Have you ever seen elephants playing polo? King's Cup Elephant Polo Charity Day.
Normally I don't go in for performing animals, but after reading the manifest for this event I felt comfortable enough to go along and check it out, after all it was for a good cause....The Elephants!
KING'S CUP ELEPHANT POLO
BENEFITS FOR ELEPHANTS
Every elephant attending the "King's Cup Elephant Polo Tourntament" has a unique microchip number which is required by law which means the Thai authorities know she was not taken from the wild. All the elephants used are members of the Zoological Parks Organization (ZPO) under the Royal Patronage of His Majesty the King's Elephant project and they have all been submitted to DNA tests in order to enroll.
The elephants receive no special training to play polo. The ZPO's Elephant Kingdom have selected elephants that like to run around and enjoy themselves in friendship groups to participate in the tournament and consequently tend to easilly pick up the game.
We don't want our elephants getting tired so they only play for 28 minutes each day compared with working 10 hours a night on the streets or 10-12 hours a day in a trekking camp as they would have done before enrolling in Elephant Kingdom. Nowadays, despite Elephant Kingdom's best efforts these elephants tend to spend 24 hours a day on short chains at home often isolated from their elephant friends. Elephant polo helps demonstrate to their mahouts and owners that appropriate limited exercise and elephant interaction is good for the elephants and can be achieved safely without the use of traditional coercive tools.
Elephants enjoy running around and playing games - and at the Golden Triangle Asian Elephant Foundation we have several areas for the elephants to roam free and the young ones to play, which they'll do for hours at a time. High energy food is a rare treat for these elephants but is essential for all athletes - at the tournament our vets and elephant nutritionists have designed a special diet for them with suppliers of the best fodder from around the country in addition to being provided with veterinary and vitamin supplements.
The tournaments largest expense is maintaining and pampering the elephants - this is on top of the money raised for charity during the event and at the gala dinners which is used for more strategic projects that benefit all of South East Asia's elephants, captive and wild, including improving the facilities and vet care at these elephant's home in the Elephant Kingdom.
Despite having been selected for their enjoyment of the game some elephants decide that the game is not for them and an elephant that is not enjoying themselves is immediately retired. We aim to make the tournament as much of a holiday for the elephants as it is for our guests.
MY VIEW
The game of elephant polo itself is not particularly a grand spectacle but it is entertaining enough to watch for a short while. The large animals lumber around chasing the ball and actually do appear to be enjoying themselves. The games are short, and from what I saw the elephants are extremely well-cared for at this event. From the gate, donations and other things I imagine they can raise a substantial amount of money over the weekend. As long as this money goes to providing a better life for the elephants then I am happy.
OTHER ATTRACTIONS
The event is held annually at the Anantara Riverside in Bangkok, and is a good family day out. Their are games, music and food and drinks to suit all ages and tastes. This was my first time to attend the tournament but I will be back next year as I missed seeing the giant elephant buffet, where the elephants feast on all their favourite foods.
NOTE: This is my first "real" post since the "experiment" let's see how it does ;)
PEACE, LOVE & PINEAPPLES
Click here to:
Wow nice game. Thanks for sharing a new kind of experience.
WOWW. I'm from Argentina and I think the best polo players are from my country. Like Adolfo Cambiaso, for example. But I had never seen polo on elephants!
I know Argentina has a proud history of horseman with their "Gaucho". I don't think as much skill is required for elephant polo :) thanks for your comment.
its a great post! good work!
Very nice post... and certainly unusual event!
I give this post three out of three pineapples!
Very nice.!!
@bkkshadow
Do elephants eat pineapples? 😜
Yes!!! they do
This post has been ranked within the top 25 most undervalued posts in the first half of Mar 19. We estimate that this post is undervalued by $4.22 as compared to a scenario in which every voter had an equal say.
See the full rankings and details in The Daily Tribune: Mar 19 - Part I. You can also read about some of our methodology, data analysis and technical details in our initial post.
If you are the author and would prefer not to receive these comments, simply reply "Stop" to this comment.
Yes.... elephant... and pineapple ha...ha.. ! NIce ! uups there is not pineapple :)
Ah-- good old Chang Beer, what would an event that features elephants be without it! Glad you slipped a Pineapple into your post though
the next day after drinking Chang you will feel like you have been kicked by an elephant. We call it a Chang-over
that BBQ looks pretty good too. Hope they are not elephant t-bones on the grille. :)