Brief 2: Design for the Better - Born Free

In light of the research I had done on Born Free, I wanted to focus the campaign around prevention of the extinction of particular endangered species, and the Born Free ethos of 'keeping wildlife in the wild' and out of cages in zoos. My research informed me of the problem areas and from this I narrowed my focus down to just a few animals:

• Gorillas - being kept in small enclosures and cages around the world in spite of their DNA being very close to humans 

The gorilla is the largest of the great ape species. It is thought to have shared a common ancestor with humans about 10 million years ago, today sharing about 98% of its DNA with humans. The gorilla is divided into two species: the eastern gorilla Gorilla berengei and the western gorilla Gorilla gorilla. Each species has two subspecies. For the eastern gorilla these are the eastern lowland gorilla G.b. graueri and the mountain gorilla G. b. berengei; for the western gorilla these are the Cross River gorilla. G. g. diehli and the western lowland gorilla G.g. gorilla. Faced with increasing pressure from human population through habitat destruction, hunting and disease gorilla populations are under sever threat.

• African elephants - at their current rate of decreasing population could be extinct by 2020

© George Logan

African elephants, the largest land mammal on earth, are the symbol of the continent. Known for their intelligence, complex communication and close family units, these powerful giants are also the engineers that maintain many of Africa’s diverse habitats. Many forests in central Africa depend on elephants for seed dispersal and to create open spaces through which seedlings can grow, these are forests that sequester carbon and release water and oxygen, therefore playing a key role in global climate control. Elephants are a keystone species on which many plants and animals depend. They are found both in forests; and savannahs, where they sometimes gathering in their thousands to feed and drink.

Living alongside these animals has always been a challenge for humans, but in recent memory conflict has been increasingly rife. Man has long killed elephants for their ivory, persecuted them for raiding crops and removed them from the wild to brutally train them to work for us and perform for our entertainment. However, alongside this troubled relationship, in recent years they have attracted tourists from around the world. Their highly developed social structure, behaviour and beauty make them a wonder to behold in their natural habitat.

The understanding and protection of elephants is not only important for their continued survival but also for the survival of their habitats, thereby directly affecting entire ecosystems and indirectly affecting the communities living around them and indeed around the world.

• Lions - lost approximately 45% of population in past 20 years

The African lion is the symbol of a great continent and its vast, heat-scorched savannahs.  The lion and the Born Free Foundation are inextricably linked… We feature Elsa the lioness on our charity’s logo. Her journey to freedom inspires everything we do to help animals in need. Over the last two decades, Africa has lost between 40 and 50% of its lions and today far fewer than 32,000 animals remain.

The lion’s hunting grounds have been converted to agricultural land, and farmers use poisons, rifles and snares to remove predators from their land. Prey species have been depleted, populations have become fragmented, and in some countries it is still legal to shoot lions for ‘sport’. Africa without lions is unimaginable. Born Free is taking action to protect wild lions and stop their captive exploitation.

Part of the Big Cat Campaign

• Tigers - 97% of tiger population lost in the last century

Born Free is determined to save the tiger from extinction

It is estimated that as few as 3,000 tigers remain in the wild (2014). The main threats to wild tigers include: habitat loss and fragmentation due to mining, logging, farming and human settlement; depletion of their prey; conflict with humans; and poaching for their skins and other parts and products.

Part of the Big Cat Campaign

Born Free, together with Simon Clinton and the EIA (Environmental Investigation Agency) are working globally to provide a unified, focussed and coordinated programme of Tiger conservation initiatives calledSave the Wild Tigers.

• Orcas - 92% of orcas in captivity die well before life expectancy

Supremely suited to life in the ocean, orca are intelligent and fascinating.  They are known as ‘killer whales’, but this is a superficial description.  Orca are highly intelligent, sentient creatures with intricate social lives and defined culture, communicating with a complex language of calls.  Sadly, orca are under threat, both in the wild from fishing nets and pollution; and in captivity from exploitation by the ‘entertainment’ industry.

Part of the Marine Campaign

I decided to create a series of posters which would act alongside some promotional materials designed to draw attention to the campaign, and get people involved in it.