BANGKOK, 27 March 2018: In a response to videos shot, earlier this month, that showed handlers allegedly beating elephants, eight sponsors have withdrawn support for a popular annual elephant polo event, PETA reported Monday.
According to the press statement, Sunraysia, the Campari Group, GROHE, Ecolab, JDE, Angus Energy, Häfele, and Vespa have informed PETA and its affiliates that they’ll no longer support the Anantara Riverside Bangkok Resort’s King’s Cup Elephant Polo Tournament.
The annual event now heading for its 17th year is billed as charity that supports elephant welfare programmes to the tune of THB 4 million a year.
In a letter to PETA Australia, Sunraysia CEO Anthony Davie stated, “We are distressed by the footage and strongly condemn the mistreatment of elephants that it shows. … Now that you have brought this matter to our attention, we will be discontinuing our sponsorship of the King’s Cup Elephant Polo event.”
“By withdrawing their sponsorship, these companies have set a positive example for other companies that still support such abusive spectacles to follow,” says PETA vice president of international operations Jason Baker.
“Elephants don’t belong on polo fields, where they’re forced to obey confusing commands under the constant threat of punishment.”
The videos show handlers in a holding area next to the polo grounds allegedly beating and jabbing the captive elephants’ heads with bullhooks – weapons resembling fireplace pokers with a sharp metal hook on one end – which they also used to yank the animals by their extremely sensitive ears.
Elephants used for polo tournaments, rides, or any other type of entertainment endure violent training, during which they’re regularly beaten, in order to force them into submission. Between matches, they’re often shackled so tightly that they can barely take a single step in any direction.
PETA’s motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to use for entertainment.”
In a letter sent today, the group is calling on Minor Hotel Group to make this the last elephant polo tournament and for sponsors to withdraw their support, the PETA press statement concluded.
Minor Hotels Group Responds
TTR Weekly asked Minor Hotels Group for a response. It issued the following abbreviated statement through its PR and communications office.
“Since 2006, we have raised and donated nearly THB 100 million to support 15 elephant-related projects and initiatives that encourage elephant protection and rescue.
“Whilst different advocacy organisations take diverse approaches and actions to support and promote elephant welfare, it is our conviction that areas of commonality and agreement must be found to unify and strengthen the efforts to achieve our shared goals.
“We have made this proposition previously, and we once again invite PETA to join us to develop new and sustainable initiatives that we can all agree will create the desired long-term outcome for elephants across Asia.”
(Source: People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals; Minor Hotels Group statement)
