An elephant destroys a minibus after throwing it’s rider and going on a rampage during Sri Lanka’s sixth annual elephant polo tournament in Galle February 15, 2007. Abey, a four-tonne eighteen-year-old elephant, threw off his mahout and American rider and went on a rampage destroying a vehicle before being subdued.[reuters]
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
hans hoefer 02.20.07 at 9:43 pm
Elephant Polo is truely the most appalling of
all “sports”.
One would expect that your readers are sensitive enough to help expose this misguided hype (which now pollutes India, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand tourism) for what it really is : the last hurrah of a most noble species destined for extinction, chased over a dusty field, saddled and applauded by Asia’s neo-colonial socialites drenched in gin and tonic.
The truth is that these wonderful creatures are degraded to the role of cash cows to enrich promoters and misguided sponsors under the disguise to promoting tourism to Sri Lanka. The opposite is true: the torture and stress revealed by one of the elephants in Galle should be a wakeup call for all animal lovers to demand a permanant stop to such an outrage and violation of nature conservation.
Even the claim to history is a blatant lie. No decent polo playing Moghul would ever have lowered himself to such ridicule.
Mr Dobbs, You copied this nonsense from Nepal. Stop it now. Make this an annual non-event in Sri Lanka.
Hans Hoefer,
Singapore and
Apa Villas Thalpe
Sharique 02.21.07 at 12:11 pm
Hans,
Thanks for bringing out this fact about the game. I was unaware of it.
Eric 02.21.07 at 2:28 pm
D’accor Hans. Shame it didnt clean up a few hooray henries on the way. Think its trying to send a message. Dobbs and ilk dont seem to know how offensive and cruel this is in Sri Lanka, but then I dont get the sense they’ve ever noticed too many Lankans. Oh, I’m sorry, this was for charity> Of course it was