Celebrating African Animals




May every heart, 
including yours and mine,
be filled with infinite kindness reaching out in widening circles.


The “Magic + Miracles” Tiklari collection was created by the desire to honor Mother Earth + the eternal spirit of all of Her animals. Our wish is to celebrate harmony between Nature and humanity and hopefully inspire us to create a kinder world for all living beings.

The first line within this collection is dedicated to African animals. Africa is the place on Earth where the first humans ever came into being and where we have lived alongside wildlife longer than anywhere else on the Planet: o
ur story and interaction with Nature began here. Africa is a magical place where we can still appreciate Nature in its full majesty.

Our Planet is a beautiful place, yet there is no doubt that our human influence is threatening the harmony + wellbeing of entire ecosystems and the extinction of thousandths of species. We are currently living through the sixth mass extinction.
Mass extinctions are a natural way through which our Planet adapts to change, transforms and evolves. The Earth has undergone five mass extinctions before our time: of all living life forms that have ever existed, 99% of those are now extinct. Yet, o
ur Planet is resilient. It has changed and adapted and life has continued. This is Divine creativity expressed in its purest essence. 

The reality is, humanity itself needs to evolve and radically transform in order for us to survive. We are not more powerful than the Earth itself. 

The chaos we are living through is an opportunity for us to shift our ways, our priorities, and the way we see things. It is an opportunity for us to elevate our consciousness and see beyond the physical. Can we learn a new way of relating to the Earth and to its other species? Can we reshape our ways to live more in tune with Mother Earth? Will we find the humility in our hearts to recognize that the Earth does not belong to us? Will we channel our higher consciousness to care for the Earth?

Losing more species is probably inevitable and deeply sad. Their physical forms may eventually disappear, yet their spirits are eternal. The soul and wisdom of all the beings who exist and those who ever existed is here with us: guiding us towards our evolution if we are humble enough to listen.

This is a short list describing what is currently going on with these majestic African animals. It is true that eventually most living beings that exist today may cease to exist on our Planet one day, but there is no need to accelerate this natural process through our unkind actions. 
It is up to us to create a world where we care for each other during our time on Earth. Today offers humanity an opportunity to celebrate life and turn our thoughts and actions into healing kindness for the Planet.

 


RHINOS

The Black rhino’s population in Africa has gone down by 97.6% since 1960. Compared to 100 years ago, when Rhinos use to roam all over the planet, only 3% of those rhinos remain today. A wild rhino is killed for its horn every 8 hours; meaning we lose 3 rhinos a day.

The ‘modern’ dinosaur (they are approximately 50 millions of years old!) has become the most luxurious and expensive item on Earth: it is worth more than gold or diamonds. Each gram of rhino horn is worth $60-$100 USD; in the black market in Asia, a rhino horn can go for $160,000 to $240,000. They are illegally sold in Vietnam, in specific areas heavy with Chinese tourism.

Poachers attack rhinos for their horns, mostly, they are sought after because the Chinese mistakingly believe they help cure cancer, benign tumors and other ailments. They are also sold and used to make simple items like bracelets. Poachers use rifles and axes to attack, resulting in critically wounded rhinos. Once dead, and sometimes even alive, they cut their face off and leave the animal to bleed to death. Rhinos that were left alive are sometimes found so severely wounded, they have to be euthanized.

Want to Learn More?
STROOP

Read more about their healing spirit here.

 

View all Rhino pieces
Co-Create a piece with a Rhino


 


ZEBRAS

The largest of the zebra species, the Grevy’s Zebra, is endangered. Its population is considered stable at the moment, but only 2,000 remain. Once widespread in Kenya and Ethiopia, 50% of all wildlife has been lost in these areas in the last 20 years. The two main threats for Grevy’s Zebra are loss of habitat and poaching. They are primarily hunted for their beautiful skins and sometimes killed for food or medicinal uses.

Read more about their healing spirit here.

View all Zebra pieces
Co-Create a piece with a Zebra

 


LEOPARDS

Leopards are currently listed as a vulnerable species. They main threat to Leopards in Africa is human activity: human-wildlife conflict, reduced prey base, habitat fragmentation and poaching.

Commercial bushmeat trade has collapsed prey populations across Africa, affecting the leopards’ ability to find food, sometimes finding themselves forced to prey on livestock, creating a lot of conflict with the farming population.
Leopards are also hunted for their fur to make coats, ceremonial robes and for their claws, whiskers and tails, which are popular as fetishes.

