On the occasion of World Elephant Day 2017, Elephant Family is delighted to announce that the next Elephant Parade will take place in India from November 2017 to March 2018. As part of the 2017 UK India Year of Culture, Elephant Parade India aims to generate vital funds to secure 101 elephant corridors across India for the endangered Asian elephants who face the risk of displacement through fragmentation of habitat and human disturbances.
Following 21 successful Elephant Parades worldwide, Elephant Parade India has engaged leading Indian artists, fashion designers, design institutes, tribal painters & celebrities to turn 101 elephant sculptures into unique masterpieces creating a striking spectacle of colour to celebrate one of India’s most beloved and endangered animals. The painted elephants will be displayed in herds at prominent cities in India to be photographed, hugged and kissed by admiring audiences as part of what has become recognised as the world’s biggest public art event.
After the public displays across the cities, the elephants will then be sold at two high profile auctions in Mumbai and London to raise funds for their endangered wild cousins and their forest homes.
The last Elephant Parade in London, which took place in 2010, became London’s biggest public art exhibition with more than 250 brightly painted elephants located across central London. With an audience of 25 million, the campaign raised over £4 million for the endangered Asian elephant.
On Elephant Parade India, Ruth Powys-Ganesh, CEO of Elephant Family, said “Elephant parade India will celebrate the magnificence of the iconic Asian elephant, generating mass awareness of their plight and making everyone smile at the same time. With the support of the world’s top creatives, the 101 painted elephants will move us closer to our target to secure a network of 101 elephant corridors – vital strips of habitat that reconnect India’s forests, the number one priority for this species. This event is all about partnerships and we delighted to promote the brilliant work of the
Wildlife Trust of India through this creative campaign”.