中國網站品牌欄目（頻道）
這是一只兇猛的華南虎？錯，她們是3個裸體模特——左右兩人的背部是華南虎的眼睛和耳朵，中間一人的背上則是老虎的額部和鼻子。著名人體彩繪藝術家及攝影師克雷格?特雷西應英國一個拯救中國虎的慈善組織之邀創作了這個華南虎形象，以表示對拯救華南虎項目的支持。在2010年聯合國宣布的嚴重瀕危動物中，華南虎高居榜首，成為最需要保護的動物之一。拯救中國虎國際基金會組織一直致力于拯救中國虎以及老虎所賴以生存的整個生態系統，他們希望通過這個人體彩繪作品在中國虎年到來之際，喚起人們對華南虎以及中國虎的關注，并籌得善款幫助拯救這些瀕危的動物。
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Craig Tracy's tiger image now only survives in pictures |
For centuries, artists have painted the naked female form in all its exquisite beauty – but not like this.
You are looking not into the eyes of the tiger but at the backs of two lithe models. And the jaw of the beautiful beast is actually the shapely posterior of a third.
The work of art was created by body-painter Craig Tracy at the request of a British charity dedicated to saving the subject of the picture.
This year the United Nations has put the tiger at the top of its list of ‘most important’ endangered animals to be saved in 2010. And, among those species, the most perilously close to extinction is the beautiful South China Tiger.
The principal charity dedicated to their salvation, London-based Save China’s Tigers, asked Craig to perform his magic to publicize their plight.
He did so by inviting three models into his New Orleans studio and placing them in the precise positions that would allow him to create the shape of a tiger’s head. With his background already colored in, the models were then painted in stages.
The resulting image will help raise awareness and money for the charity to mark the Sunday, February 14, start of Chinese New Year – which for 2010 is the Year of the Tiger.
The charity’s founder Li Quan, a London-based fashion executive turned conservationist, said yesterday: “The South China Tiger is assumed to be extinct in the wild. The last credible sighting was 25 years ago.
“But we have successfully bred healthy cubs from adults loaned to us from zoos. Eventually, they will be relocated to their former habitat, in one of two purposely established nature reserves in China.”
Save China’s Tigers was launched in London in 2000 by Li Quan and her American husband, investment banker Stuart Bray. The project, involving the purchase of a 33,000-hectare reserve in South Africa’s Free State and Northern Cape Province, has since cost more than ￡12million and needs ￡250,000 a year to maintain. Eventual relocation to China will involve at least as much again for each new colony founded.
The most prolific of the breeding adults on the reserve are the romantic duo of Madonna and her amorous mate Tiger Woods, who has so far fathered seven cubs.
“Since the Chinese Year of the Tiger coincides with Valentine’s Day this year,’ says Li Quan, ‘we hope for further offspring from this pair!”
The Chinese Year of the Tiger occurs every 12 year and honours courage, passion, self-reliance, friendliness, hope and resilience.
“The tiger needs all those virtues to be shown by mankind,” says Li Quan.
Tigers strode the planet two million years before Man, whose first art form was likely to have been body daubing.
But now revived by Craig Tracy, who is well-known in his native America, it has taken on a whole new meaning.
He says: “Artists throughout the centuries have painted, sculpted and interpreted the human form but few have physically used the human form as their fine art medium.”
Li Quan says: “I hope this stunning work will inspire people to help our cause.
“We hope to start returning our tigers to the wild within the next two years. All the Earth’s tiger species originated from China two million years ago and it is wonderful that we can now be planning to bring them home.
“Then we will again hear the wild roar of this magnificent animal.”
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(Agencies)
（中國日報網英語點津 Helen 編輯）
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