Endangered species light up New York's Empire State building

An image of the lion Cecil was among animals whose pictures covered 33 floors of the Empire State Building


Afp August 02, 2015
Cecil the lion from Zimbabwe that was killed by an American Dentist is projected on the Empire State Building, in the 'Projecting Change on the Empire State Building' project, made by the Oscar winning director and founder of Oceanic Preservation Society Louis Psihoyos and producer Fisher Stevens in New York on August 1, 2015. PHOTO: AFP

NEW YORK: A giant picture of the beloved Zimbabwean lion killed by an American trophy hunter was among images projected Saturday onto the Empire State Building in New York in a dazzling display.

The "Projecting Change on the Empire State Building" initiative was designed to raise awareness about the plight of endangered animals and was billed as a first of its kind.

An image of the lion Cecil, whose killing has sparked international outrage, was prime among animals whose pictures covered 33 floors of the southern face of one of the world's most famous landmarks in an eight-minute video loop.

PHOTO: AFP

Read: Zimbabwe calls for US hunter to be extradited over lion death

New Yorkers from as far as 20 blocks away snapped pictures of the building as it lit up the nighttime sky over a steamy Manhattan.

PHOTO: AFP

The project was the brainchild of Louie Psihoyos, founder of the Oceanic Preservation Society and director of Oscar-winning 2009 documentary film "The Cove," which shone a grisly light on Japan's dolphin-hunting industry.

PHOTO: AFP

Fisher Stevens, producer of "The Cove," told AFP that Psihoyos had chosen the Empire State "because he wanted the most iconic building that he could think of, and for him it was the Empire State."

PHOTO: AFP

The project was designed "to start a conversation," he added.
In 2011 the top portion of the Empire State building was lit up in red to symbolize the blood of the slaughter depicted in "The Cove."

Read: Two men due in court for killing Zimbabwe's Cecil the lion

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