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Orangutan murals raise awareness - 13th November 2020

British artist Louis Masai has been travelling around major UK cities painting giant murals of an orangutan.

The murals form part of a campaign named "Protect Pongo". It hopes to raise awareness of the risks facing orangutans in Borneo. The species is threatened with extinction because companies destroy forests to produce palm oil. Palm oil is a common ingredient in many processed foods.

Masai feels that public art is an important way of educating people.

Louis Masai: “And I think it’s a bygone day when you just paint purely for the sake of painting. There’s so much to talk about right now, we are inundated with pieces of information that need to be shared."

Masai's murals stand out because of their bright graphic style. He paints with large blocks of colour and interesting patterns. He creates a patchwork effect which makes the creatures look like cuddly toys.

He’s also used his talents to help another endangered animal: the eel. Once, these snake-like fish were found throughout London’s rivers, but they are now threatened with extinction because of pollution.

Louis Masai: "But it’s also an opportunity for a much wider, sort of, conversation to be had, that people need to live more in harmony with nature and allow nature to thrive.”