Mission
It is Elephant Parade’s mission to be the world’s largest financial support organization
for the Asian elephant, which is in grave danger of extinction. Our outdoor exhibitions
generate publicity around the globe, providing information and support for projects for
the conservation of the Asian elephant; the elephant-shaped works of art are a magnet
for the public and the mass media.
How it all began
Elephant Parade was founded by father and son Marc and Mike Spits in 2006. A year
later the first exhibition was held in Rotterdam. Marc was inspired to create Elephant
Parade after meeting Soraida Salwala while on vacation in Thailand. Soraida is the
founder of the world's first elephant hospital in Lampang. It was here that Marc met
the baby elephant Mosha, who had lost part of her leg to one of the thousands of
landmines still found in Thailand. Mosha inspired Marc to start Elephant Parade.
On June 9th, 2008, Mosha became the first baby elephant ever fit with a
prosthetic leg, partially funded by Elephant Parade.
The Asian elephant: A race against time
In the last 100 years, the number of Asian elephants in existence has fallen by 90%.
Approximately 150,000 Asian elephants have died within the past 25 years and today
there are fewer than 35,000 of these animals left in all of Asia. In Thailand there
are only 4,000 elephants left, with only 1,500 living in the wild. Unless we act now,
the Asian elephant will be extinct within a few decades.
The Asian Elephant Foundation
The financial resources collected through Elephant Parade go to support the
endangered Asian elephant, with proceeds going to, among others, The Asian Elephant
Foundation. This independent NGO supports many different projects throughout Asia,
from elephant hospitals to so-called elephant corridors.
These corridors allow the endangered elephants to move around freely without crossing
fields and villages and coming into conflict with humans.
Our partnership with The Asian Elephant Foundation is a guarantee that the funds
collected through Elephant Parade will be distributed and applied in the best
way possible.
A global success
The first Elephant Parade was held in Rotterdam in 2007 and has since been held in Antwerp,
Amsterdam, Emmen and London. After the exhibition in Copenhagen, Elephant Parade will move
on to Milan and Singapore. Since the beginning almost 7.5 million Euros have been
raised at European auctions, with over 4 million being donated to charity. To date, hundreds
of Asian elephants have been rescued and treated, but there are still thousands of elephants
who need our help. Please visit our sister site www.elephantparade.com for more information
on Elephant Parade around the world.
Active partner in Denmark
Homerun Event, a department of the film and TV production company Homerun Group, is the
official organizer of Elephant Parade Copenhagen. Homerun has both national and international
experience with event, film and commercial production. The partnership with Elephant Parade
came into being via Homerun filmmaker Peter Ringgaard, who has directed several films about
elephants in Asia, including “The Queen's Elephants” on DR, Danish National Television.
