The event hosted by auction house Christies raised over US$ 200,000 which will be donated to various charities that benefit wild and domestic elephants throughout the region
By: FE Online | Published: February 26, 2016 4:15 PM
Elephant Parade Bangkok officially ended recently with a charity auction held at Anantara Siam Bangkok. The event hosted by auction house Christies raised over US$ 200,000 which will be donated to various charities that benefit wild and domestic elephants throughout the region.
The colourful herd of elephants had delighted residents and tourists alike as they travelled throughout the Thai capital for three months starting with a launch at Siam Paragon in December 2015 to honour the 88th birthday of H M King Bhumibol Adulyadej. Bangkok’s premier night market, Asiatique was the herd’s second stop before finally ending in the natural surroundings of Lumphini Park, allowing approximately one million visitors to get up close and personal with the capital’s largest outdoor art exhibition.
Notable celebrity painted elephants auctioned off included, actor and martial artist Tony Jaa; model and actress Sirinya Bishop; singer and musician Kong Saharat and architect Duangrit Bunnag. The largest bid of in the auction went to the elephant Utopia by artist Elizabeth Romhild for US$ 17,000.
The final proceeds will be donated to The Golden Triangle Asian Elephant Foundation who in turn will select strategic partners to drive forward key conservation projects. These include building the first elephant clinic in Chiang Mai’s Mae Teang Valley, expanding a Positive Reinforcement Target Training Project to traditional mahouts throughout Thailand helping to protect 18,000 hectares of virgin rainforest in Cambodia where wild elephants roam and working closely with the national parks throughout Thailand to ensure the safety of wild elephants.
Other notable artists who participated in the exhibition include, designer Paul Smith, Moo Asava, ML Jirathorn Jiraprawat, Wisut Ponnimit, Nirut Sirichanya, Nancy Chandler and DJ Hardwell.
To help raise more awareness and funds for elephant welfare and conservation projects, during the event Anantara Hotels, Resorts & Spas also gave Elephant Parade visitors the chance to win a seven day trip to Anantara’s resorts in the Maldives through an Instagram competition with the main prize won by Evelyn Zheng.
