Endangered Species Sculptures on the National Mall

On our morning walk this week on the National Mall I was on the lookout for a photo - of anything. We parked the car across from the American Indian Museum and made our way towards the pond there that alway has some interesting scenes. Then we walked to the Enid Haupt gardens by the Hirshhorn Museum. It was an extraordinarily beautiful day and there was so much less traffic and pedestrians about. On our return route towards the Capitol we noticed an odd spectacle in the middle of the mall across from the National Gallery of Art. Upon closer inspection there were three massive sculptures of an elephant, a rhinoceros with a chicken in its back, and a polar bear placed together. And there was also a coyote standing across from them. In the background was a looping story about what animals really think about us. Apparently this was a project sponsored by PETA, though we didn’t know it at the time. The sculptures were interesting in sheer size, the shape, and the materials that were used. The artist is Quill Hyde. Set against the Capitol in the background made it even more unusual. You never know what you will come across on the Mall. We haven’t seen anything like this before.