Would you like to learn the art of origami in endangered animals and help to raise awareness for wildlife conservation? This Origami Endangered Animals kit will donate a portion of the proceeds to benefit wildlife conservation!
This well-written kit is designed by master origami artists Michael LaFosse and Richard Alexander to educate us about our planet’s endangered species and entertain in equal measure. I love how they explain the background to these endangered animals and make it simple to understand for children and adults alike. The only thing that I didn’t like is that there is no indication of the difficulty. It would be nice if they labelled it so I can work my way up from beginner to expert.
Inside this kit, there are 48 sheets of high-quality double-sided folding paper and a full-colour 64-page instruction book. The book’s diagrams and instructions are accompanied with the free online step-by-step videos which I find very useful for additional guidance.
There are 12 animals featured in this kit range which are:
- The Leopard: These big cats are the victims of shrinking habitats and trophy hunters. Only 12,000 to 14,000 remain in the world.
- The Rhinoceros: These animals are frequent targets of poachers. There are 28,000 to 30,000 individuals remaining.
- The Macaque: These clever primates suffer from disease and shrinking habitats as farmlands expand.
- The Gorilla: These critically endangered primates are being rapidly hunted to extinction.
- The Sea Turtle: Ungainly on land, these reptiles are victims of beach development, by catching, poaching, marine debris, and more.
- The Tiger: A ferocious apex predator, these big cats suffer from shrinking habitats, hunting, and poaching. Only 8,000 to 10,000 individuals remain with half of them in captivity.
- The Elephant: The largest land mammal, these massive herbivores are threatened by habitat loss and poaching.
- The Great White Shark: These impressive predators are critically endangered due to overfishing, and slow reproductive maturity. Only around 3,500 individuals remain.
- The Blue Whale: The largest animal on earth, tipping the scales at over 120 tons! These giants were nearly hunted to extinction and are now recovering their numbers, but face many environmental challenges. There are estimated to be 10,000 to 25,000 individuals remaining in the world.
- The Emperor Penguin: These majestic flightless birds live exclusively in the southern hemisphere. Not yet endangered, but severely threatened.
- The Giant Panda: These cuddly bears are threatened by habitat pressure and low birthrates. Only around 1,200 remain in the world.
- The Australian Sea Lion: These mammals spend most of their time in the water and are heavily hunted; their food sources heavily fished out until recently. Fewer than 15,000 individuals remain.
I made the penguin which is easier than the rest. The penguin can also stand on its own. I then made the elephant and gorilla, which are the next level of difficulty. If you like a challenge and animals, this kit will provide you with everything you need! This kit is very well thought out and a great guide to origami. I would definitely recommend this set. It is available to buy now on Tuttle Publishing, online and Amazon.
Disclosure: I received this set from the publisher for free. However, they have not paid me for this review, and they do not exercise any editorial control over my review or anything else on this site. We have included an Amazon affiliate link to the product. If you click on this and buy, we may earn a small commission.