There are many ways to shed light on the threats that the planet is facing in the modern world, and Patrick Cabral is doing it through paper art. His intricate paper creations portray some of the world’s most endangered species.
The Philippines-based artist started his career in graphic design by focusing on typography. His Endangered Species series allowed him to branch out and combine his passion for calligraphy with 3D paper art while drawing attention to an important issue.
Cabral’s paper sculptures illustrate pandas, elephants, sea turtles, and many other threatened animal species. His main goal is to educate the public about the risks they’re facing and help out as much as he can by donating a portion of his earnings to charities supporting this cause.
“My art can help educate the younger generation about the plight of these species. I want everyone to go beyond social media and contribute their time and presence to causes that are important to them,” Cabral told World Wildlife Magazine .
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March 3 is UN Wildlife Day. 3 months ago I posted on Instagram that I wanted to create something for Charity. In just few days, a startup called AOK (Acts Of Kindness) contacted me and said they want to collaborate and turn this into reality. I will talk more about @aoklife and @wwfphilippines during the course of this project which I created 15 big paper cut of endangered animals. To start of, let me talk about the first of 15, the Polar Bears 🙂 The reason why I picked them as the first animal for this series, due to the fact that the destruction of their habitat has a strong effect not just to the environment, but to you and me. We all have to realise, we are all connected to nature and #weareallendangered You can purchase this artwork at https://www.aoklife.com/auctions/25/Patrick-Cabral/Polar-Bear 50% of the proceeds will be donated to @wwfphilippines ———— (More info. via http://www.worldwildlife.org/species/polar-bear) Polar bears are classified as marine mammals because they spend most of their lives on the sea ice of the Arctic Ocean. They have a thick layer of body fat and a water-repellant coat that insulates them from the cold air and water. Considered talented swimmers, they can sustain a pace of six miles per hour by paddling with their front paws and holding their hind legs flat like a rudder. Polar bears spend over 50% of their time hunting for food, but less than 2% of their hunts are successful. Their diet mainly consists of ringed and bearded seals because they need large amounts of fat to survive. The total polar bear population is divided into 19 units or subpopulations. Of those, the latest data from the IUCN Polar Bear Specialist Group show that three subpopulations are in decline and that there is a high estimated risk of future decline due to climate change. Because of ongoing and potential loss of their sea ice habitat resulting from climate change, polar bears were listed as a threatened species in the US under the Endangered Species Act in May 2008. The survival and the protection of the polar bear habitat are urgent issues for WWF.
A post shared by Patrick Cabral (@darkgravity) on Mar 3, 2017 at 5:04am PST
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The first thing I read on Facebook today was "Poachers Break Into French Zoo, Kill White Rhino And Steal His Horn” . "Poachers forced their way into a French zoo and killed a southern white rhinoceros named Vince, sawing off one of his horns before fleeing into the night." "Despite bans by international convention and French law, the illegal sale of rhino horns persists because of demand for use in traditional Asian medicine. A kilogram of rhino horn sold on the black market for nearly $54,000 in 2015, according to the zoo.” The white rhino is an endangered species, with an estimated 21,000 remaining in the wild across the world, mainly in South Africa and Uganda. Their horns are sought after in Asia, where they are valued for their supposed aphrodisiac qualities. Someone actually suggested that maybe we should cut-off all their horns to prevent poachers from killing Rhinos. It’s infuriating how we are at the point that people are considering this as a solution. This animal was the hardest one to make. I really want to make something that highlights Rhinos specially when @inkhappythoughts shared that there are only three northerns whites left and it’s guarded 24/7 by armed men. This papercut is inspired by Albrecht Durer’s woodcut from 1515 . It’s one of my most favourite image ever. The first time I saw it was from an encyclopaedia and it has been seared into my memory. I want to make a piece that I would personally would want to keep and this one is among my most favourite. You can purchase the artwork at https://www.aoklife.com/auctions/27/Patrick-Cabral/Rhinoceros or follow the link on my profile. I’m donating 50% to @wwfphilippines Find out more about WWF’s initiative on Rhinos at https://www.worldwildlife.org/species/rhino Follow @Aoklife to find out how you can help Charitable Institutions raise funds. Let me know what other endangered animals you want to see on paper cut on the comment section.
A post shared by Patrick Cabral (@darkgravity) on Mar 8, 2017 at 3:42am PST
