Gonzovation Part II

Collection Note: Collectors of all 4 open editions will be airdropped the Pangolin featured below. The Pangolin is an important focal point in WildAid's efforts and will feature in a special role in the upcoming Gonzovation release.

The Gonzovation Collection Part 2 is a mixture of extinct and nearly extinct birds and animals. Drawn and painted by artist Ralph Steadman with words by partner Ceri Levy, the duo highlights the dangers faced by so many of the world’s creatures right now.

WildAid are on board as our conservation partner, and they carry out amazing work for the wildlife on this planet.

As Steadman and Levy comment, “This gonzovation project pays tribute to species affected by climate change, poaching, and other urgent issues tackled by WildAid. We continue to work with and support their fight against the illegal wildlife trade, which is worth billions of dollars to those reaping the rewards. We salute their work and as Gonzovationists we stand with them.”

John Baker, Chief Program Officer at WildAid says, "WildAid is thrilled to have Ralph and Ceri's help in highlighting the crisis facing wildlife around the world. Ralph’s images help call attention to the species that need our help most urgently and inspire action."

*gon·zo·va·tion  1. alternative conservation through the act of gonzovating and exhibiting compassion for the natural world. 2. the protection, preservation, management, or restoration of wildlife and of natural resources to include forests, earth, and water. 

To learn more about the world of Gonzovation, its characters and species, read The Gonzovation Trilogy, published by Bloomsbury, and visit www.gonzovation.com

The Four Elements of Gonzovation - Air, Earth, Water, and Imagination

California Condor - Air

This is a success story for conservation as numbers have been in decline for over a century thanks to persecution, poisoning, shooting and collision with power cables. By 1982 only 22 wild birds remained and by 1987 all wild birds were taken into captivity and a breeding programme began to attempt to save the bird from extinction. The California Condor Recovery Program, led by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services, was born, as were a goodly number of condor chicks over the coming years and by the mid-1990’s flocks of condors began to be released back into the wild and are surviving to this day in areas of California and around the Grand Canyon. There are now estimated to be over 300 birds out there and in 2004, the first chick was born in the wild. The program continues.

Hippopotamus - Earth

Humans, overall, make terrible neighbours for much of the world’s wildlife. As our numbers grow, we demand an increase of land and habitat to create settlements, crops and roads tailored to our needs. This invariably means pushing out existing species in the name of progress. This loss of habitat is problem number 1 for the mighty hippo, the third largest land mammal in the world, after elephants and white rhinos. But persecution can take many forms and for the hippo this also means hunting for meat and its ivory teeth. Sadly, the strengthening of ivory laws and bans designed to protect wildlife, has not included hippo teeth leading to a potential increase in ivory poaching in hippopotamus communities. The conservation status of this creature stands as vulnerable, which means it is receiving less concern than it would if it was considered endangered or critically endangered. Why do we have to consistently let things get so far out of hand before reacting to help a neighbour? Baffling.

Fact: WildAid works to raise awareness about the critical threats to animals and their habitats, reduce consumer demand for wildlife products like ivory, and help governments strengthen enforcement efforts to tackle the illegal wildlife trade across the globe.

Blue Whale - Water

This magnificent creature is the largest animal on Earth weighing in at 200 tonnes and measuring up to 98 feet. And here are some large facts, which are immense! Its heart is the size of a small car and the main artery into its heart is big enough for a person to crawl through. Its weight means it’s as big as a herd of 30 or so elephants and it makes a sound louder than a jet engine. Heavier, longer, louder than everything else on this planet. But its numbers are in decline and the blue whale is classified as Endangered and it is estimated that habitat loss, toxic waste in the seas, climate change and getting caught in fishing nets have all contributed to this decline. Numbers are believed to be between 10,000-25,000 worldwide and it can be seen in California, Iceland, Canada, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, and Australia. Set sail, let’s look for a blue whale!

Fact: WildAid is working to protect priority marine areas which provides lasting benefits for endangered wildlife, marine ecosystems, fisheries, and coastal communities. This is helping to improve protections for over 8500 species.

Rodrigues Blue-Black Throstle - Imagination

Rodrigues Island lies deep within the Indian Ocean 600km north-east of Mauritius. From this volcanic island, our supposedly imaginary creature, the Blue-Black Throstle, erupted in to being, and after a creature has been thought up then surely it exists! Once imagined, it is only if that animal is forgotten and not remembered that it disappears from existence. Therefore, to save the throstle from extinction it must remain in our thoughts and this portrait will help by entering the minds of a whole new audience. Right now, its conservation status is classified as Critically Unimagined. So, please spare a thought for this boid (the true term for an imagined bird) as this will keep it alive. We thank you!

So little is known about the Throstle, but we have unearthed some facts. It was the best friend of the Rodrigues Solitaire, a large flightless bird, whose closest relative was the extinction superstar, the Dodo. But about 1730 the throstle went on a wander, as it is prone to do, and when it returned home about 1760, the Solitaire was extinct. It had been wiped out by tortoise traders, who destroyed its habitat, hunted the bird, and imported cats and pigs, which devoured eggs and chicks. From that day forth, the distraught throstle has wandered the world trying to save animals from extinction by teaching them how to avoid humans and survive. This is known as throstling. But it ain’t easy!

Pangolin – Special There are eight species of pangolins, four living in Africa and four in Asia and all are protected both nationally and internationally. The Chinese, the Philippine and the Sunda Pangolins are classified as Critically Endangered, while the Indian, White-bellied and Giant Ground Pangolins are classified as Endangered. The Black-bellied and Temminck’s Ground Pangolin are Vulnerable with a threat of moving to a more endangered category sooner rather than later, as all populations of pangolins are decreasing. So, what are the threats to this prehistoric-looking but somehow endearing mammal? Habitat loss has put huge pressure on the pangolin populations, and they are hunted for their meat and scales, particularly in Africa, China, and Vietnam. Their flesh is considered a mealtime delicacy, but it is their scales and their usage within folk and traditional medicine that is proving the greater evil. For centuries African healers have used pangolins in their traditional medicines for several problems including arthritis (as in Asia), spiritual protection and financial rituals. In China, pangolin scales, foetuses and blood have been a part of Chinese medicine for thousands of years and an increasing Chinese population coupled with greater wealth is now creating a higher demand than ever before. China allows selected hospitals to use the scales in medicine as a sign of respect for tradition – but as far as I can see you sometimes have to let traditions disappear and be consigned to the pile marked ‘Thoroughly Outdated’. Organised crime is at the centre of pangolin trafficking, which is a lucrative business, and every year 200,000 pangolins are poached from the wild. The pangolin is the most trafficked mammal on the planet. Fact: WildAid and their partners have trained more than 300 law enforcement specialists to interdict pangolin shipments.