Three Khru Ba Yai, or elephant spirit men, attend the opening parade of the 10th annual King's Cup Elephant Polo Tournament in Hua Hin, nearly 160 km (99 miles) south of Bangkok September 5, 2011. According to the organizers, a Khru Ba Yai is traditionally the highest attainable rank as an elephant capturer and is believed to possess spiritual control over all elephants. During the capture and domesticating of elephants, Khru Ba Yai are believed to speak to spirits to bring good luck to the capturer and confuse them so they could not warn elephants to run away. The practice has ceased 40 years ago and the few remaining Khru Ba Yai are now in retirement. REUTERS/Damir Sagolj