The Bindi Elephant was designed by Catherine Knowles for the Travelling Herd 2016 Parade. The inspiration for Bindi comes from the Asian tradition of adorning and decorating elephants with paint and jewels. Bindi is painted in purple and gold colours because elephants are such regal and proud animals.
An original Elephant Parade Original is a really special gift to give and to own. Every elephant is hand-painted by talented artists, is part of an exclusive limited edition series and every one sold donates to charities in aid of elephant conservation. Each elephant comes packaged in a smart black gift box (excl 75cm), with a hologram of authenticity and a certificate listing the artist, series, production number, year and parade city.
The Elephant is known for its wisdom, strength and as a symbol of good fortune. In the art of Feng Shui it brings energies of beauty, silent power, kindness, fertility & majesty to your home, office or wherever you place it. To welcome such positivity into your space just ensure your elephant replica is facing inward, preferably just inside the front door.
We now have a range of designs you can personalise for weddings, celebrations and all events so why not contact us at [email protected] to find out how you can bring good vibes to your family, friends, colleagues and customers with a unique gift that gives back to Elephants!
Please note that due to the hand-painted nature of the Original elephants there will always be minor variability between two identical products. The elephant Original pictures shown online are mainly of the 20 cm models, some variations in detail are possible based on the complexity of the design and the size chosen. Images are not to scale and lifestyle images tend to feature full size elephant originals and the design may differ on a smaller originals.
Mosha is the inspiration for Elephant Parade and they have pledged to support her for the rest of her long & happy days. Mosha means star in the Karen language and is the name of the worlds first elephant to have received a prosthetic leg after having lost a limb to a landmine on the Thai-Myanmar border. When Mosha was only seven months old, she was walking in the jungle with her mother, a logging elephant, when she stepped onto a landmine and lost part of her right front leg. Mosha was fortunate to have had a mahout who cared and had resources enough to contact Friends of the Asian Elephant, home to the worlds first elephant hospital, where she was rushed to. Her life was saved and her wound treated, but Mosha began to shun both food and company.
Mosha was not the first and wont be the last elephant, or man, to be injured by landmines. A worrying 16 of Thailands 77 provinces are still affected by landmines, and Friends of The Asian Elephant (FAE) Hospital has treated over a dozen such injuries over the years. Again, chance and fortune led to a meeting with Dr. Therdchai Jivacate an orthopaedic surgeon who made Mosha her first prosthetic leg from plastic, sawdust and metal, which has the ability to support her weight (adult elephants weigh around 5 tonnes) as well as offer her mobility, much needed in an active and naughty young elephant!
As Mosha has grown, she has had to be fitted with a new prosthesis and now at 14 years old, she is a healthy and vibrant young elephant with a long life ahead of her. She will need a new prosthesis every year until she stops growing at 20 years old.
Elephant Parade is a social enterprise and runs the world's largest art exhibition of decorated elephant statues to raise awareness and funds for elephant conservation as, without our help, experts predict the endangered Asian Elephant could become extinct within the next 30 years. Be part of it and help save the elephants by supporting Elephant Parade.
Elephant Family is Elephant Parades charity partner. They are a leading charity for Asian elephants, a species which has lost 95% of its habitat and 90% of its population in the past 100 years. Supporting over 160 projects across Asia since their foundation in 2001, Elephant Family has funded projects in six of the 13 remaining elephant range states: Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar and Thailand.
They work with world-renowned conservation experts to deliver the best possible defence against the destruction of Asian elephants, and the diverse wildlife that share their habitat. They believe in creative conservation. Hosting large-scale public art events in order to mobilise public concern is at the core of our strategy. If the endangered Asian elephant is to survive, our efforts must be both fun and fearless. To win support its plight must become known.
