Enfields in aid of Elephants

A FLEET of customised Royal Enfields have taked part in a fundraising campaign in London this summer in aid of Asia’s endangered elephants.

The motorcycles joined Ambassador cars, tuk tuks and a Gujarati Chagda to make up the ‘Concours d’éléphant’ – a cavalcade of designer inspired, quintessentially Indian vehicles which will toured London this month as part of charity Elephant Family’s ongoing fight to protect the elephants and their habitats.

The charity has partnered with Elephant Parade, the world’s biggest touring public elephant art exposition also raising awareness of and support for elephants. Following the success of previous collaborations, 30, five-foot Elephant Parade sculptures exquisitely decorated by some of India’s best artists have been dotted throughout Mayfair and Chelsea. Admirers can bid for their favourite elephant online.

The vehicles feature designs from the likes of House of Hackney, Boyarde, Dan Baldwin, Belstaff, Philip Colbert and Gaurav Gupta and when the event draws to a close tomorrow, will be auctioned off at a high-profile dinner at Royal Hospital Chelsea, attended by members of the Royal Family, key conservationists and society figures.

“Elephants are being squeezed from their traditional habitats by relentless human development, and being forced into conflict with people as they compete for food and space, often with tragic consequences,” explains Ruth Ganesh, Elephant Family trustee and former CEO.

“There has never been a more urgent need to raise awareness for the plight of Asia’s elephants or to help protect their wild habitats which in turn help create the healthy forests and eco-systems that we all rely on.”