Indian Elephant by artists Gillie and Marc

LOCATIONS

EDITION 1 - SINGAPORE - 19 May 2023 - 18 May 2024
Gardens By The Bay, 18 Marina Gardens Dr, Singapore 018953
Visit the sculpture, click for map >

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EDITION 2 - MELBOURNE - PERMANENT
Werribee Zoo, K Rd, Werribee South VIC 3030
Visit the sculpture, click for map >

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CLICK HERE TO DONATE DIRECTLY TO WWF > 

NAME
Tamai 

TITLE
Love The Indian Elephant

GENDER
Male

AGE
22

FOUND
Mainland Asia

CONSERVATION STATUS
Endangered

This young man is so happy to be part of such a unique and diverse herd. As a male, he is used to travelling alone, but being alone has its downsides. He constantly has to look over his shoulder, always on the lookout for the poachers who lie in wait to take his tusks. He can’t understand why the people are so obsessed with them; they look gorgeous on him because it’s natural. But it just looks silly anywhere else!

These gentle giants are not just found in India as their name suggests, but many countries in mainland Asia including Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Malay Peninsula, Laos, China, Cambodia, and Vietnam. They are considered mega-herbivores and need to consume huge amounts of food every day, a whopping 150 kg! They spend about 19 hours of their day dedicated to eating, wandering a huge area to find everything they need. This is great for the plants as well because the elephants distribute their seeds as they wander around. Their trunks have a special finger-like part which makes it very easy to grasp their food.

Indian elephants are constantly on the move, never staying anywhere for more than a few days. They travel in groups of females and their young, led by the oldest matriarch. They communicate with each other using low-frequency noises which can be heard far away. When they get hot, they flap their ears which helps them to release heat. They love water and can smell it up to 3 miles away. Once there they can take a long drink and have fun, diving and swimming. They have a natural buoyancy which gives their joints a nice break.

When a female is about to give birth, the other members of the herd crowd around to protect her. Her very large baby starts feeding on the mother’s milk and can stand after 2 hours. The entire herd helps to look after the calves so the baby is blessed with many doting ‘aunties’. They are weaned at 2-4 years and the females are ready to mate themselves when they are 10 years old.

One of the biggest threats to Indian elephants is habitat loss and fragmentation. Increasing human populations means that expansion is booming with illegal encroachment into protected areas becoming a real problem. This takes away food and shelter for the elephants and can also stop them from walking their ancient migratory routes and meeting other herds. This is also a problem when they are forced to look for alternative food sources and move into human crops. They have caused millions of dollars worth of damage which results in very angry farmers who will often kill them to stop it from happening again. Another big problem is the illegal ivory trade. The males, the only ones with tusks, are poached for their precious ivory, a market that is still increasing despite being banned worldwide. This leaves the sex ratio severely unbalanced with far more females than males making it harder to find a mate.

HOW TO HELP 
Inspired by real animals that Gillie and Marc met on their travels, we invite the public to discover and interact with these beautiful creatures up close and personal – this allows audiences to connect, take photographs and share their favourite species with friends and family.

With more exposure comes more awareness and builds on the love we already have for animals around the world. With love comes a greater sense of urgency to create a change and save all endangered animals. 

​The sculpture will be aligned with the hashtag #LoveTheLast to raise unparalleled awareness about the sculpture’s cause across the globe.

To help protect these animals, please donate to the WWF: https://www.wwf.sg/

PARTNER

WWF is one of the world’s largest and most respected independent conservation organisations. WWF’s mission is to stop the degradation of the earth’s natural environment and to build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature. As one of WWF’s international hubs, WWF-Singapore supports a global network spanning over 100 countries. We work to meet key conservation goals, such as deforestation, haze pollution, food security, sustainable finance, sustainable consumption and illegal wildlife trade.

