Author: mleadmin

Hybrid#17 (Lizard), 70×70 cm, pencil, charcoal, acrylic, oil and wool on canvas, 2025. (Courtesy Janine Bean Gallery, Berlin.)

“An allegory of the ambivalent relationship between human beings and animals throughout history. “

Dog Laika, became the first creature to orbit the Earth, as the Russian technology to re-enter the atmosphere had not yet been developed, Laika’s survival was never expected. She died in space due to stress and hyperthermia. 

Lion Cecil, one of Zimbabwe’s most famous lions, tracked by a research team of the Oxford University as part of a long-term study, lived in the Hwange National Park, lured away from his sanctuary he was killed and beheaded as a trophy by an Amercian dentist. 

Chimpanzee Bubbles, kept as a pet by Michael Jackson, when he matured into a large and aggressive adult, like many captive chimpanzees unsuitable as a pet, he was disposed of,  he now earns his living painting at the center of Great Apes in the USA. 

Rhinoceros Sudan, the last male Northern white rhino who lived in Kenya, due to massive poaching Sudan was protected by armed guards around the clock, he was euthanized after suffering from age related complications, the species is extinct. 

Bear Baloo, has been imprisoned for 23 years in a small cage in a ski resort owned by a rich businessman in Romania. A long term petition to free Baloo led to thousands of signatures, still the owner refuses to release him since he claims the bear is his property. 

Sheep Dolly, the first cloned mammal ever to be created from an adult cell, named after Dolly Parton, she caused excitement and controversy among both scientists and the public. She died at the age of six and her body is on display at the National Museum of Scotland .

Elephant Mary, known as “Murderous Mary” performed at the Sparks Circus, after bullying her for days she killed her handler , a circus employee, she was executed in public, hanged by the neck on a crane in the town of Erwin, USA. 

Killer whale Tilikum, a male orca who was captured near Iceland at the age of two,  spent most of his life at SeaWorld in Florida, USA. During his captive life he killed three people, amongst them his female trainer, he died of a bacterial lung infection at the age of thirty six in captivity.