Cartier is sponsoring a game of "elephant polo" in Jaipur, India, on November 18. Elephants who are forced to participate in polo matches are captured from the wild and taken away from their families and homes. They routinely suffer chronic physical ailments, social and emotional deprivation, confinement, and premature death.
Elephants do not naturally ride bicycles, stand on their heads, balance on balls, jump through rings of fire, or play polo. In order to force them to perform these confusing and physically uncomfortable tricks, elephants are typically trained with extremely cruel methods that inflict pain and cause fear. They are cruelly beaten with sharp metal bullhooks and are kept chained up.