Wellington Zoo - Snow Leopard Fundraising Pin
ILLUSTRATION, PRINT AND PRODUCT DESIGN : OCTOBER - DECEMBER 2021
Snow leopards are large cats native to the mountain ranges of Central and South Asia, particularly the Himalayas. Known for their beautiful fur patterns of spots and their ability to thrive in cold, harsh environments, snow leopards are highly elusive, solitary animals. They are classified as vulnerable as a result of habitat loss, climate change, poaching, and conflict with humans, with an estimated 4,000 to 6,000 remaining in the wild.
After years of planning, Wellington Zoo received two snow leopard sisters, Asha and Manju, from Melbourne Zoo in April 2023. To build the best possible space for the new arrivals, the zoo began work on a multi-million dollar project to renovate the old sun bear habitat into a state-of-the-art, sustainable, stimulating environment including climate controlled dens, caves, steep rock faces and advanced animal care facilities.
Wellington Zoo is a not-for-profit organisation and relies on public support and donations to help them build new exhibits, fund research efforts and ensure their animals receive the best of care. In October 2021, as part of these efforts, I was asked to design concepts for a wooden pin that could be sold as a fundraising product. I developed dozens of sketches and presented them to the marketing team, who selected their preferred design. This was refined and enhanced over the next two months, including the design of a matching backing card. The pins went on sale in March 2022 and the new snow leopard habitat opened to the public on 12 April 2023.
As a lifelong fan and frequent visitor at Wellington Zoo, working on this project was a dream come true and I was excited and honoured to see Asha and Manju exploring their new environment for the very first time.
Asha the snow leopard - photo courtesy of Melbourne Zoo.