For more information, visit https://www.wwf.sg

SPONSORED BY

Neo Group Limited, a leading award-winning brand in the food services and hospitality industry, was established in Singapore in 1992. Backed by an integrated value chain and strong track record, Neo Group provides customers with end-to-end food and catering solutions through a comprehensive suite of capabilities and service offerings across five main business segments - Food Catering, Food Retail, Food Manufacturing, Supplies and Trading, and Property. Its unique value proposition and strong commitment to constantly innovate and remain at the forefront of cutting-edge technologies and automation has enabled Neo Group to solidify its position as Singapore’s Number One Events Caterer and grow beyond catering.

Through its subsidiaries, Neo Group’s trading network spans over 30 countries worldwide, while its operations in Singapore are supported by its latest 10-storey state-of-the-art headquarters, central kitchens, manufacturing facilities, warehouses and over 1,600 dedicated employees.

Visit Sponsor Website  www.neogroup.sg

SOURCES
https://www.wwf.sg/
https://www.iucn.org/
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/
https://www.awf.org/ 

EDITION 1 - SINGAPORE - 19 May 2023 - 18 May 2024
Gardens By The Bay, 18 Marina Gardens Dr, Singapore 018953
Visit the sculpture, click for map >

__________________

CLICK HERE TO DONATE DIRECTLY TO WWF > 

NAME
Arin

TITLE
Love The Baby Indian Elephant

GENDER
Female

AGE
5 months

FOUND
Mainland Asia

CONSERVATION STATUS
Endangered

One of the best parts of being an elephant is all of the adoring aunties! This little girl is very young but she feels like the most loved little calf in the whole world. She was greeted by the world with a chorus of trumpeting, a celebration of elephants. But to her the party was only just beginning. She can’t wait to experience it all!

Indian elephants are very large yet are smaller than their African cousins. They can also be told apart by their smaller ears, rounded back, and a fourth toenail on their hind feet. Despite being so large, Indian elephants, as well as their other Asian cousins, have been a very important part in many different Asian cultures. They have been used for work as transport, temple elephants, or bulldozers from as long as 4,000 years ago. This is becoming less common. 

Elephants are so big it’s important they have plenty to eat and drink. They spend up to 19 hours of their day eating. That ends up at 220 pounds of poop! In the hot summer, water is very important. Indian elephants need to drink at least once a day so they are always found close to a freshwater source. They can drink up to 200 litres every day in summer. They suck it up their long trunk (which has around 150,000 muscles, yet no bones) before depositing it into their mouths.

Habitat loss and fragmentation, poaching, and human-wildlife conflict are the biggest threats to the Indian elephants. These large animals need ample space to provide enough food, give shelter during the heat of the day, and to find and mix with other herds. But with human populations clearing huge areas of forest and even encroaching on protected areas, the elephants are becoming desperate. Even where habitats do remain, invasive species and livestock are competing for food. Urgent action must take place to protect what is left and create and join new areas so the Indian elephants can thrive once more.

HOW TO HELP 
Inspired by real animals that Gillie and Marc met on their travels, we invite the public to discover and interact with these beautiful creatures up close and personal – this allows audiences to connect, take photographs and share their favourite species with friends and family.

With more exposure comes more awareness and builds on the love we already have for animals around the world. With love comes a greater sense of urgency to create a change and save all endangered animals. 

​The sculpture will be aligned with the hashtag #LoveTheLast to raise unparalleled awareness about the sculpture’s cause across the globe.

To help protect these animals, please donate to the WWF: https://www.wwf.sg/

PARTNER

WWF is one of the world’s largest and most respected independent conservation organisations. WWF’s mission is to stop the degradation of the earth’s natural environment and to build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature. As one of WWF’s international hubs, WWF-Singapore supports a global network spanning over 100 countries. We work to meet key conservation goals, such as deforestation, haze pollution, food security, sustainable finance, sustainable consumption and illegal wildlife trade.

For more information, visit https://www.wwf.sg

SPONSORED BY