Dudley Zoo shining a light on conservation message with new graffiti wall
A striking new piece of artwork has arrived at Dudley Zoo in the form of a graffiti orangutan wall.
The zoo has drawn on the talents of Birmingham-based contemporary graffiti artist, David Brown, to make the new orangutan enclosure vibrant and welcoming.
However, the zoo's main hope is for the art to spread vital conservation messages about the devastation palm oil is wreaking on the critically endangered species.
Palm oil is the leading cause of orangutan extinction but is found in half of all supermarket products, including shampoo, toothpaste, frozen microwave dinners, and cookies.
Dudley Zoo hopes the four new pieces of artwork on the enclosure's wooden fencing will draw attention to the plight of orangutans and the existential threat of palm oil.
The art depicts a juvenile, male, and female orangutan, as well as a wheelbarrow of baby orangutans, to depict the many orphaned babies who are being rehabilitated back into the wild at Forest School, like the one the zoo is funding at Sintang Orangutan Center.
The zoo will be adding to the interpretation around the enclosure in the coming weeks and will be including further informative signage and interactive elements around the threats of palm oil and ways people can help orangutans in the wild in a specially-built conservation hut.
It comes after the zoo saw the birth of two new orangutan babies within just four weeks, who have been called Joe and Jim.
