Discovery Communications teamed up with Sonny, to create a Project CAT tiger mural in SoHo, New York, to raise awareness for the plight of the wild tiger.
A century ago, there were 100,000 tigers on the planet. Today, there are 5,574 left in the wild. Discovery is supporting a worldwide effort to double the number of tigers in the wild by 2022. By conserving nearly a million acres of protected land on the border of India and Bhutan, Project CAT aims to ensure a healthy habitat for future generations of tigers.
“Project CAT teamed up with Sonny as a way to bring organic attention to the wildlife extinction crisis. The mural located on Lafayette Street in SoHo has major foot traffic from tourists, locals and street art enthusiasts. Sonny’s majestic and powerful image of the tiger has elicited strong emotional reactions on social media and has helped to amplify the cause and mission to double wild tigers by 2022.” – Discovery, Project CAT
Sonny painted the traditional Indian pattern on the tiger’s face as a symbol of how important these animals are to the land that they come from and the people who live there. In the same way that a tiger’s stripes go beyond their fur, this deep connection is shown by how the pattern is on the skin of the tiger not just it’s coat.
This project is one that is close to Sonny’s heart, as he has such a strong passion for tigers:
“I’m honoured to be a part of helping bring Project CAT to the people of New York through my artwork and to support such an incredible initiative.” – Sonny
The mural is curated by The LISA Project, a non-profit organisation that is bringing together a diverse group of street artists to create a mural district in Little Italy, Manhattan.
Learn more about how you can join the CAT fight to protect tigers here.
Photographs by: John Dominé
