Polo with Pachyderms
Polo is an ancient game traditionally played on horseback. Swap elephants for horses and you have something else entirely!
Elephant polo was invented in India during the early 1900s. At the time India was a part of the British Empire and the first people to play were members of the English aristocracy.
The World Elephant Polo Association (WEPA) was formed in 1982 by an Englishman and a Scotsman in the small Asian kingdom of Nepal, high in the Himalayan Mountains. WEPA now holds three international tournaments each year, one in Sri Lanka, another in Thailand, and finally the world championships in Nepal.
Elephant polo is big in South East Asia, where there is a native population of Asian elephants, but WEPA has also welcomed teams representing Australia, Britain, Germany, Hong Kong and New Zealand. The current world champion is Scotland, with back-to-back wins in 2004 and 2005.
Don't Play and Drive
Elephant polo is played between two teams of three or four elephants. Each elephant is ridden by two people, a player and a mahout.
Mahouts are professional elephant handlers who work for many years with an individual animal to develop a close rapport. They are able to communicate quickly and effectively using spoken commands and by pressing behind the elephant's ears with their feet.
Players are tied onto the back of their elephant in rope harnesses, so they can concentrate on hitting the ball without fear of falling off. The players give directions to the mahouts and the mahouts give directions to the elephants.
Never Forget
Elephant polo is played on a smaller pitch than horse polo because although the animals are much larger they are also much slower. The rules are very similar, with only a few exceptions. For example, elephants are not allowed to lie down in front of the goals, pick up the ball with their trunk or kick it with their feet.
A game consists of two 10 minute chukkas with a 15 minute break in between. The team with the most goals wins. A draw is settled much like a soccer match, with five minutes of "sudden death" extra time and a penalty shootout (if needed).
At the end of every match, the elephants are rewarded with a tasty treat of sugar cane or rice balls filled with molasses and rock salt.
Wow!
Early WEPA matches used a soccer ball but the elephants liked to stand on them and squash them. Now a normal polo ball is used..
The World Elephant Polo Association (WEPA) was formed in 1982 by an Englishman and a Scotsman in the small Asian kingdom of Nepal, high in the Himalayan Mountains. WEPA now holds three international tournaments each year, one in Sri Lanka, another in Thailand, and finally the world championships in Nepal.
Elephant polo is big in South East Asia, where there is a native population of Asian elephants, but WEPA has also welcomed teams representing Australia, Britain, Germany, Hong Kong and New Zealand. The current world champion is Scotland, with back-to-back wins in 2004 and 2005.
Don't Play and Drive
Elephant polo is played between two teams of three or four elephants. Each elephant is ridden by two people, a player and a mahout.
Mahouts are professional elephant handlers who work for many years with an individual animal to develop a close rapport. They are able to communicate quickly and effectively using spoken commands and by pressing behind the elephant's ears with their feet.
Players are tied onto the back of their elephant in rope harnesses, so they can concentrate on hitting the ball without fear of falling off. The players give directions to the mahouts and the mahouts give directions to the elephants.
Never Forget
Elephant polo is played on a smaller pitch than horse polo because although the animals are much larger they are also much slower. The rules are very similar, with only a few exceptions. For example, elephants are not allowed to lie down in front of the goals, pick up the ball with their trunk or kick it with their feet.
A game consists of two 10 minute chukkas with a 15 minute break in between. The team with the most goals wins. A draw is settled much like a soccer match, with five minutes of "sudden death" extra time and a penalty shootout (if needed).
At the end of every match, the elephants are rewarded with a tasty treat of sugar cane or rice balls filled with molasses and rock salt.
Wow!
Early WEPA matches used a soccer ball but the elephants liked to stand on them and squash them. Now a normal polo ball is used..
Dung collectors stand on the sidelines, ready to clear the pitch of any unpleasant obstacles.
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