Great Apes Mask Set Artist: Adam Binder Made In England Release Date: Apr 2006 Dimensions: N/A Edition Size: 300 Eyes inlaid with Swarvoski crystals Includes all 3 masks To highlight the plight of the Great Apes which include Gorilla, Orangutan and the Bonobo all of whom are on the critically endangered list, I have carved each of these as additions to my series of Netsuke Masks. The Gorilla, is represented by Koko, the famous Gorilla whom with a vocabulary of 2000 sign language words is the spokes Gorilla for the campaign to bring awareness to the plight currently facing her relatives. Koko’s compassion which extends beyond her own species is apparent through her love and devotion to her latest pet kitten. We all know of the devastating effect deforestation has had on the Orang-utans of Borneo and Sumatra, and with fewer than 12,000 Bornean Orang-utans and as few as 3,000 - 5,000 Sumatran Orang-utan surviving in the wild, these beautiful “people of the Forest” (the Malay translation for Orang-utan ) deserve our protection. Although fruits and plants are the favoured foods of the Orang-utan, lizards are occasionally on the menu, so I guess they’d be the only creatures who won’t miss them when they’re gone! Lastly the Bonobo, sometimes referred to as the Pygmy Chimpanzee which is found only in the jungles of the Congo recently suffered a serious decline in numbers due to the bushmeat trade as a consequence of civil war. Research has determined that the Bonobo is our closest living relative, and more peace loving than it’s chimpanzee cousin (also on the critically endangered list), prefers to make love instead of war. The intelligence of chimpanzees is also recognized and while it’s inherent fear of snakes protects it, it’s up to us to protect it from ourselves.

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