India-made life-sized model elephants on display in London

LIFE-SIZED model of a herd of about 125 elephants is on display in central London to trumpet the idea that humans and wild animals can share space in this crowded world. The sculptures are a part of the CoExistence campaign and are seen in The Mall in London from Saturday (15).

The campaign is organized by the conservation group Elephant Family who brought the models to London for the display. The models are the work of indigenous people who live alongside real beasts in southern India's Nilgiri Hills.

The idea behind the campaign is to highlight the need for coexistence with wild animals. During the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdown, human activity slowed down which in turn have helped some threatened species to recover, says the campaign.

"Saving them is really about saving ourselves," Ruth Ganesh, Elephant Family's principal trustee said, adding that it's a matter of mutual survival.

Following the parade in The Mall, the model elephants will be displayed in London parks and be on sale for 30,000 pounds ($42,000) each to raise funds which will be used for conservation activities, such as planting crops for elephants to eat on the edges of farmland to distract them from food grown for humans.

Some of the model elephants will be on display at London's Sladmore Contemporary gallery as part of an exhibition on coexistence to be held in June and July, featuring artist George Butler. 

The documentary maker, who is until now known for his work on war zones such as Iraq and Syria through his illustrations, has shifted his focus on the conflict between man and nature during the lockdown. His work will include depictions of model elephants next to some famous London landmarks.

For the display, Elephant Family is also working with WildEast, a charity trying to return English farmland to its wild state to help reverse declines in bird populations. To emphasize the declining bird population, sculptors have made birds stand on some of the elephants.