Giant animal monument made from crushed ivory set to rise in Quezon City

Agence France Presse (via InterAksyon.com) reports that a statue made from the ashes of crushed elephant tusks is set to be installed at the Ninoy Aquino Parks and Wildlife Center in Quezon City later this year as a reminder of the "Philippines’ historical action regarding the destruction of ivory," a government official said on Thursday (March 13).

The report explained that the four meter-tall sculpture will be made from the ashes of crushed ivory mixed with concrete. It will be formed in the image of a mother elephant protecting her calf, said Josie de Leon of the Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau (PAWB).

In June 2013, the government crushed five tons of confiscated elephant tusks with a backhoe t prevent them from being traded or smuggled abroad. The crushed tusks "were later burned in an animal crematorium in a demonstration of the country’s determination to shed its image as one of the world’s worst hotspots for illegal African ivory trading."

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