The Brylcreem Girls
‘Last chance to see herd of elephants in Chelsea’ read the headline on the Southwest Londoner webpage (https://www.swlondoner.co.uk/news/04062021-last-chance-to-see-herd-of-elephants-in-chelsea/). We had been watching the progress of this particular migration with curiosity and, as we had missed the elephants' crossing of the Mall, we decided to try our luck in London’s latest wildlife park on the Cadogan Estate, in Duke of York Square.
The great Mall migration © CoExistence
You have probably guessed by now that this Band of Mothers (elephants are strongly matriarchal) is not a trumpeting, earth-stomping, tree-rubbing, flesh and blood herd. But neither are they purely an artistic venture; they are part of an educational and ecological endeavour to raise awareness of wildlife conservation and problems of co-habitation between elephants and humans, all courtesy of ‘Coexistence’ (https://coexistence.org/about-coexistence/):
‘As the herd make their way around the globe, they will tell the story of our over-populated planet, the effect of human encroachment on wild spaces and the inspiring ways we can coexist with all the other living beings that make our world magical – from tigers and orangutans to nightingales and elephants.’
These elephants are made from a plant called Lantana camara, a native of Central and South America. It’s a member of the Verbena family, has numerous local names, including yellow sage, and is offered to British gardeners by a number of well-known commercial nurseries. It is highly toxic and has spread, not just to UK patios and conservatories, but throughout the world, where it
‘can outcompete native species, leading to a reduction in biodiversity. It can also cause problems if it invades agricultural areas as a result of its toxicity to livestock, as well as its ability to form dense thickets which, if left unchecked, can greatly reduce the productivity of farmland’. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lantana_camara So this not just about elephants, it is about habitat and humans, as well.
Below: the deceptively pretty flowers of Lantana camara
We had puzzled over the construction of these full size sculptures. In their press photos they look sleek, polished, and reminiscent of the wooden carvings which used to adorn so many side tables and mantelpieces. Close to, you immediately understand how verbena can create a tusker: basically they are just a herd of enormous wicker chairs. And, from the middle distance, the strands of plant material, stretched over a metal skeleton create an impression of carefully slicked back hair, held in place by vast quantities of gel – like elephantine Brylcreem Boys.
This is not to demean the elephants’ impact, however, and the sight of a full herd marching across Duke of York Square, or small groups loitering in corners of pedestrianised Chelsea shopping precincts, is certainly arresting and memorable.
On the other hand, their basket case construction and their location adjacent to high end market stalls and restaurants, renders them friendly, endearing and almost cute. Their press team may not have helped either: ‘experience them in all their glory and bask in the ambiance of Xerjoff perfumes made with ingredients taken from the jungles of India’. The air of Chelsea was warm and pleasant but, thankfully, we could detect not a sniff of either elephant dung or jungle perfume.
In their natural habitat, however, elephants are seldom described as ‘cute’. They are large, loud, and scary, and it is not surprising that the problem of integrating human and elephant needs is one of the big issues which Coexistence seeks to address. But ‘these majectic cratures’ are much more fragile that they look.
So, is this the best way to highlight the plight of these wild beasts?
London has already hosted a herd of Bronze elephant orphans, and there are other elephant focussed campaigns such as the Elephant Collective (https://www.therealelephant.com/) or the Elephant Family (http://elephant-family.org/). This blog has, however, already touched on the difficulties associated with single specie conservation, and the need for holistic habitat management to sustainably improve biodiversity (Blog 19, Walking the Line, 4th March 2021, butterflies as conservation emblems). Using large, furry or cute wildlife as figure heads for wider conversation initiatives may be very effective in the short term. Let’s hope it can also deliver on a long term and habitat wide basis.
In the meantime, however, if you fancy a gentle afternoon out with a herd of benign and creative elephants, then these Indian pachyderms are for you - enjoyable, soothing and a lot easier to get on with than the originals. If you decide to buy one, of course, it could be very painful on the wallet, but let’s hope, it will be in a thoroughly good cause.
And, by the way, the Chelsea pensioners seem to get younger everyday.