Final whistle for elephant polo in Nepal after 35 years

KATHMANDU - The curtain has come down on an elephant polo tournament in Nepal, which had been played every winter in Meghauli, Chitwan, for 35 years.

Eco-tourism company Tiger Tops, the organizer of the annual International Elephant Polo Competition, has announced that it will stop hosting the event from this year to support the movement against animal cruelty.

Elephant polo was first introduced in Nepal in 1982 after James Manclark, a scion of horse polo, started the pachyderm version with fellow enthusiast Jim Edwards.