--- title: Where Can You Play Elephant Polo? description: Beginning in the late 1980s, many of Thailand's elephants were decommissioned from laboring as timber haulers. So what's a retired pachyderm to do but play... canonical: https://time.com/archive/6937882/where-can-you-play-elephant-polo/ author: Hannah Beech article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2009-03-05T05:00:00.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-03-23T05:52:01.452Z og:title: Where Can You Play Elephant Polo? og:description: Beginning in the late 1980s, many of Thailand's elephants were decommissioned from laboring as timber haulers. So what's a retired pachyderm to do but play... og:url: https://time.com/archive/6937882/where-can-you-play-elephant-polo/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd08627e525c284aa/698a4f364ee262056e31d688/360_tga_elephants_0316.jpg?branch=production&width=360&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 360 og:image:height: 203 og:image:alt: 360_tga_elephants_0316.jpg og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Where Can You Play Elephant Polo? twitter:description: Beginning in the late 1980s, many of Thailand's elephants were decommissioned from laboring as timber haulers. So what's a retired pachyderm to do but play... twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd08627e525c284aa/698a4f364ee262056e31d688/360_tga_elephants_0316.jpg?branch=production&width=360&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Where Can You Play Elephant Polo? > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. 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Subscriptions are at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### What is included in a TIME print and digital subscription? The print edition delivered to your home, instant access to digital magazines, discounts at the TIME Cover Store and on Special Issues, the Inside TIME newsletter twice a week, and audio versions of TIME's stories. It is from $29 for one year or $49 for two years at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### What is the difference between TIME's digital and print plans? Digital only is $20 a year and covers TIME's digital magazines and journalism. Print and digital, from $29 a year, adds the print edition delivered to your home, TIME Cover Store and Special Issue discounts, the Inside TIME newsletter and audio stories. #### Is TIME a reliable news source? TIME is a general-interest news organization founded in 1923. Its journalism is reported and edited by a professional newsroom led by Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs, with named correspondents on politics, climate, health, technology and culture. It reaches 1 million US print subscribers and 1.15 million globally, plus more than 1.1 million newsletter readers. #### How do I subscribe to TIME magazine? Subscriptions are at time.com/subscribe-agent. Choose digital only at $20 a year, or print and digital from $29 a year or $49 for two years. TIME also publishes seven free email newsletters at time.com/newsletters, which do not require a subscription. #### Can I cancel a TIME subscription? Yes. TIME states that subscriptions can be cancelled at any time. #### Does TIME have free newsletters? Yes. TIME publishes seven free email newsletters reaching more than 1.1 million readers, covering daily news, Washington politics, health, AI, climate and energy, culture, and the newsroom itself. They are at time.com/newsletters and are separate from a paid subscription. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-sub-2026q3/newsletters?i=aa9b9815-44cc-498f-a9fa-8054e9ac4f19&cr=time-sub-2026q3-v1) * TIME Subscriptions: [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-sub-2026q3/subscribe?i=aa9b9815-44cc-498f-a9fa-8054e9ac4f19&cr=time-sub-2026q3-v1) by [Hannah Beech](https://time.com/author/hannah-beech/) Mar 5, 2009 5:00 AM UTC  Field of giants: The action at last year's King's Cup Field of giants: The action at last year's King's Cup Courtesy Anantara Resorts by [Hannah Beech](https://time.com/author/hannah-beech/) Mar 5, 2009 5:00 AM UTC Beginning in the late 1980s, many of Thailand’s elephants were decommissioned from laboring as timber haulers. So what’s a retired pachyderm to do but play a little polo? From March 23 to 29, the Anantara luxury resort in northern Thailand’s Golden Triangle will host the annual King’s Cup, a matchup in which elephants replace the more traditional horses. Ten teams fielding players from around a dozen countries will be competing trunk to trunk. In case you’re wondering, the tournament is sanctioned by the World Elephant Polo Association, which set game regulations in 1982\. (Two key rules: elephants are not allowed to lie down in front of the goal, and they must resist the temptation to pick up the ball with their trunks.) For hotel guests who want to join the action, the Anantara and the neighboring Four Seasons Tented Camp will field show teams that will play each other without disturbing competitive play. The tournament’s proceeds go to charity, and so far the Cup has raised $200,000 for the National Elephant Institute, which ministers to Thailand’s 3,000-plus domesticated Elephas maximus. One year’s money covered the construction of a custom-made pachyderm ambulance. ([See 10 things to do in Hong Kong.](https://www.time.com/time/travel/cityguide/article/0,31489,1850110,00.html)) The rest of the year, the Anantara and the Four Seasons, which are nestled in the lush forests near Thailand’s border with Burma and Laos, collaborate on the Golden Triangle Asian Elephant Foundation. The sanctuary and hotel properties are home to around 30 elephants, all of which might otherwise be languishing as street beggars. Often, soliciting snacks from urbanites and tourists is the only way an owner can cover the cost of feeding an animal that in the wild eats up to 550 lb. (250 kg), or around 5% of its body weight, each day. (Foreigners may thrill at the sight of an elephant plodding past high-rises, but a smoggy metropolis is not a natural habitat for creatures unused to cars or open manholes.) Hotel guests who want to sponsor an elephant can volunteer about $1,000 a month for the animal’s upkeep. The donation covers not only vet bills but also the salary of the beast’s mahout, or elephant handler. And, of course, a never-ending supply of bananas. ([See pictures of Singapore.](https://www.time.com/time/travel/cityguide/article/0,31489,1845806%5F1861713,00.html)) [See 10 things to do in Shanghai.](https://www.time.com/time/travel/cityguide/article/0,31489,1851908,00.html) _Got an awful travel gripe? The Avenger may be able to sort it out for you._ [Click here to tell us your problem.](https://www.time.com/time/travel/avenger/form) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/archive/6937882/where-can-you-play-elephant-polo/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/archive/6937882/where-can-you-play-elephant-polo/"},"headline":"Where Can You Play Elephant Polo?","datePublished":"2009-03-05T05:00:00.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-23T05:52:01.452Z","description":"Beginning in the late 1980s, many of Thailand's elephants were decommissioned from laboring as timber haulers. 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