Iconic elephant statue vandalised in Rome

One of the most iconic statues in Rome, Gian Lorenzo Bernini's elephant on the Piazza della Minerva, has been damaged after vandals broke off a tusk.

"It is shameful, it is a crime against the masterpieces that Italy proudly wants to keep in its squares, for the benefit of all," Culture Minister Dario Franceschini told Tuesday's Il Messaggero newspaper.

He said he was working on a law to criminalise theft and vandalism of artworks with jail terms of at least five years.

The elephant, located near the Pantheon, was commissioned in the 1660s by Pope Alexander VII to serve as the supporting base of an Egyptian obelisk from the 6th century BC, which was found in the garden of a nearby convent.

On Monday, a couple of Spanish tourists noticed that one of its tusks was broken, and found the fragment on the floor. They alerted police, triggering a city-wide hunt for the vandals and official consternation.

Rome Mayor Virginia Raggi said the incident was "an injury to all Romans."

Tourists often climb on the statue to take pictures and touch its backside, because it said to bring good luck. Local opposition politician Nathalie Naim called for CCTV surveillance on all notable monuments, a proposal dismissed as impractical by the city hall.