Selfiekali crowned most beautiful elephant

BY BASANTA PARAJULI,Sauraha, Dec. 28: Selfiekali won this year’s Elephant Beauty Contest, a unique and rare beauty pageant for elephants, held in Sauraha, Chitwan, on Wednesday. 

On the second day of the Elephant Festival, Selfiekali, adorned in vibrant colours, paraded down a ramp and demonstrated various moves. 

Dr. Bijay Shrestha, the judge for the contest and a veterinarian at Chitwan National Park, said, “Identifying the beauty of an elephant is a challenging task. However, based on the criteria set by the judges, Selfiekali was crowned with the title this year.” 

He said that the primary goals of the competitions were to enhance the bond between elephants and humans and to attract tourists.

Selfiekali, a 17-year-old, won the title and a cash prize of Rs. 15,000 by surpassing seven other contestants. 

Similarly, an 11-year-old Rimjhimkali of Chitwan National Park became the 1st runner-up while Sambridikali of Ram Prasad Rijal became the 2nd runner-up. They won cash prizes of Rs. 10,000 and Rs. 5,000 respectively. 

Other participants included Laxmikali owned by Haribhakta Ghimire, Bijulikali owned by Shanker Saiju, Dipak Bhattarai’s Ranimayakali and Ram Kumar Chaudhary’s Champakali. 

Kishor Kumar, mahout of Selfiekali, said that she was the best in terms of discipline and behaviour. He said, “She was easy to tame due to her prompt response to human commands.”

The competition was held among female elephants. The elephants were judged on cleanliness, nail trimming, absence of injuries and overall health. 

The mahouts had painted their elephants with vibrant colours and designs enhancing their natural beauty and turning them into a living canvas. They also cleaned elephants and painted their nails in different colours. 

Gunaraj Thapaliya, general secretary of the Regional Hotel Association in Sauraha, expressed his belief that the Elephant Beauty Contest had contributed to tourism promotion. 

Sauraha, a tourist town, has been organising the Elephant Beauty Contest including the Elephant Festival. 

Thapaliya said, “Such events deliver a message that elephants could be used in various ways for tourism promotion, not just for jungle safaris.”

Earlier, a 32-year-old Champakali had won the title in a competition held on January 2, 2019 and Pujakali won in a contest on December 29, 2017.