The Curious Case of the Recycled Tapir

Tapirs are adorable! They look like a cross between an aardvark, a wombat, and a pig — and yet, they are most closely related to the horse and the hippopotamus. Who wouldn’t want to own one? Of course, being that they are on the endangered species list, it is a dream that cannot often be fulfilled. Art therapist Rachael Nicholson tried to remedy both situations: crafting a tapir from recycled mesh and scrap metal, she hoped to sell the beautiful and strange piece as part of a London Zoo-based auction to raise funds for worldwide endangered species conservation. Sadly, things did not go to plan.

For the financial squeeze has not spared even the Malayan tapir – one of earth’s oldest creatures and an endangered species reportedly numbering less than 3,000 in the wild.

The tapir in question is, in fact, one of an eclectic bunch of 20 sculptures that was to have gone under an online auction hammer to raise funds for worldwide animal conservation. But with inflation nipping at everyone’s heels, even the most die-hard animal lovers have found it tough to dig into their pockets and bid for the sculptures.

Indeed, the auction estimate of between £300 and £400 (RM19,500 and RM26,000) for the tapir may not be that steep a price to pay for its conservation.

Yet, moving frantically into the “less is more” economy, many Britons are thinking twice about spending money as they brace for what has been warned as a sharp slowdown ahead.

The repurposed-goods tapir is not alone — glass penguins, hubcap sharks, TIRE-rannosaurii, and plastic bag polar bears all lie in languishing wait. Nicholson hopes that turning to private sale may prove more successful for her creation, but (thanks to the global economic crisis facing, well, everyone these days) the outlook is uncertain. The artists themselves aren’t devastated, though: the biggest point was publicity for the animals, and that has most certainly been achieved.

All is not in vain though, for the artists from around Britain, Canada, Norway and Serbia have at least succeeded in raising environmental awareness and demonstrating re-use and recycling.

No doubt Nicholson was a little disappointed that there were no bidders for her tapir sculpture due to the economic crisis.

But she doesn’t really mind as she had done it more to create awareness about the endangered species rather than for the money.

That said, funds definitely would have been nice, and it’s a shame that too many people have to choose between saving animals and supporting sustainable art or saving and sustaining ourselves. Not that global economy is a time-sensitive topic or anything, but hopefully soon enough we’ll be back on track and can do more to help our endangered pals while still staying afloat ourselves.

Photo via Flickr!

Monday, November 3rd, 2008 at 11:20 am and is filed under The Daily. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.