​The herd returns: from India with love… The elephants are back!

30 beautifully decorated sculptures from Elephant Parade® are grazing across London in key locations in Mayfair and Chelsea, sparkling ambassadors for their cousins in the wild.

The small, but beautiful, Indian-inspired herd - exquisitely decorated by some of India’s best artists, designers and creative talents - have travelled from the sub-continent to London to say thank you for the welcome they received in 2010 and for the £4 million raised for elephant conservation. With as few as 40,000 Asian elephants remaining in the wild, this smaller London herd is a gentle reminder that there has never been a more urgent need to protect these awesome animals from the threat of extinction.

Officially launched by HRH The Duchess of Cornwall on 21 June the herd was released through Chelsea and Mayfair in locations including Grosvenor Square, Brown Hart Gardens, South Molton Street, Ebury Street and Carlos Place.

Visitors will be able to get up close to the elephants and share their selfies with #elephantparadelondon and #fromindiawithlove to help spread awareness. And, aspirant elephant adopters have the opportunity to bid for their favourite elephant online at www.paddle8.com/elephant-parade-london All money raised from the online auction will help support Asian elephant conservation projects across Asia.

Once again, the event sees Elephant Family partner with Elephant Parade®, the world’s biggest touring public elephant art exposition that raises awareness of and support for elephants and follows the success of the two organisations collaborating to present Elephant Parade India earlier this year. Helping to raise further funds, the Elephant Parade® pop-up shop is now open at 20 South Molton Street, W1K 5QY.

To help you in your adventures there is more information and a map to help you track the trunks online at: https://concoursdelephant.co.uk/the-elephants/

The elephants return has been made possible with the generous support of Grosvenor, the Cadogan Group and elephant partners, Anantara Hotels.

-ENDS-

Notes to Editors:

About Elephant Family

Elephant Family is an international NGO dedicated to protecting the Asian elephant from extinction in the wild. In the last fifty years their population has roughly halved and 90% of their habitat has disappeared. Poaching, a growing skin trade, and demand for wild-caught babies for tourism remain a constant threat along with the deadly and escalating conflict between people and elephants for living space and food. Elephant Family funds pioneering projects across Asia to reconnect forest fragments, prevent conflict and fight wildlife crime. Since 2002 Elephant Family has funded over 160 conservation projects and raised over £15m through public art events for this iconic yet endangered animal.

www.elephant-family.org

The late Mark Shand was the founding force behind the charity when it launched in 2002 under the patronage of the Rajmata of Jaipur and Sir Evelyn de Rothschild. Mark Shand was an adventurer, best-selling author and conservationist who dedicated his life to the survival of the Asian elephant. His mission started in 1988 when he rescued a street begging elephant, which he named Tara, and journeyed 800km across India with her. Tara became the star of Mark’s best-selling book, Travels on my Elephant, which went on to win him Travel Writer of the year and touched a public nerve in the 1980s throughout the West.

TRH The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall are joint Royal Presidents of the charity.

“As joint Presidents my wife and I couldn’t be more proud to support this vital work… After all we are here to ensure that dear Mark’s hard won legacy is maintained and enhanced.” HRH The Prince of Wales

Since its creation fifteen years ago, Elephant Family has raised over £15 million and funded over 160 conservation projects to safeguard the future of Asia’s endangered elephants – but there is always more work to be done.

About Elephant Parade

Elephant Parade® is a social enterprise and runs the world’s largest art exhibition of decorated elephant statues. Created by artists and celebrities, each Elephant Parade statue is a unique art piece. Since launching in 2007, Elephant Parade has visited dozens of cities around the world including: Hong Kong, London, Milan, Bangkok, Sao Paolo, Copenhagen, Amsterdam, Luxembourg, Dana Point California, Singapore. In 2013, Elephant Parade did its first ever country tour, visiting 14 UK cities over 12 months.

Limited edition, handcrafted replicas and a select range of products are created from the exhibition elephants. 20% of Elephant Parade net profits are donated to elephant welfare and conservation projects. Website: www.elephantparade.com

About Anantara

Anantara is a luxury hospitality brand for modern travellers, connecting them to genuine places, people and stories through personal experiences, and providing heartfelt hospitality in the world’s most exciting destinations. The collection of distinct, thoughtfully designed luxury hotels and resorts provides a window through which to journey into invigorating new territory, curating personal travel experiences.

From cosmopolitan cities to desert sands to lush islands, Anantara connects travellers to the indigenous, grounds them in authentic luxury, and hosts them with passionate expertise. The portfolio currently boasts over 35 stunning hotel and properties located in Thailand, the Maldives, Indonesia, Vietnam, China, Cambodia, Sri Lanka, Mozambique, Zambia, the UAE, Qatar, Oman and Portugal, with a pipeline of future properties across Asia, the Indian Ocean, Middle East, Africa and South America. The brand’s premier vacation ownership programme, Anantara Vacation Club, extends the opportunity to own a share in the Anantara experience with a portfolio of 8 luxurious Club Resorts as well as travel privileges at partner resorts and hotels worldwide.

Anantara is a member of Global Hotel Alliance (GHA), the world’s largest alliance of independent hotel brands.

Media Contacts:

For information on Elephant Family’s conservation work and Elephant Parade in London

Vicky Flynn at vicky@elephant-family.org / +44 (0) 7980 135909

General media enquiries on Elephant Parade and other parades planned for 2018 and 2019:

Guy Bellamy - 01342 870142 / guy@elephantcommunications.co.uk

Mia Hadrill - +66 (0) 91 820 3255 / mia@elephantparade.com