ERWIN, Tenn. — For the third year, the town of Erwin is auctioning off a herd of brightly-designed elephant statues.
It's part of a community initiative called the Erwin Elephant Revival. It raises money for an elephant sanctuary in Hohenwald, Tennessee.
Since 2016, the auction has raised around $20,000.
The elephant revival was started to honor a circus elephant named Mary, who was hanged in 1916, after she killed an unqualified trainer in Kingsport. The goal is to take a tragedy and turn it in to something meaningful.
"We teamed up with the elephant sanctuary in Hohenwald and this sanctuary takes in retired, geriatric, and abused circus elephants," says Jamie Rice, the Communications Specialist for The Town of Erwin. "We thought, what better way to memorialize Mary for her tragic death than to help elephants that are here with us today."
The silent auction is currently underway and goes through Friday, November 1.
Information on the statues up for grabs and how to bid can be found here.
