02/10/2005 - Apeldoorn,
the Netherlands – A vast array of elephant
collectables of the late WWF Founder-President
HRH Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands was
auctioned by Sotheby’s at Het Loo Palace,
a former royal residence of the Dutch House
of Orange.
The €379,250 raised from the auction will
go to WWF conservation efforts in Borneo.
“This auction has risen far more than we
ever dared imagine,” said Niek van Heijst,
CEO of WWF-Netherlands. “We are extremely
pleased that so many people, by buying one
of the prince’s elephants, contributed to
the protection of Borneo’s forests.”
Shortly before his death last year, Prince
Bernhard expressed in a television interview
his concern for the future of Borneo’s forest
habitat, which is home to the threatened orang-utan
and pygmy elephants. These forests are under
severe threat from illegal logging and forest-fires,
as well being cleared for such commercial
uses as rubber, pulp production, and palm
oil.
“Looking into the eyes of an orphaned baby
orang-utan is a look you'll never forget,”
the Prince said about his own experience from
visiting the region.
Known as the 'Flying Prince of Conservation',
for his love of flying and his dedication
to nature conservation, Prince Bernhard was
a driving force behind the creation of WWF
in 1961, and served as the organization's
first International President from 1961 to
1976. For the next 25 years, he continued
to play a pivotal role in international efforts
to promote conservation and ensure the protection
of the natural world.
Prince Bernhard played a central role in
many of the achievements of WWF. He was deeply
involved in the creation of numerous nature
reserves, including the Chitwan National Park
in Nepal, tiger reserves in India, Biebrza
National Park in Poland, and the Taï
National Park in Côte d'Ivoire. In 1973,
he was active in encouraging a number of Asian
governments to help set up Operation Tiger,
whose aim was to save the tiger from extinction.
The elephant was Prince Bernhard’s favourite
animal and during his lifetime amassed a collection
of 1,000 elephants in all shapes and sizes,
ranging from precious art objects and wood
carvings to stuffed animals and toys.
An elephant donated by Queen Beatrix of the
Netherlands, the daughter of Prince Bernhard,
raised €7,500 at the auction, while a bronze
elephant made by Belgian sculptor Tremont
sold for €16,000 and an elephant clock from
the 19th century sold for €11,000.
"I have never led an auction where every
single item was sold," said Sotheby’s
auction leader Patrick van Maris van Dijk.
"It was clear that not only did people
very much want to have a personal item in
remembrance of the prince, but that they also
wanted to support WWF. A terrific combination.”
A small number of elephants will remain in
the possession of the royal family in remembrance
of the prince.
