"India Elephants"
The "mahoots" or elephant keepers play football on elephants in preparation for the Elephant festival which is organized each year to raise awareness and appreciation for the animals who are facing grave problems as their habitat shrinks. The mahoots were playing on domesticated elephants inside the Kaziranga National Park in Assam, eastern India where thousands of tourists visit each year January 5, 2004. India and its sacred elephants are threatened by deforestation and encroachment of the reserved land and natural forests. As a result, wild elephants are rampaging through villages, killing people and destroying their homes and crops. (Ami Vitale)
