Cecil’s image projected on iconic New York building
A GIANT picture of the beloved Zimbabwean lion killed by an American trophy hunter was among images projected onto the Empire State Building in New York in a dazzling display.
The “Projecting Change on the Empire State Building” initiative was designed to raise awareness about the plight of endangered animals and was billed as a first of its kind.
An image of the lion Cecil, whose killing has sparked international outrage, was prime among animals whose pictures covered 33 floors of the southern face of one of the world’s most famous landmarks in an eight-minute video loop.
New Yorkers from as far as 20 blocks away snapped pictures of the building as it lit up the nighttime sky over a steamy Manhattan.
The project was the brainchild of Louie Psihoyos, founder of the Oceanic Preservation Society and director of Oscar-winning 2009 documentary film The Cove, which shone a grisly light on Japan’s dolphin-hunting industry.
Fisher Stevens, producer of The Cove, said Psihoyos had chosen the Empire State “because he wanted the most iconic building he could think of, and for him it was the Empire State”.
Zimbabwe wildlife authorities meanwhile yesterday dismissed rumours that a second lion, known as Jericho, had been slain after the killing of Cecil last month.
“The lion known as Jericho is still alive and being monitored by Brent Stapelias of the Lion Research Project,” Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority said in a statement.
“It is also important to note that Jericho is a ‘coalition’ partner to Cecil and not a blood related sibling,” it said.
Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force said on Saturday it had been “informed” of Jericho’s death.
Jericho was described as Cecil’s brother.
The announcement was swiftly picked up by global media, causing consternation among animal lovers who were outraged by dentist Walter Palmer’s killing of Zimbabwe’s best-known lion, renowned for his black mane, outside Hwange park.
Palmer shot Cecil with a crossbow and arrow earlier this month in a hunt that cost him $55 000 (nearly R700 000). — AFP