SHANGHAI - The Shanghai Natural History Museum announced that the statue “Urban Fox” is leaving for London on Wednesday, August 15th. The statue, until now squatted on four containers on the lawn of the Jing’an Sculpture Park, is 7 meters high and 10 meters long if including the length of the tail. It was created by the British artist Alex Rinsler and was transported from Britain in 2014.

(The Urban Fox Statue [PHOTO/Shanghai Observer])

In 2011, the South Bank Centre of London had the “Urban Fox” created, which later became an iconic work at that time. One reason for putting this sculpture in the Jing’an Sculpture Park is that it symbolizes the harmony between human beings and nature.

The original Fox was woven from straw. However, after enduring a long period of sunshine and rain, some minor problems were found in 2016.

(The original Urban Fox [PHOTO/Shanghai Observer])

Moreover, when the repairmen gave the Fox a body check, they noticed that some birds were living in the Fox. Thus, Alex Rinsler and his team decided to install about 150 bird boxes for the birds and some cameras to monitor the condition inside the Fox. According to Mr. Rinsler, the sculpture reminds citizens of living harmoniously with animals throughout urbanization.

(The bird boxes [PHOTO/Shanghai Observer])

It is said that London’s citizens are waiting for the Fox to return home. According to the previous numbers, there are about 10,000 foxes in London, that is, there are 16 foxes living on every 2.6 square kilometers of land.