A royal white elephant

A white elephant (also albino elephant) is a rare kind of elephant. In Burma two have been found and caught, the second one in 2002 after an elephant finding team had searched for one month. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1113x835, 188 KB) A royal white elephant, as depicted in Thai artwork in or near the second half of the nineteenth century; the original artist is unknown. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1113x835, 188 KB) A royal white elephant, as depicted in Thai artwork in or near the second half of the nineteenth century; the original artist is unknown. ... Genera and Species Loxodonta Loxodonta cyclotis Loxodonta africana Elephas Elephas maximus Elephas recki † Stegodon † Mammuthus † Elephantidae (the elephants) is a family of animals, and the only remaining family in the order Proboscidea. ... 2002 (MMII) is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

In Thailand, white elephants are sacred and a symbol of royal power; all those discovered are presented to the king (usually this is ceremonial — they are not taken into captivity) and the more white elephants the king has, the greater his standing. The current king Bhumibol Adulyadej owns ten — considered a great achievement, and probably due to modern communications. The Chakri dynasty have ruled Thailand since king Taksin was declared mad in 1782. ... His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej the Great (ภูมิพลอดุลยเดช, actually pronounced Phumiphon Adunyadet), King Rama IX of Thailand, born December 5, 1927, has been King of Thailand since 1946. ...

A white elephant in Thailand is not necessarily albino, although it must have pale skin. Candidate animals are assessed according to a series of physical and behavioural criteria (including eye colour, the shape of the tail and ears, and intelligence). Those which pass the tests are then assigned to one of four categories and are offered to the king, although the lower grades are sometimes refused. Albinism is a genetic condition resulting in a lack of pigmentation in the eyes, skin and hair. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... The word tail in the English language has a number of meanings: Tail (anatomy) is used to describe the rear end of an animals body, especially when it forms a distinct, flexible appendage to the trunk; Tail can describe anything like an animals tail in form or position... For an alternative meaning, see ear (botany). ... The term Animal intelligence is currently used in three distinct but overlapping ways: as a synonym for animal cognition, to pose the question “are animals intelligent?”, or to denote a discussion of relative levels of intelligence in different animal species. ...

In the past, lower grade white elephants were given as gifts to the king's friends and allies. The animals needed a lot of care and, being sacred, could not be put to work, so were a great financial burden on the recipient - and only the monarch and the very rich could afford them. According to one story, white elephants were sometimes given as a present to some enemy (often a lesser noble with whom the king was displeased). The unfortunate recipient, unable to make any profit from it, and obliged to take care of it, would suffer bankruptcy and ruin. Notice of closure stuck on the door of a computer store the day after its parent company, Granville Technology Group Ltd, declared bankruptcy (strictly, administration - see text) in the UK. Bankruptcy is a legally declared inability or impairment of ability of an individual or organization to pay their creditors. ...

Because of this, the term "white elephant" came, in English, to mean a thing which is more trouble than it is worth, or has outlived its usefulness to the person who has it. While the item may be useful to others, its current owner would usually be glad to be rid of it. By reason of this, commercially, a "white elephant" might be available to purchase at a very favorable price. An example of such an item might be a mansion whose maintenance costs exceed the capacity of its owners. White elephant is a term which was coined after New York Giants manager John McGraw told the press that Philadelphia businessman Benjamin Shibe had bought himself a white elephant by acquiring the Philadelphia Athletics baseball team in 1901, As manager Connie Mack selected the elephant as the team symbol...

See also

• Airavata, a white elephant whom the god Indra rides.
• Hanno the elephant, the pet of Pope Leo X
• Pink elephant, a visual hallucination arising from heavy drinking.
• White elephant gift exchange, a popular winter holiday party game in the U.S.

In Hinduism, [[Airavata]] is a white elephant who carries Lord Indra. ... This article contains information that has not been verified and thus might not be reliable. ... Hanno (in Italian, Annone) was the pet white elephant of Pope Leo X (born Giovanni deMedici), and the subject of the book The Popes Elephant: An Elephants Journey from Deep in India to the Heart of Rome by Silvio A. Bedini. ... Leo X, born Giovanni di Lorenzo de Medici (11 December 1475, Florence – 1 December 1521, Rome), pope between 1513 and his death, is known primarily for his failure to stem the Protestant Reformation, which began during his reign when Martin Luther first attacked the Roman Catholic Church. ... Seeing pink elephants is a euphemism for drunken hallucination. ... A hallucination is a sensory perception experienced in the absence of an external stimulus, as distinct from an illusion, which is a misperception of an external stimulus. ... Drinking is the act of consuming a liquid through the mouth. ... The white elephant gift exchange is a popular party game played during the winter holiday season in the United States. ...

Reference

• Mahidol University: The Royal White Elephants