Read more about their healing spirit here.

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Co-Create a piece with a Leopard



ELEPHANTS

The beautiful, loyal African elephant could be extinct in a matter of 10 years, mainly due to poaching + slow rates of reproduction. The population of African elephants has fallen 60% in the past 10 years. It is estimated that 100 elephants are killed every day. 

Poaching harms not only one but two generations of elephants, as poachers don’t care if the elephant is a mom to a calf. A lot of times, they attack her anyways and leave the baby an orphan: traumatized, anxious and alone. They are killed for their ivory tusks which are sold and made into objects like jewelry, crafts, musical instruments and the like. In late 2016, China banned ivory trade, which had positive effects. However, it is still legal in other countries, but illegal trade is still a problem.

Want to Learn more?
Apology to the Elephants

Read more about their healing spirit here.

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Co-Create a piece with an Elephant

 


LIONS

The lion population in Africa has decreased by 43% in the last 21 years. It is regionally extinct in 15 African countries. At this rate, they could go extinct by 2050. The main challenges they face are: human-wildlife conflict, loss of habitat and poaching. Like leopards, lions sometimes attack livestock because there has been a decrease in their natural prey, so farmers sometimes kill them in retaliation. Humans are also pushing them out of their habitats due to the growth of agriculture, settlements and roads.

Lions are also hunted for sport. A symbol of triumph and power, they are considered trophies by some. They are also poached for their bones, and their skeletons are illegally sent to Asia to be used by Chinese pharmaceutical companies to produce traditional folk medicines.

Read more about their healing spirit here.

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Co-Create a piece with a Lion
 


GORILLAS + CHIMPANZEES

Gorillas, although their population has been rising, are still listed as an endangered species. Some species of gorillas are even listed as critically endangered.  Their population is threatened by habitat loss to increasing human populations and charcoal harvesting used for cooking and heating. As humans move more and more into the mountains, gorillas are forced to move higher up the mountains, where temperatures are freezing and they have to endure dangerous, sometimes deadly living situations.

Gorillas are also attacked by poachers for the bushmeat trade or for capture of baby gorillas for pets. They are also affected by disease: in some regions they are being killed by the ebola epidemic. In other regions, gorillas that come into contact with humans can be vulnerable to human diseases, and they experience disease more severely than us. They can die from a simple, common cold.

Chimpanzees are also listed as an endangered species. They have disappeared completely from four African countries. The main threats are: poaching, habitat destruction, illegal trade and disease. Poaching is the main threat affecting chimps. As bushmeat has become more commercialized to satisfy the desires of wealthy urban residents, more chimpanzees have been killed. Young chimps are also captured and sold as pets in the city. Disease outbreaks (especially ebola) also have killed thousands of chimpanzees.

Want to Learn More? 
Virunga
Jane Goodall

Read more about their healing spirit here.

View all Chimp + Gorilla pieces
Co-Create a piece with a Chimp or Gorilla



GIRAFFES

The giraffe population has silently dropped by 40% in the last 15-20 years. In some areas traditionally regarded as prime giraffe habitat, numbers have dropped by 95% since the 1980's. A vital pollinator in Africa, giraffes spread seeds and leaves from trees that no other animal can reach. This beautifully graceful animal is shockingly more endangered than the gorilla. There are now less giraffes than elephants:  extinct in 7 countries, there are about than 111,000 giraffes left in Africa today, and some subspecies have fallen below 1,000. 


One of the main reasons we are losing giraffes rapidly due to poaching and habitat loss. Giraffes are killed for their hides and meat; the meat is often ate by elephant poachers. Their tails are seen a status symbol in some cultures and can be used as dowry, to make good-luck bracelets, fly whisks and thread for sewing and stringing beads. About 10 years ago, herbal practitioners in Tanzania recommended giraffe bone marrow and brains to prevent and cure HIV/AIDS.

Want to Learn More? 
Africa’s Gentle Giants (Season 35 Ep. 3)
The Woman Who Loves Giraffes

Read more about their healing spirit here.

 

MAY THE WHOLE WORLD KNOW LOVE 

We donate 10% of our profits from select pieces from our “Magic + Miracles” collection  to the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, an organization dedicated to creating a kind environment and caring for orphaned endangered African wild animals.