Shock tactics: William’s charity plans ‘elephant graveyard’ at Royal show
IT IS one of Britain’s most prestigious horticultural events – and visitors are used to quietly exploring designer gardens in the genteel grounds of a Royal palace.
Yet this year, the crowds are set for a graphic shock.
To highlight the horrors of the ivory trade, Prince William’s charity Tusk Trust is helping to create an archway of 200 elephant tusks at the Hampton Court Palace Flower Show in London.
As the illustration on the right shows, the 146ft-long archway will run through a bleak, savannah-like landscape littered with elephant bones – including a skull riddled with bullet holes.
The tusks used to build the arch, which will tower over visitors passing along the walkway, are being made from silicon and are a stark representation of the 100 elephants that are, on average, killed by poachers every day in Africa.
Audio recordings of birds and rustling grass will recreate the sounds of Africa, immersing visitors in an extraordinarily realistic recreation of elephants’ natural habitat. There will also be a watering hole of the type elephants often use.
Tusk Trust, of which the Duke of Cambridge is patron, is at the forefront of the campaign to end the ivory trade.
Prince William recently warned: ‘When I was born, there were one million elephants roaming Africa. By the time my daughter Charlotte was born, the number had crashed to 350,000. At the current pace of illegal poaching, when Charlotte turns 25, the African elephant will be gone from the wild.’ Costing £20,000 provided by charity sponsors, the tusk display – called Not For Sale – has been created by award-winning garden design firm Ferguson & Whyte.
Partner Mark Whyte said: ‘We hope it will provide such an emotive experience that people will wish to do something to tackle the trade.’
Tusk Trust’s chief executive, Charlie Mayhew, said: ‘We think the display will deliver a powerful message about the plight of Africa’s elephants slaughtered by poachers for the illegal ivory trade.’