Beautiful Illustrations Raise Awareness of Endangered Species

A number of animal species such as tigers, rhinos, pangolins and the Amur leopard face extinction and their time on our planet is running out. Unless, of course, we do something about it.

Believe it or not, human beings represent the greatest threat to their survival as they’re responsible for poaching, habitat destruction and the effects of climate change.

There are some things an individual can do to help this cause, and raising awareness is certainly one of them. Swedish artist Andreas Häggkvist is creating stunning animal portraits, hoping his art will help raise awareness about endangered animal special and environmental issues.

“Just as with melodies, visual images stick with us more than just words. Using the power that art contains, there really is an opportunity for an artist to make a movement for an important cause,” Häggkvist says about his project.

Let’s hope that his work will pay off and make people think for just a moment about what is happening to our planet.

Scroll down to see his amazing work.

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”The Guardian” . Hey guys, its 2019! What are your SPECIFIC goals for this year? . New year – fresh start, right?, A do-over, that motivates you to try something new. That is usually how it goes. When we talk about the new year, one word often comes to mind: resolutions! Lose weight, get out more, save money, engage in a hobby, spend more time with friends, pick up that camera… But, what actually happens after you’ve made that resolution? Do you carry it out? . Let me tell you about something that have worked for me for the last couple of years. Instead of making resolutions, set measurable goals. I find it´s more likely to lead to success in seeing your hopes and dreams come true. . So this year, why not try to be specific! Too often, people tend to set goals that are vague and unrealistic. ”Read more books”, or ”see more plays” Not only does this lead to frustration, but it also decreases the likelihood of actually achieving the goal. . And hey, just a friendly reminder; stop comprising yourself to others! When you are working towards improving your life, it is common to compare yourself to other people. Instagram doesn’t help here; your feed overflows with announcements of your friends’ new love interests, achievements and new jobs. How does this serve you, exactly? It doesn’t;) Follow your own path. . Lastly, remember; big success is made up of small victories. Enjoy the process! Having goals is important; however, we don’t stop living while we pursue them. Life happens while you are in the midst of seeing your dreams being realized! . . . #newyearresolutions #guardianangel #lioncub #digitalart #instawildlife #creativegrammer #animallovers #helpanimals #digitalartist #animalartist #photoshopart #digitalartwork #digitaldesign #dailyart #instagramart #worldofartist #instagramartist #photoshop #art_daily #art_select #thevisualones #houseoftones #artistsofinstagram #enter_imagination #launchdsigns #theuniversalart

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”I feel love” . What is your favourite wild animal? . So, as you can see and probably just figured out by this post, I really like the giraffe. I´ve always related to animals that look a little odd 😉, and defies what the phrase ”normal” often stands for (even though I really don’t like that word). I have always admired giraffes for their long necks and knobby knees, but I became truly obsessed with them about a year ago when read up on the giraffe and got to know the animal a little better. It almost felt like i´ve found my spirit animal. No other animal could so perfectly match my height, clumsiness and overall goofiness as the giraffe;) . As some of you already have noticed, giraffes are quite tall. They're not just tall; they're the tallest animals on the entire planet. Their height is rivaled by none. Literally. But did you know that every giraffe's pattern is unique. Just like every human is different, every giraffe is different. Each one has a pattern that no giraffe has ever had, has or will have. . Another awesome fact, female giraffes give birth standing up. The result? Newborns are welcomed to the world with a 1.5m drop to the ground! Ouch! But these infants are quick to get on their feet – within 30 minutes they are standing, and only hours later they’re able to run with their mothers. How cool is that? . And if all these facts wasn´t enough to convince you of the giraffes awesomeness, let me tell you; they have figured out to use their own butt as a pillow when they sleep! . So yeah… I mean. What’s not to love? Sadly the giraffe is on the list over critically endangered animals, after years of habitat destruction and poaching. So next time you sit next to a giraffe on the bus, be sure to show him some extra love. They truly deserve it! . . . #wildlife #giraffe #savetheanimals #wwf #criticallyendangered  #instawildlife #creativegrammer #animallovers #helpanimals #animalrights #ps_opposites #creative_ace #gramslayers #heatercentral #visualmobs #milliondollarvisuals #illgrammers #worldofartist #artofinstagram #photoshop #art_daily #art_select #thevisualones #houseoftones #artwork #enter_imagination #launchdsigns #theuniversalart #savetheplanet

