Mali in the City - Melbourne Zoo's 150th Celebrations

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Posted 2012-07-11 by Melody Clifford ⇒ follow

Wed 11 Jul 2012 - Fri 21 Sep 2012

As it turns out, the Myer Melbourne Windows are not just for Christmas. While walking through the Bourke Street Mall just recently, I noticed a bright and colourful display. It wasn't about clothing or a promotion for the latest homewares that could be purchased from the store. It was a exhibition of four elephant sculptures and featured the works of some major Australian artists.

With trunks lifted, these happy pachyderms had been put there in advertisement of the celebrations to mark the 150th birthday of the Melbourne Zoo . Between Friday, August 10th and Friday, September 21st, a herd of 50 elephants will be displayed across key locations on the Melbourne city streets, with the ones in the Myer Melbourne windows giving just a taste of what is to come.

The sculptures were modelled on 'Mali', the baby elephant who enjoys recognition as the first born at the Melbourne Zoo. Individual examples had been vibrantly painted by artist David Bromley , well-loved children's book author and illustrator Grahame Base , the Australian Bush Babies Collection creator Elise Martinson and there is even one elephant that has been painted by Mali herself.

The Melbourne Zoo teaches its seven elephants to paint as it is important for the intelligent giants to have stimulating activities with which they can exercise their minds. Some of the elephant art goes onto be sold as well, the profits of which help to contribute towards in maintaining their extensive enclosure and also to support world wide elephant conservation.

Additionally, after they have been exhibited, the Melbourne Zoo will host an October 25th auction and sell off all the Mali sculptures in an attempt to raise even more funds.

The ' Mali in the City ' exhibition and auction are part of a series of zoo events including a Gala Ball that was held on the 10th of May, and both the ' Memory Lane ' and ' Mali in My School ' competitions.

Yet to come is the ' Carnival of the Animals ' performance which, during October will see the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra perform at the zoo. Noni Hazlehurst of playschool fame will narrate the piece and tickets are already available for adults ($33.00) and children ($16.50) respectively.

In November 2013, the Melbourne Zoo is expecting the arrival of a brother or sister baby elephant for Mali. The enormous baby will arrive after a twenty-two month gestation period inside its mother the Asian elephant 'Dokkoon'.