MEMBERS of Salisbury U3A (University of the Third Age) have been busy folding origami elephants.

They are contributing to a project being organised by the Zoological Society of London, which hopes to create a display of 30,000 origami elephants – one for each of the Asian elephants left in the world – and thus raise awareness of their declining numbers and endangered status.

Counting of the paper models will take place at Whipsnade Zoo during the ZSL’s Elephantastic Weekend 20-21 September, and the models will go on permanent display there.

Eighteen U3A members came to the afternoon sessions at Joan New’s house in Harnham to fold elephants and elephant heads.

Afterwards some of them continued folding at home. Further contributions came from the local branch of Parkinson’s which folded elephant heads during their ‘Free and Easy’ August meeting.

Joan was able to send nearly 200 elephants and 50 elephant heads to the zoo.