Decision details

Moved by Councillor Forster, seconded by Councillor Chung -

It is resolved that:

(A)        Council note:

(i)          the Tusk Lion Trail is a global art installation to raise public awareness of the plight of the African lion, and raise vital funds to support community conservation and livelihoods impacted by Covid-19 across Africa;

(ii)         under the proactive Royal Patronage of His Royal Highness, The Duke of Cambridge, the charity, Tusk, has raised and invested more than $100 million into conservation and community livelihoods programmes spanning the African continent;

(iii)        following the huge success of the Tusk Rhino Trail which raised over $1 million for conservation in 2018, the charity is now staging a global Lion sculpture trail supported by an invited list of internationally acclaimed artists, designers, and celebrities who are each being asked to uniquely design/paint a large, life-sized lion sculpture for public display in participating cities this August/September, including London, New York, The Hamptons, Sydney, Wellington, Nairobi, Edinburgh and Bristol;

(iv)       Tusk have secured the support of Australian artist, Jenny Watson, to paint their lion for the Sydney display;

(v)         the Tusk Lion Trail launched globally on 10 August 2021, World Lion Day, with installations installed in Wellington, Nairobi, London and New York. It is still hoped that a Sydney installation with an iconic backdrop such as Sydney Town Hall, can proceed after lockdown restrictions are lifted;

(vi)       each lion will carry details on its base acknowledging the artist, the sponsors, the campaign and a key ‘lion fact’. A QR code will direct the public to more interesting information on the artist, lion conservation and where to view additional sculptures via a dedicated Tusk Lion Trail website; and

(vii)      in September 2013, Council unanimously agreed to support a similar initiative, the Taronga Wild! Rhinos program, the public exhibition of a series of commissioned rhino-shaped artworks promoting creativity, citizenship and environmental awareness; and

(B)        the Chief Executive Officer be requested to engage in discussions with Tusk about a possible Sydney launch of this initiative, including a six-week installation period, following the lifting of lockdown restrictions.

Carried unanimously.

S129260