Bangkok to Host Elephant Parade Art Exhibition

Anantara Hotels, Resorts & Spas has signed an agreement with Elephant Parade to bring the world’s largest open air art exhibition of 88 life-sized brightly decorated elephant statues to Bangkok, Thailand.

The exhibition will see a herd of 1.5-metre brightly coloured elephants - which have been specially decorated and hand painted - exhibited throughout key locations in the city, starting from 1-18 December 2015 at Parc Paragon at Siam Paragon.

The herd will then move to Asiatique on the banks of the Chao Phraya River, from 20 December 2015 to 11 January 2016, before heading to Lumpini Park from 15-29 January 2016.

The first major Elephant Parade was held in Rotterdam, Netherlands in 2007, and has since been exhibited throughout some of the world’s largest cities including London, Amsterdam, Milan and Hong Kong.

The event was originally created after founder Marc Spits and his son Mike visited the Friends of the Asian Elephant hospital in Lampang, Thailand, which treats sick and injured elephants.

There they saw Mosha, a baby elephant who lost her leg after stepping on a landmine when only seven months old and was the first elephant to receive a prosthetic limb. She is fitted with a new leg every year, and must then learn to walk all over again. Mosha is always featured in each Elephant Parade exposition and will have a specially Thai themed painted prosthetic leg for the Bangkok Parade.

“We are proud to be a part of giving support in hosting the Elephant Parade Bangkok. This exhibition is destined to pay homage to His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej on the auspicious occasion of His Majesty the King’s eighty-eighth birthday anniversary on the fifth of this December,” said Chanisa Kaewruen, Deputy Managing Director Marketing Event and Business Relations Division of Siam Piwat Company Limited. “The event also aims to raise funds for the world’s biggest campaign for giving support to elephants ... They really deserve conservation. We expect this exhibition will create a very good impression and encourage the general public to give their love and help to further protect the elephants. Finally, this event also provides a good image of Thailand.”

In February 2016 a selection of elephants from the parade will be auctioned off at a charity gala dinner at Anantara Siam Bangkok with the proceeds going to the Golden Triangle Asian Elephant Foundation who in turn will select and fund a range of sustainable programs that benefit the elephants of Thailand including, Wildlife Alliance, Freeland, WildAid, Think Elephants and Thai Elephant Therapy Project.

The Golden Triangle Asian Elephant Foundation (GTAEF), was set up in 2006 to improve the plight of Thailand’s elephants, and has since been diversified to include welfare projects that incorporate broader philanthropic and cultural objectives with unprecedented success.

William E. Heinecke, Chairman and CEO of Minor International, the parent company of Anantara, Hotels Resorts & Spas, said, “As a company, we are always looking for like minded partners who share our true passion in saving the Asian elephant and Elephant Parade has long been known for its elephant conservation efforts in Thailand, which is why we feel this partnership is the ideal fit. The more awareness that is raised on the plight of domestic and wild elephants in Thailand the better the chances we have for their survival. I can’t think of a better way to raise awareness than bringing the largest open air art exhibition in support of Asian Elephants to Bangkok in 2015.”

See also: Pictures of 2014 King’s Cup Elephant Polo in Bangkok, Thailand and HD Video Interview About Elephant Conservation in Terengganu, Malaysia.