White elephant

A white elephant (also albino elephant) is a rare kind of elephant. In Myanmar two have been found and caught, the second one in 2002 after an elephant finding team had searched for one month .

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 - a great achievement, since three is considered great. This is probably more due to modern communications than anything else, though considering the creatures' rarity in other countries, it is still impressive (another possible reason for the king's accumulation of white elephants is the fact that he has reigned for over 58 years). In the past, white elephants have been 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.

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 (in monetary terms or in terms of physical labor) exceed the capacity of its aged owners. The former Schwab Mansion in New York City is an example of such a "white elephant".

White elephants are also used as a metaphor for an unborn child in Ernest Hemingway's short story, "Hills Like White Elephants".

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 of it, and obliged to take care of it, would suffer bankruptcy and ruin.

See also: Hanno the elephant, the pet of Pope Leo X