Police investigate how Rome's beloved Bernini elephant sculpture lost the tip of its tusk — again

ROME (AP) — Italian police are investigating how one of Rome’s most beloved monuments, the elephant sculpture designed by Baroque sculptor Gian Lorenzo Bernini, lost the tip of its left tusk — again.

Police found the 11-centimeter (4-inch) marble fragment near the statue over the weekend. They said on Wednesday that they had determined it wasn’t original to Bernini’s work but was added on during restoration work in 1977.

The same tip had already broken off during an act of vandalism in 2016, Rome’s city hall said.

Police were now reviewing security cameras to try to figure out who, if anyone, was responsible for breaking it off a second time.

The stocky little elephant, not far from Rome’s Pantheon, is a frequent stop for tourists. Pope Alexander VII commissioned Rome’s most famous Baroque sculptor, Bernini, to design it after Dominican friars discovered a small Egyptian obelisk in the grounds of their nearby convent, which is adjacent to the Basilica of Santa Maria Sopra Minerva.

The elephant, located in the Piazza della Minerva in front of the basilica, holds the obelisk on its back.

According to the Rome city hall website, Bernini and the friars disagreed about the work: The artist believed the weight of the obelisk could be borne by the elephant’s four legs, but the friars insisted the obelisk would be more stable with a stone support under its belly.

They won the argument, and the stocky look gave the elephant the nickname “Minerva’s Piglet,” because with such short legs and the central support, it looks more like a pig than an elephant.

According to popular legend, Bernini took his revenge against the friars by facing the rear of the elephant with its tail lifted toward their convent.

The iconic Elephant and Obelisk monument in Rome, designed by Baroque sculptor Gian Lorenzo Bernini, is seen without the tip of the left tusk on Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026, after Police found an 11-centimeter (4-inch) marble fragment near the statue over the weekend. (Francesco Benvenuti/Lapresse via AP)

The iconic Elephant and Obelisk monument in Rome, designed by Baroque sculptor Gian Lorenzo Bernini, is seen without the tip of the left tusk on Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026, after Police found an 11-centimeter (4-inch) marble fragment near the statue over the weekend. (Cecilia Fabiano/Lapresse via AP)

This image released by the Rome Municipality on Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026, shows the 11-centimeter (4-inch) marble fragment that police found in Rome over the weekend near the iconic Elephant and Obelisk monument, designed by Baroque sculptor Gian Lorenzo Bernini, which was missing the tip of its left tusk. (Comune di Roma via AP, HO)

The iconic Elephant and Obelisk monument in Rome, designed by Baroque sculptor Gian Lorenzo Bernini, is seen without the tip of the left tusk on Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026, after Police found an 11-centimeter (4-inch) marble fragment near the statue over the weekend. (Cecilia Fabiano/Lapresse via AP)

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said on Monday that she has “no issue” with her country hosting Iran's World Cup team after its training base was moved from the United States to Mexico for the summer soccer competition.

The team will still play its matches in the U.S. but its base has been moved to Tijuana, Mexico, just south of San Diego, California, according to Iran's soccer federation. The development comes against the backdrop of the war in Iran, which the U.S. and Israel launched on Feb. 28.

Sheinbaum said at a news conference Monday that she was told by a FIFA representative the U.S. was reluctant to have the Iranian soccer team spend time outside the games on U.S. territory.

“The United States doesn’t want the Iranian national team to stay overnight in the United States,” Sheinbaum told reporters. She said a FIFA representative had then asked, “Can they stay overnight in Mexico?”

“And we said, ‘Yes, no problem. We have no issue with that',” she said.

Iran's soccer team is slated to play matches in Inglewood, California, against New Zealand on June 15 and against Belgium six days later, before facing Egypt on June 26 in Seattle.

Before the war broke out, the team was originally planned to set up its base in Tucson, Arizona. But with tensions simmering, Iran's team moved its base to Tijuana in Mexico, Sheinbaum said, confirming an announcement by the Iranian federation over the weekend. The federation said the Iranians had received approval from FIFA, though it has not confirmed the move.

Teams use base camps to train before and after matches. This year’s World Cup runs from June 11 to July 19 and will be co-hosted by the U.S., Canada and Mexico.

The possibility of a move had simmered for months in the uncertainty surrounding the war in the Middle East and security concerns. U.S. sanctions on Iran were likely to only make the team’s stay in the U.S. more complex.

The U.S. State Department said in a statement on Monday that President Donald Trump had made it clear the Iranian team was welcome to participate in the tournament.

The department’s statement did not address where the team might stay, or Sheinbaum's comments.

Sheinbaum said that her government was working with FIFA to hash out all the details before the competition.

Iran's national soccer team players stand onstage as they are greeted by a crowd during a pro-government gathering before their departure for training and friendly matches in Turkey ahead of the World Cup at Islamic Revolution Square in Tehran, Iran, Wednesday, May 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)