Footballing Elephant Beer Chang Everton

Posted on December 29, 2009 by Mike

Asian Elephant in Thailand

If I asked you what Asian elephants, Beer Chang and Everton football club have in common I guess you might know that Beer Chang sponsor Everton, a UK Premiership football club.

But I wonder did you also know that the elephant is one of the three national symbols of Thailand, the others are the Sala Thai and the Ratchaphruek. The label on Chang beer has a picture of two elephants facing each other. Incidentally the elephants facing each other signify peace and harmony.

So what has all this to do with footballing elephants? Well I found my footballing elephants at a sanctuary for retired elephants near Kanchanaburi, Thailand on the banks of the river Kwai. They had the name Everton painted on them for a TV commercial they featured in because from time to time the mahouts organised a football match between the jumbo sized players.

When I took this picture we had just arrived at the camp, on a converted rice barge, we then spent some time with the elephants and mahouts bathing in the river.

Equipment: Canon EOS 1000D 55mm Lens

Related posts:

  1. A Sad Elephant in Thailand.
  2. Khao Chang Thailand
This entry was posted in Animals in Thailand, Asian Elephant. Bookmark the permalink.
  • Ratty

    I like elephants. I'd love to see elephants playing football. I seem to remember seeing a TV commercial like that once long ago.

  • rainfield61

    Haha!! It is a serious Everton fan.

  • Martin in Bulgaria

    Hi Mike,
    Interesting trivia here. I thought atr first it might have something to do with toffee (Everton;s nickname I'm sure you are aware of.) But after dismissing this sharply from your explaination I then thought of elephants performing in a circus and found another link beyond your explanation. Elephants and Everton are both circus act!
    I'm an Arsenal fan Mike, how about you?

  • The TEFL Don

    @ratty its really quite funny!

    @rainfields poor elephant!

    @Martin I reckon your analogy is spot on but its Forest for me.

  • Emm

    Yay, Everton! That's my team! Poor elephant – I'm sure he'd rather relax in his old age.

  • The TEFL Don

    @emm I think this is a young elephant! That said I'm not sure about the commercial aspect of this although some money gets put back into conservation.

  • Emm

    Oh! When you said it was a sanctuary for retired elephants, I thought he was an old man!

  • Pingback: A Sad Elephant in Thailand. | My Thai Photo Blog

  • Pingback: Wild Asian Elephant Thailand | My Thai Photo Blog

  • Pingback: National Symbols of Thailand-Ratchaphruek | My Thai Photo Blog

  • Pingback: Laser Vision International LASIK Centre Bangkok | Thailand Medical Tourism and Travel Blog Finalist