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”Leap of faith" . I’ve been on a bit of a self-help kick in my writing lately. And given the positive response from my last post, I figured I would continue my journey and write about another topic that might be of interest. The leap of faith. . We all want the perfect life right, but getting the life you want often means making some big changes in some part of your existing life, whether its career, relationships, city etc. Change is always a fun idea in theory, but, in practice, it’s not always so easy as it sounds. Because you can never really know for sure if your efforts actually will change your life in the direction you want to go. . So there is always going to be that fear of the unknown. Thats means if you really want to change your life, you must take a leap of faith. As a great philosopher once said, ”Do or do not. There is no try.” . There is actually no other way in reaching your goals, so you’ll have to believe that good things will happen when you choose to change your life. Luckly; a leap of faith is not totally blind faith. You do have a lifetime of knowledge and skills that will help you in your pursuit of the dream;) . So, is there any part of your life you would like to change? . . . #wildlife #frogs #leapoffaith #daretodream #dreamon #fox #instawildlife #creativegrammer #animallovers #helpanimals #creative #arty #artsy #hubs_united #portrait_shots #dailyart #art_spotlight #worldofartist #art_collective #photoshop #art_daily #art_select #thevisualones #houseoftones #artwork #enter_imagination #launchdsigns #theuniversalart #savetheplanet

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”Lovebirds” . "So, its Christmas time again and, to borrow the words of John Paul Young’s song, “Love is in the air”. As it is every Christmas. It is featured in the songs we hear on the radio, in the stores as we shop for presents and in the commercials we see on TV. Love is present in the cards we send and in the words we write on the tags we attach to the presents we give. . As a child, I delighted in every aspect of the holiday season—the music, the decorations, the snowy weather and of course… the gift giving.  It was all magical. . But as you get older, it becomes more and more focused on other things. Everything that has to be done, fixed and more importantly; bought. At what age did we actually make the switch from traditional Christmas values of family time, celebrating love, valuing the simple joys and sharing. Does it really take a bunch of videogames, clothing, gadgets, and toys to make this season enjoyable? . Are we missing the point of Christmas as adults? Are we forgetting the magic? Can we do the holidays without the crazed explosion of gifts? This is what we asked ourself in our family this christmas. And we really did a effort to narrow down the christmas list. We each bought ONE present. And let me tell you, nothing changed. Quite the opposite, actually. It was a blessing shifting the fokus from the presents, to just… enjoying. . So, it makes me wonder. What the real meaning of Christmas? Is it the gifts under the tree, the lights in the windows, the cards in the mail, dinner with family and friends or the snow in the yard. . The real point here is not to criticize the act and idea of how you spending your christmas, but to think about what christmas is to you. And your family. Maybe its not buying more presents than last year. Maybe Christmas is a symbol of love, not money. . . . #lovebirds #birdsofparadise #christmastime #whatischristmas #composition  #stockholmsyndrome #digitalart #animallovers #helpanimals #digitalartist #animalartist #photoshopart #digitalartwork #digitaldesign #dailyart #instagramart #worldofartist #instagramartist #photoshop #art_daily #art_select #thevisualones #houseoftones #artistsofinstagram

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”Rise and shine” . Good morning, It’s time for a wake up call! This is a totally new segment on the Andy Okay feed. Let’s name it; ”I cannot believe it’s legal…” . First up: Pet tigers! . Many people are entranced with the idea of having such a beautiful and powerful animal as a tiger as a pet. And you know what. In a lot of countries, they totally can! It is a shocking fact that there are actually more “pet” tigers held privately as pets than there are in the wild. . Some people get so smitten by these might creatures that they decide to purchase a tiger of their own. If that doesn’t impress their friends what will, right?  Well, what they get  is a recklessly wild animal for years and even decades – that is, if they can even afford care for it. . In fact, tigers are surprisingly cheap to purchase as a pet. People can purchase a tiger for anywhere from $900. But the costs of keeping and caring for a wild tiger are extremely high. Just the fact that a tiger eats over over 15 pounds of meat every single day should scare even the most wealthy hipster away. . But that’s not even the biggest issue, the hardest part of keeping a tiger is the issue of space. The end result is that often tigers live in way too small spaces, and tigers living in tiny pens will literally lose their minds, becoming hyperaggressive and attacking anything that comes near. Yay. . Many animal rights organizations work tirelessly to make it illegal to own tigers, lets hope that they succeed. Because the last thing this endangered species need, is to spend his life in a up and coming neighborhood watching reruns of Friends. This one belongs in the wild. . . . #tiger #animalrescue #natgeowild #wildlifeaddicts #ps_opposites #fantasy #wildlifeonearth #animalelite #animales #animallover #animallovers #wilderness #ps_wild #wwf #peta #helpanimals #animalrights #animallovers #wildlifeplanet #wildlife #artofinstagram #artinspiration #illgrammers #ourmoodydays #discoverglobe #artoftones #launchdsigns #milliondollarvisuals #creativegrammer

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