In response to a particularly careless politician, Ingrid Newkirk, president of PETA, issued a statement that "...in the 21st century, most people have come to learn from and be awe-inspired by the lives, intelligence, and social make-up of other living beings." [1]
Although PETA is well known for their extreme advocacy of animal rights, there is something about this message that resonates with me. I am endlessly inspired and intrigued by the forms of the animal kingdom. In the same way that staring into the night sky transforms my understanding of my place in the universe, witnessing a walking stick mechanically munching on a leaf (click) encourages me to ponder the wonders of terrestrial life. My art and writing are absolutely fueled by these curiosities.
And just as the stars at night silently speak volumes of our own geological history, there is something equally ancient in witnessing the dive of a falcon or the breach of a whale. It is alarming and heartbreaking to think that so many species that took millennia to form could disappear in a blink. The loss of that connection to the past is what strikes me about each animal that finds its name on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (click the icon to visit the site):
To raise awareness for a select group, species on the very brink of vanishing, I have designed a poster PERFECT FOR THE CLASSROOM! This poster highlights the geography, population and threats to survival of 12 Critically Endangered species, ranging from the lowly Pangolin to our cousin, the Western Lowland Gorilla. Most people reading this post have enjoyed these animals since their childhood, and it is important to note that to be classified as "critically endangered", each species is just one step away from "extinction in the wild".
How bizarre to think that a rhinoceros may soon be just as fantastical to a young child as a triceratops or wooly mammoth?
ABOUT THE POSTER:
FREE DOWNLOAD button at the 'TEACH' tab (click poster below)
PDF is printable at your nearest FedEx Office (or similar) at 24" x 36" size
File can be saved to your computer or opened in iBooks on your phone
AND, if your eyes can read the microscopic, you can print at home :)
For more information on these species and efforts to protect them, click the icons below:
[Source 1] Newkirk, Ingrid. "PETA Statement: Texas Senator Ted Cruz's Picture with a Tiger Skin Rug." PETA. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, 24 Apr. 2014. Web. 04 Oct. 2015.