The Big One Gets Some Jumbo Competition

World’s largest land mammal meets Europe’s tallest rollercoaster

Visitors to Blackpool Pleasure Beach were treated to a jumbo-sized surprise this morning, following the arrival overnight of a family of four life-size elephants.

The elephants are touring the UK as part of a campaign organised by experts from Knowsley Safari and DEFRA to highlight the threat to the world’s largest land mammal from the thriving ivory trade. The campaign encourages the public to consider what a world would be like ‘If They’re Gone…’

An estimated 25,000 elephants were killed in Africa in 2011, and over the last year, an unprecedented level of poaching in elephants means that the global illegal wildlife trade is estimated to be just behind drugs, arms and human trafficking in value.

Internationally, the demand for traditional Asian medicines, which use parts of elephants, is skyrocketing and in January 2013, customs officials in Singapore uncovered a shipment of 1.8 tonnes of ivory, with a value of around £1.6m – a total of 1,099 raw tusks.

Poaching, combined with the damage to their habitat from the growth of the human population, leads experts to believe that the African elephant could become extinct within the next 25 years unless action is taken.

The elephants will pack their trunks and call Pleasure Beach Blackpool home from August 1-9.

Amanda Thompson, Managing Director of Blackpool Pleasure Beach, commented: “Seeing the installation of the world’s largest land mammal standing in the shadows of the Big One is such an unexpected sight that it really stops you in your tracks. Thousands of children enjoy a trip to Pleasure Beach every week, so this is the ideal site to educate future generations about the plight of these giants of the land.”

Head of Animal Management at Knowsley Safari, Eveline De Wolf, who is one of the most experienced elephant keepers in Europe, explains the campaign’s role:

“Many people will never see a herd of elephants in the wild, which is why safari parks have such an important role to play in helping communities understand the impact of poaching on this keystone species.

“At Knowsley Safari, we have the power to make a difference, and through conservation and education, we are working to make sure that our children’s children grow up in a world where an elephant is more than just a memory.”

Made of cold-cast poly resin and fibre glass, the family of four elephants consists of two adults that are 3.7m high and weigh in at 230kg and two baby elephants that range in height from 1.12m and weigh 30kg each.