It’s back!! The 14th Annual King’s Cup Elephant Polo Tournament is packing its trunk and moving to Bangkok’s mighty riverside from March 10th – 13th.
This year’s event will have 10 teams encompassing over 40 players, including Thai celebrities, professional horse polo players, New Zealand All Blacks rugby players and Thailand’s famous transgender cabaret team Miss Tiffany.
The fun four day event, which includes Children’s Education Day and Ladies ‘Bangkok Ascot’ Day, aims to raise awareness and money to better the lives of wild and domesticated elephants throughout Thailand.
Monks blessing the elephants
Now in its fourteenth year, the tournament has become one of the biggest charitable events in Southeast Asia and has raised almost US$1 million which has gone to various organisations helping elephants and this year we are hoping to raise a lot more. The event also takes street elephants away from their often harsh environment and provides them proper food, vitamins and full veterinary care which they otherwise don’t normally get.
Children’s Day
A total of 18 elephants will be given a break from their work in tourist trekking camps in Pattaya or bought from unemployment in Surin to take part in the festival, during which they are given much needed food, essential vitamin supplements, full veterinary checks and care for the duration of the event.
The four day festival will have something for everyone including an impressive Opening Parade, Children’s Educational Day, Ladies Day known as the ‘Bangkok Ascot’ and a wide range of fun elephant related activities for the whole family.
Spirit men
Anantara has long been associated with elephant conservation efforts with the formation of The Golden Triangle Asian Elephant Foundation, which has performed over 40 rescues of elephants off the streets of Thailand, as well as bringing the hugely successful Elephant Parade to Bangkok where 88 elephant statues were decorated by local and international celebrities and artists to honour Thailand’s HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s 88th birthday and will be auctioned off in a gala dinner in February 2016.
For more information on the 14th Annual King’s Cup Elephant Polo Tournament, please visit www.anantaraelephantpolo.com.