Association president Goran Popović said on Friday Mammothfest was conceived in the autumn of 2012 when the first mammoth and woolly rhinoceros fossil remains were discovered while digging a septic hole in the orchard of a family house in Mohovo.
A similar discovery was made in 2016. Archaeological research conducted in the meantime resulted in the discovery of hyena, wild horse and buffalo fossil remains.
“Our small Mohovo has less than 200 inhabitants and we have a big desire to encourage tourism development… based primarily on paleontological sites,” Popović said.
The 1st Mammothfest includes a workshop for elementary school children and building a natural size mammoth sculpture in the centre of the village in cooperation with Osijek artist Nikola Faller, he added.
To date Valley of the Mammoths has organised straw workshops, set up straw sculptures of the wooly mammoth, the wooly rhinoceros and the hyena in the village, and started the Advent in Mohovo event, all with the goal of creating the Valley of the Mammoths brand.
“Our vision… is to revive the village, where we wish to build a Valley of the Mammoths megapark with replicas of fossil animals from the Ice Age and accompanying facilities for workshops and courses,” Popović said.
