Amur Leopard by artists Gillie and Marc
LOCATIONS
EDITION 1 - SINGAPORE - 19 May 2023 - 18 May 2024
Gardens By The Bay, 18 Marina Gardens Dr, Singapore 018953
Visit the sculpture, click for map >
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NAME
Sofya
TITLE
Love The Amur Leopard
GENDER
Female
AGE
4
FOUND
Far East Russia and Northern China
CONSERVATION STATUS
Critically Endangered
1st edition - Sara-Therese Foo
This female is 4-years-old and loves exploring her snowy world. With her thick coat, she is never cold. But she must be careful and try to stay hidden. Poachers are out to get her coat too; they think that it will look better on them and don’t seem to care that there are less than 100 of her kind left. Every day she keeps her eyes peeled, not just for lunch but also for hunters.
At first thought, you might believe that leopards are only found in the warm climates of Africa. But in fact, there is one leopard that has perfectly adapted to the colder climates of Russia and China. One of the world’s most endangered species, this beautiful big cat has perfectly adapted to its cold climate with use of it's thick pale fur covered in iconic leopard rosettes, helping it to camouflage with the snowy backdrop. They are stealthy and solitary animals spending much of their day looking for their favourite foods such as the Siberian roe deer and the Sika deer.
Females will have a litter of between 1-4 cubs (often twins). The cubs are born completely helpless and won’t open their eyes until they are 7-10 days old and begin crawling at 12-15 days. They won’t come out of their den until they are 2 months old and at 3 months their mother teaches them to hunt. The cubs will stay with their mum until they are up to 2 years old before heading off to find their own territories.
There are many threats to this endangered cat. They are poached for their beautiful coats which can reach huge prices on the black market. With human settlements so close to the forests where the leopards live, poaching is too tempting for these cruel humans. In China, there are areas that would sustain big populations of the cats, but sadly humans compete for the same prey, leading to a scarcity in food, making it completely unsustainable to survive. Deforestation and development projects also cause a threat leading to habitat loss. With fewer than 100 Amur leopards left, they turn to inbreeding which increases their mortality rate.
HOW TO HELP
Inspired by animals that Gillie and Marc met on their travels, we invite the public to discover and interact with these beautiful creatures up close and personal – this allows audiences to connect, take photographs and share their favourite species with friends and family.
With more exposure comes more awareness and builds on the love we already have for animals around the world. With love comes a greater sense of urgency to create a change and save all endangered animals.
The sculpture will be aligned with the hashtag #LoveTheLast to raise unparalleled awareness about the sculpture’s cause across the globe.
To help protect these animals, please donate to the WWF: https://www.wwf.sg/
WWF is one of the world’s largest and most respected independent conservation organisations. WWF’s mission is to stop the degradation of the earth’s natural environment and to build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature. As one of WWF’s international hubs, WWF-Singapore supports a global network spanning over 100 countries. We work to meet key conservation goals, such as deforestation, haze pollution, food security, sustainable finance, sustainable consumption and illegal wildlife trade.
ABOUT GILLIE AND MARC
Gillie and Marc’s highly coveted public artworks can be found worldwide including in New York, London, Singapore, Shanghai, and Sydney. They are Archibald Prize finalists, won the Chianciano Biennale in Italy, took out the Allens People’s Choice Award in 2016 and 2018 and Kids’ Choice Award in the 2016 Sculpture by the Sea and received the Bayside Arts Festival People's Choice Award in 2019 in Sydney.
The husband-and-wife duo are on a mission to make art for a better tomorrow. They are best known for their beloved characters, Rabbitwoman and Dogman, who tell the autobiographical tale of two opposites coming together as best friends and soul mates.
Gillie and Marc are also passionate eco-warriors and have dedicated their lives to protecting nature.
Gillie grew up with the wildlife in Zambia and Marc studied chimpanzees in Tanzania as a young man. Over time, the artists developed a deep appreciation for all living things and a desire to preserve the magnificence of the natural world.
Gillie and Marc’s mission is to save species from extinction. Through their practices, they are transforming passive audiences into passionate advocates for animal conservation, spreading awareness about endangered species and leading to change.
Their art has raised hundreds of thousands in donations for the many wildlife charities and causes they support through their project Love The Last.
Please follow @gillieandmarcart
If you are interested in buying art related to the Love the Last March, you will also be directly helping real animals in the wild, with 30% of sales going to WWF to continue their fantastic work for animal conservation. Click here to browse art > https://gillieandmarc.com/collections/love-the-last-march