Elephants have been a endangered species for the past 40 years and the topic of trophy hunting remains the focus of international debate, but three Baldwin students are hoping their art will increase awareness here at school.

Juniors Derek Kotecki, Bridget Stehle, and Anthony Provident have set up an art installation in the cage at the top of the main stairwell to voice their opposition to trophy hunting.

The group felt the issue of poaching has been put aside by the media. The trio also were alarmed by the giraffe now being listed as an endangered animal. These developments led the group to create their installation about poaching.

The featured animal is an elephant, an animal that has been hunted for centuries because of its tusks.

“They’re the biggest land mammals, they’re going away, and no one seems to care,” Kotecki said.

The art installation had to be school appropriate, which means nothing gory or offensive, Stehle said. So they had to be creative in getting their message across.

The main focus of the installation is a representation of a dead elephant covered by a sheet, with just its legs showing.

Behind the cage of the stairwell are multiple pictures of animals that are typically hunted, with candles surrounding the photos. A skull is mounted on the cage, and flowers around it represent a desire for peace and an end to trophy hunting.

Kotecki and Provident are hunters themselves. They are not anti-hunting but are anti-trophy hunting. They want the people who see their art to understand the difference between hunting and hunting for glorification.

“Most people make hunters out to be people who kill animals, but we just hunt for the meat, not to glorify their bodies,” Kotecki said.

They hope their installation raises awareness and makes people understand the extent of the destruction occurring.

“It’s just love for nature,” Kotecki said.