The event, takes place on the 10-13 March 2016 now in its 14th year it is held on the banks of Bangkok’s Chaophraya River and has raised almost US$1 m to date. These funds are used to support wild and domesticated elephants across the country.
The festival features an impressive opening parade, a children’s educational day and a ladies day known as “Bangkok Ascot” said an event spokesman
The 2016 tournament will host 10 teams of more than40 players, including professional polo players and New Zealand All Blacks rugby players.
The welfare of the elephants used in the tournament is paramount, with strict rules in place to ensure that the pachyderms are well cared for at all times. Thanks to Thailand’s advanced micro-chipping programme for all legal domesticated elephants and research into DNA tagging, by imposing “a no micro- chip, no game” rule the organizers guarantee that all elephants who play have been domestically bred and not captured from the wild or smuggled in from neighbouring countries.
Eighteen elephants will take part. The animals will have time to rest and relax between polo games, as well as receiving veterinary attention.
Other significant benefits from money raised has gone to building the first elephant hospital in Krabi in the southern part of Thailand, also research and tree planting to build elephant corridors in Kui Buri so there are no elephant/farmer conflicts. And funding the first educational computer application for children to teach them the importance of conservation and protection of wild elephants in Thailand.