How Elephant Polo Is Saving the Elephants—and Kids with Autism

 A new kind of pet therapy

It may sound counter-intuitive, but in Thailand, some of the world’s largest animals have been tasked with helping kids with special needs. It’s part of an initiative called the Thai Elephant Therapy Program (TETP) in the Northern Thailand town of Lampang, where rescued elephants are trained to work with autistic children. It’s an unusual program, to say the least, supported by an equally unusual event: elephant polo. (These are the 12 things you should never say to an autism parent.)