Here’s an exclusive look at Chauskoskis’ completed ‘Rhino Squad’ Jouwe custom created for the upcoming show @ Arty Farty in Germany. This jaw-dropping piece highlights his strong aesthetic as well as his excellent sculpting skills. From the amazing removable Rhino Helmet covering the grunt underneath to the custom sculpted firearm, this feels like a one-off high quality production action figure, a serious accomplishment. Beyond being visually impressive, the piece seeks to raise awareness of the plight of Rhinoceros species which continue to dwindle to alarming levels. Here’s the official back story which explains the Rhino Squad’s mission:
The history of these guys lies not 20 years in the future, but rather the present day — and is pretty simple…
These guys (Squads) are an elite force formed to protect different endangered species of wildlife, one of those teams is The "Rhino Squad" . As the Rhinoceros species get low in number their horns and skin become more and more valuable on the black market around the world… (one Rhino horn fetches $200,000 on the black market) .
Today, all five species of rhinos are perilously close to extinction. The rate of their decline is truly astounding: in the decade of the 1970s alone, half the world's rhino population disappeared. Today, less than 15 per cent of the 1970 population remains, an estimated 10,000 to 11,000 worldwide.
The leader of "Rhino Squad" is Catarino Shotgun, a big lonely man who see the brute force as the only way to protect rhinos and eradicate the furtive hunting taking place in India and Africa by the hunters and collectors from all over the world.
Catarino´s Squad received extremely sad news when they found out that The World Conservation Union (IUCN) announced on 7 July 2006 that one of the four subspecies, the West African Black Rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis longipes), has been tentatively declared as extinct.
In despair their are now asking for volunteers, not in the battlefield but asking us to do whatever is on our hands to save and protects all animal species of the planet.
For any info about how you can help email rhinosquadhelp@gmail.com or simply visit the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature)
Arty Farty Gallery
Maastrichter STR, 49
50672 – Cologne
