16 turtles have appeared on the streets of London, for the capital's latest free art trail.
The Tusk Turtle Trail sees sculptures of the aquatic reptiles dotted around locations including Covent Garden, Piccadilly Circus and Carnaby, with a couple of outliers in London Bridge and Mayfair. Each sculpture has been individually designed by artists and celebrities, including musician and Tusk ambassador Ronnie Wood, photographer Rankin, illustrator Ralph Steadman, and actor John Cleese and his wife Jen.
It's in aid of African conservation charity Tusk, which wants to raise awareness of issues posing a threat to turtles in the wild. Six of the seven species of marine turtle are currently at threat of extinction.
Says Nick Bubb, CEO of Tusk:
The aim of our Turtle Trail is to inspire collective action to celebrate and protect one of the most ancient and endangered marine species. Tusk is proud to champion marine projects in some of Africa's most vulnerable coastal communities. Proceeds from the Turtle Trail's beautiful sculptures will go directly to their vital work.
The trail is free to visit, though QR codes are available on each sculpture for anyone able to make a donation to Tusk. After the summer, the turtles will be auctioned off to raise money for Tusk's conservation work. A downloadable map of the installations is available on the Tusk website and app.
The Tusk Turtle Trail takes place until September 2025. Follow Tusk on social media for updates.
