.I.H Prince Akishinonomiya Fumihito had this to say about the project
at the second conference of the Human-Chicken Multi-Relationship in Tokyo
on June 19, 2006

H.I.H Prince Akishino Nomiya Fumihito visited Ban Na To, Mae Fah Luang district, to interview villagers who raise chicken on August 21,2005

Like Her Royal Highness Princess Sirindhorn, Japanese Prince Akishino no-miya Fumihito is a royal with an interest in science, particularly the relationship between human beliefs and scientific principles. Prince Fumihito earned a PhD in ornithology and has conducted field research in Indonesia and China’s Yunnan Province. His mission is to elucidate the evolutionary and socio-cultural processes that transformed the jungle fowl into the domesticated chicken of modern times.

During August 7-21, 2003, the Prince travelled to Thailand to visit Her Majesty Queen Sirikit on the occasion of her 72^nd birthday anniversary. The Prince asked for a permission to run a Thai – Japanese collaborative project on Human-Chicken Multi-Relationships Research (HCMR). Her Majesty the Queen graciously agreed and Princess Sirindhorn became the patron of the operation. She assigned Prof. Dr. Pairash Thajchayapong to recruit Thai experts and academics from different fields to participate in the project.

Her Majesty the Queen graciously agreed and her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri  Sirindhorn became the patron of the operation. Her Royal Highness asked Prof. Dr. Pairash Thajchayapong to recruit Thai experts and academics from different fields to participate in the project

The question addressed in the first phase of HCMR  (2004-2007) was "Why and how has the jungle fowl evolved into the domestic fowl?" The multidisciplinary team attempting to answer the question was recruited from several organizations including the Department of Livestock Development, Kasetsart University, Chulalongkorn University, GISTDA and NSTDA.

The achievement of a working hypotheses to answer the first phase question led to the second phase of the HCMR. Now the focus is on the relationship between humans and chickens at the point of domestication. The study covers aspects of biological science, humanities and social science. The three-year project (November 2012 to March 2016) will be concluded in 2017.

The HCMR also focuses on history, anthropology and folklore. Assistant Prof. Dr. Chomnad Sidisarn, of the Faculty of Arts at Chulalongkorn University remarked that ‘‘The study helps us to understand how ethnic groups in Thailand made value judgments on the relative worth of chickens and other animals and why we like and dislike certain animals, especially in terms of economics. Above all, an awareness of our ancestors’ cultural views of different animals provides insight into the foundations of local wisdom in Thai society and enables the new generations to have a better understanding of the lifestyles of their forebears and be proud of their knowledge."

  Assistant Prof. Doctor of Veterinary Medicine Chanin Tirawatanawanich, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Kasetsart University explained that the study answers the two key questions

1)      1.  Where is the original source of the present-day domesticated chicken?
  2.   What impact did the domestication of chickens by humans due to several objectives (for food, sport, or pets) have on the evolution of chickens? And vice versa, what impact has the domestication of chickens had on the human species?

Dr Chanin said that researchers are working on the assumption that the original domesticated chicken is the red junglefowl (Gallus gallus), which is native to Thailand. If the research results confirms this assumption, it may well be that Thailand is the original source of the globally domesticated chicken species.

Dr. Chanin added that understanding human influences on the evolution of chickens may enable us to prevent and amend the negative impacts of human influence, like selection based on popular trends that leads to the loss of breeds or specific qualities and characteristics of chickens.