Elephants Play Soccer In Nepal's Elephant Fesitval

The World Cup is out of the question for this soccer match, but these elephants still know how to score.

Players enthralled crowds in Nepal's ninth international Elephant Festival soccer final -- and even though the animals have riders, the skilled footwork is all theirs says one of the teams' sponsors.

Sanjaya Adhikaeri from Kist Bank, sponsor of the winning elephant team, told Reuters "This is not being played by men, it is being played by wild animals and it is really enjoyable. People will get the message all over the world that an animal that is very difficult to train is playing soccer for the entertainment of the people. That's why we participate every year and it is very successful for us."

The festival tries to raise awareness for conservation in the area and the three-day event included an elephant race and an elephant beauty contest. But the real attraction for sponsor Kist Bank was that its team gave the opposition a trumpeting with a 6-0 victory in the final.