Artist paints animal murals - 13th November 2020

Louis Masai is an artist from London. He travels around big cities in the UK. He paints large murals of an orangutan, a type of ape.

The murals are part of a campaign called "Protect Pongo". The campaign focuses on the dangers to orangutans. Orangutans' homes in Borneo are at risk. Palm oil companies chop down the forests where orangutans live. They grow oil palm trees instead. Palm oil is used in a lot of different foods.

Masai believes that public art can share information about animals.

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 designs his work to attract attention. He uses large, colourful blocks and bright patterns. His apes look like soft toys.

Masai has also painted eels, which are a long, thin type of fish. There used to be lots of eels in London's rivers. But now the rivers are very polluted. The eel is in danger of extinction.

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."