Jay, A. (2013). Elephant in Times Square. New York. http://www.asherjay.com/about.html
Jay Asher is a creative artist who has used her art to raise awareness of poaching and other adverse environmental activities such as oil spoils that contribute to the loss of biodiversity. While many know her for painting on canvas, this time, she decided to bring the elephant to one of the busiest venues in New York City. San Francisco- based group, March for Elephants, was the brainchild behind the initiative, and they enlisted the creativity of Asher Jay to put the campaign together.
The information from the 30-seconds advertisement brought out the message in a rather unusual way but also in a vivid manner. While Asher Jay usually exhibits her artwork at galleries to a selected few, taking the same and plastering it on a billboard located on one of the busiest intersections in America means that the information reached millions in a short period. Also, the people who go to see and buy works of art are the wealthy and well- to- do but by exhibiting the work at a public place, it is possible to reach people from all walks of life.
The clip starts by telling the audience the danger of extinction. The first image is that of someone zeroing in on an elephant with a sniper rifle and a woman wearing ornaments made of ivory. As it progresses, the elephant has gunshot wounds and is bleeding, and soon more elephants are bleeding from gunshot wounds. The next slide shows a poacher taking aim at an elephant and then he is seated atop the elephant after killing it, and there is an accompanying message of;
“Every tusk costs a life, and destroys a family.”
After that message, the next slide pops up showing a dead elephant, a poacher with his rifle, and a box containing ivory ready for export. The message accompanying the slide is a question asking; is it worth it?
Asher Jay delivered a presentation of work that must have captured the attention of many and had them asking themselves a series of questions as to where they stand as far as poaching and wildlife conservation goes. It is a powerful combination of art and conventional advertising used to drive an important message and spark a debate as well as a rethink of things that people might otherwise have taken for granted. Asher Jay is vocal when it comes to matters of conservation and poaching, and her preferred medium is canvas. By combining the traditional painting and motion picture, the artist got her message to so many people that would have otherwise not got to see the damage that poaching inflicts on nature.
Roberts, Gary. 2016. “Current Project. Africa, Illegal Poaching. Gary Roberts Photography”.Garyrobertsphotography.Com.http://www.garyrobertsphotography.com/current-project/.
Gary Roberts is a photographer who uses photography to highlight the evils that come from poaching. He is a UK- based freelance photographer who also has training in zoology. Roberts has undertaken a number of projects in Europe and Africa all with the aim of using photography as a tool to fight poaching.
In the picture, which is Roberts’ current project, there is a lion with injuries after it got into a snare. The lion fell into the trap that a poacher had laid and suffered the injury as a result. Some people who find thrill in hunting big game and target the big cats such as lions and leopards. In some instances, the people that lay the snares set out to catch some animals such as antelopes and gazelles for bush meat but they could catch any animal including lions. However, no matter what the intent is, snares do cause a lot of harm as illustrated in the picture.
While some lions may innocently walk into snares, especially the young ones, there is a growing number that fall victim to poachers who set out to deliberately hunt them and it is a growing problem, especially in Africa. In parts of China, traditional healers use lion claws and bones for their medicines. Also, some people use the skins of the cats to make coats and they are of high value given how rare they are. These people are driving the demand for lion parts and contributing to the threat that these big cats face.
For many people, elephants and rhinos are the animals that come to mind when they think of poaching, and they do not think of lions or other members of the big cats. The truth is that these animals are equally threatened and on top of poaching they are in danger from disease and increased conflict with humans who are increasingly settling in their areas of habitation. Lions too, just like the rhinos and elephants face the risk of extinction, and they deserve protection like the other animals.
They say a picture says a thousand words. It could not be any more true for this picture that tells of the struggle that the big cats go through just to stay alive. Roberts is a remarkable photographer and his works always leave a lot to think about. In this particular photo, the photographer brings to light the illegal poaching as well as the dangers that wild animals face as a result of human activities.
Poaching is a huge problem and threatens the biodiversity that we see and enjoy. Elephants, rhinos, lions, and other animals face the risk of extinction of no one stands up and comes up with urgent measures to forestall the danger. Gary Roberts, in his photography, provides enough examples of that danger and tells the story of how the animals are constantly in a fight for survival. It is important to note that animals do not just face extinction from poaching activities, but also from those who carry out game hunting, most of which is usually illegal .