During a recent trip, the hotel I had stayed in had figurines and sculptures of elephants everywhere. That was not very surprising since the hotel is situated in the land known for elephants. Each of the sculptures and figurines was interesting in its own way.
However, several of them were unusual. They piqued my interest big time. Each piece is unique, vibrant and eye catching. Here, have a look at some of the unusual ones.
When I dug further into these unusual & vibrant depictions of elephants, I came to know that they were part of a world wide initiative called Elephant Parade. This initiative through its open air exhibitions and other activities, brings the attention of the world on the conservation of Asian elephants.
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| Mosha image courtesy : Internet |
A father and son duo, Marc Spits and Mike, founded this movement after they came across a 7 month old baby elephant named Mosha in Thailand, at an elephant hospital which constructs prosthetic limbs for elephants.
Mosha had lost one of her legs after stepping on a land mine during logging in Myanmar. Being the first elephant to receive such a limb, she now walks with a prosthetic leg which needs to be replaced every year and she needs to learn afresh to walk with the prosthetic limb, every single time.
Close to home, in India, we have an elephant who has received a prosthetic tusk.
Gladdens the heart to know that the animals are getting medical care on a equal footing as humans, though the problems they are/ were facing are created by humans in the first place..
Do you have any such story to share?
For A-Z Challenge 2015
Wow! wonderful information. I loved the elephant made out of jackfruit...it is yummy :)
ReplyDeleteIt was an eye opener for me too. That's one cute fella isn't he? :) That's a fruit called durian. It is native to South East Asia. An extremely smelly fruit which makes people either love it or hate it; there is no in-between. In fact, its smell is so overpowering that it is banned on buses, trains and even in many offices. The smell lingers for days. Have tried tasting it only a couple of times. :)
DeleteThanks for sharing this heart warming story. I love elephants. Wonderful imagination in those figurines.
ReplyDeleteWelcome back Suzy! :) It indeed is a heart warming story. These gentle giants happen to be one of my favourites too. :)
DeleteAs someone said, "If you do not have a memory like an elephant, leave impressions like one".. Coming from a state where elephants are part and parcel of our life, these animals are always revered.. However these days, ill treatment of these animals by its owner/mahout have been resulting in tragic incidents.. All said and done, to see a majestic tusked elephant all decked up for a temple festival is still one of my most favorite sights !
ReplyDeleteMany of these animals aren't even being allowed to leave their impressions, given their dwindling numbers and ill treatment. :( I am yet to see a decked up majestic tusked pachyderm for the temple festival. (Hint.. hint...). :)
DeleteGreat initiative taken for the Elephants, thanks for sharing it. I liked the Spider-man/elephant :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for dropping by Sulekkha, and for your kind words. :) My first thought on seeing the Spidey-Elephant was on how it would manage to swing from building & how super strong the strings holding it must be.:)
DeleteLovely bright and unusual elephant figurines. I loved the Spiderman one. It's heartening to know that animals are given such medical care and a chance to live a normal life.
ReplyDeleteYes Prasanna. It indeed is heartening. More so when humans are the ones who put them through hell. Spidey-Ele is one macho figurine :)
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