ELEPHANTS, 250 of them, are on their way to London in May for a parade through town that is set to last until July.
Popular on LondonNet
They’re not real pachyderms, but life-size models, painted in a variety of exuberant colours and placed in popular spots all over central London, as well as the aptly named Elephant and Castle.
Similar elephant events have been held in other world cities, the first being Rotterdam in 2007 (pictured) and all have been about raising cash for elephant-related charities. The London version is organised by Elephant Family, which specialises in conservation projects for the Asian elephant.
“Elephant Parade is a brilliantly innovative way of using public art to benefit conservation,” said London Mayor Boris Johnson.
Many of the model elephants have been created by famous names such as Diane Von Furstenberg, Lulu Guinness, Julien Macdonald, John Rocha, Jack Vettriano, and Nicky Haslam.
The idea is that after July, all the models will be auctioned off in hope of raising £1M, which worlds out as £4,000 per pachyderm.
Back in 2002, when London was invaded by model cows, a similar charity auction brought in £350,000 but, at the risk of offending our bovine friends, elephants are more of a catch.
