Phanda elephant sculpture to tour Asian cities
Phanda and friends
Anantara Vacation Club, has announced that Phanda, one of the 100 baby elephant sculptures from the world famous Elephant Parade “herd,” will be making a year-long journey to Anantara Vacation Club resorts in Phuket, Chiang Mai, Samui and Shanghai, China to raise awareness of the plight of elephants around the world .
“We are delighted to host Phanda at our resorts as a way to raise awareness of Thailand’s beloved national animal,” said Martin Tolan, Chief Operating Officier of Anantara Vacation Club. “Bringing the Elephant Parade to Bangkok and Phanda to our resorts will elevate awareness in a delightful and positive manner.”
The Elephant Parade® is one of the world’s largest open air art exhibitions, featuring a herd of more than 100 painted elephants created by top local and international celebrities and artists.
The Elephant Parade was conceived by Marc Spits and his son Mike after a visit to the Friends of the Asian Elephant hospital in Lampang, Thailand. While there, they met Mosha, a seven month-old baby elephant who lost her leg after stepping on a landmine. She became the first elephant to receive a prosthetic limb.
Each year, she is fitted with a new and must learn to walk all over again. The first Elephant Parade® was held in Rotterdam in the Netherlands in 2007 and has since been exhibited in cities across the world including London, Singapore, Amsterdam, Milan and Hong Kong. Bangkok is hosting the herd from December, 2015 through January, 2016.
Anantara Vacation Club, a sponsor of the Elephant Parade, purchased Phanda through a charity auction, and plans to send the elephant on a journey of several of its resorts. Created by artist Node Dudesweet, Phanda is a 1.5-metre tall baby elephant painted to resemble a panda. Dudesweet was inspired by an artistic protest a decade ago by local Mahouts in response to the country’s adoption of Chinese pandas. To remind locals about the elephant’s plight, the Mahouts painted their elephants to resemble the giant panda.
When the Elephant Parade® leaves Bangkok at the end of January, Phanda will split from the herd and spend the rest of the year on a journey to discover Anantara Vacation Club resorts throughout Asia. All are welcomed to follow Phanda’s journey on Anantara Vacation Club’s Instagram @anantaraclub and simply share your photo with the Phanda and hashtag #PhandaJourney.