SNEAK PEEK
- A digital artwork has been created by a 21-year-old Sumatran orangutan, Elok.
- The NFT will be auctioned to support the conservation efforts of the zoo.
- The artwork can be purchased in the form of an NFT via an international auction on August 19, which will continue until August 22.
Now it’s possible to own a rare collectible and be a part of conserving the wild orangutans along with their habitat.
Both the Oklahoma City Zoo and Oklahoma Zoological Society have together partnered with designers for an exclusive animal enrichment program.
According to the organizers, 21-year-old Elok, Sumatran orangutan of the zoo, has made a digital artwork that can be bought as an NFT through an international auction on August 19.
Go wild for the world’s first NFT designed by an orangutan! Discover these unique digital art NFTs created by the OKC Zoo’s 21-year-old Sumatran orangutan, Elok, to be auctioned online Friday, Aug. 19, Int’l Orangutan Day. Check out this unique endeavor! https://t.co/N4ZF4mSlHW pic.twitter.com/jzn1PaN62j
— Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden (@okczoo) August 17, 2022
A 2-foot digital brush and a 3×4-foot screen were given to Elok. As soon as the digital brush was moved, the design was projected in the digital screen by a motion detecting device.
The art pieces were painted as a part of the regular enrichment activity that’s organized to keep Elok active and healthy. He was given prunes, popcorn and animal crackers, all his favorites, as rewards.
Orangutans are known for being intelligent. With digital applications, a sort of individualized enrichment can be provided. Every creation made by Elok right from movement to balance and composition depicts him. He enthusiastically joined the enrichment sessions, which shows his positive behavior.
Mathieu Kuhne shared that the project is no less than a dream and combines NFTs with animal conservation, enrichment and charity. Such collections could turn NFTs beyond collectibles.
The Oklahoma City Zoo believes that this is the first time an animal has created a digital NFT; hence, it will be accepted worldwide with a lot of excitement.
Funds raised from the sales of the art will be utilized to conserve orangutans as well as other endangered species.
World’s largest NFT marketplace, OpenSea, will auction the artwork. There will be twenty NFT artworks for sale.
