Climate Activist Paints Royal B.C. Museum's Mammoth

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("On2Ottawa" / Twitter)

The Royal B.C. Museum's much-loved mammoth replica was defaced Wednesday with pink paint by a protester trying to draw attention to the climate crisis.

Laura Sullivan, part of a new climate action group called On2Ottawa, applied water-soluble paint to the mammoth's tusks before being escorted from the Victoria museum by police.

The incident was captured on video that the group posted to Twitter to announce the start of its climate campaign. In the footage, Sullivan says she will be going to Ottawa as part of a caravan "to demand immediate action to tackle the climate and ecological emergency."

She encouraged everyone to join, especially youth.

Sullivan's action follows a string of climate protests at museums and galleries around the world. 

Last November, two women poured maple syrup on a painting by Emily Carr at the Vancouver Art Gallery. 

The museum says staff quickly cleaned the paint off the tusks, which are made from fibreglass, and there was no permanent damage.  

Victoria police say three people were arrested for mischief following the incident. Their investigation is ongoing.