Inspired by one of the largest creatures to ever roam Shropshire, the British Ironwork Centre are excited to announce their latest project – a life-size woolly mammoth sculpture! Designed specifically to raise better awareness of the importance and critical need for change in order to protect our environment, this sculpture will also highlight how intensely the earth’s flora and fauna suffer as a result of humanity’s neglect.
With climate change and negative environmental issues constantly pervading our screens and newspapers, taking action to help protect our planet and its beautiful creatures is becoming ever more important. Imagining a world without many of the animals that we still have the privilege of seeing in the flesh today is truly heart-breaking, which is why the centre have chosen to create this sculpture.
They hope that their visitors, young and old, will view the sculpture and question their own impact on the environment. Whether it be through encouraging permanent action, creating more awareness, or better educating spectators, they hope everyone who views the sculpture will rethink how our everyday lives effect the animals around us.
Gracing the earth throughout the Pleistocene period (also known as the Ice Age) tens of thousands of years ago, the woolly mammoth is believed to have gone extinct as a result of human hunting, habitat interference and climate change. Woolly mammoths resided in almost every part of the earth, including our County of Shropshire! As the story goes, in 1986 woolly mammoth remains were found at Condover near Shrewsbury by a Bayston Hill resident who was walking her dog at the time. A full-size replica of the bones can now be found at the Shropshire Hills Discovery Centre.
The creation process of the woolly mammoth sculpture is now in full swing and they can’t wait to unveil it for their visitors in the coming months! This sculpture will form a crucial part of their school trips, allowing children and young people from all across the region and country to better understand how our actions can negatively affect our surrounding wildlife. They hope to utilise the sculpture to encourage everyone to stand up against climate change in order to benefit the future of all our remaining wildlife.
“Shropshire Woolly Mammoth” Concept Drawing
