- Two days ago, Bored Apes NFT received a warning from the Anonymous Group
- Gold Fur Bored Ape #5853 was sold for 777 Ethereum (ETH) yesterday
- The first-ever animal-made NFT collection drops on International Orangutan Day
It’s been a very busy week for the most famous Web3 primates, the Bored Ape Yacht Club. The best-selling NFT collection of all time got back to winning ways yesterday when the NFT art collector Vis.ETH bought the angry-looking, gold-fur-coated primate for a whopping $1.5 million. In fact, this Friday marks international orangutan day, and Elok, a real ape living in the Oklahoma City zoo, is posing a challenge for his digital kin.
Go wild for the world’s first NFT designed by an orangutan! Discover these unique digital art NFTs created by the OKC Zoo’s 21-year-old Sumatran orangutan, Elok, to be auctioned online Friday, Aug. 19, Int'l Orangutan Day. Check out this unique endeavor! https://t.co/N4ZF4mSlHW pic.twitter.com/jzn1PaN62j
— Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden (@okczoo) August 17, 2022
The Elok NFT Collection Drops on Friday
The Sumatran orangutan named Elok is 21 years old and has painted 21 pictures during his daily engagement activity. Indeed, the artistic primate showed off his skills with a specially designed paintbrush. With the help of an Xbox and a special touch screen sensor, Elok was able to complete the first-ever NFT collection painted by an animal. For that, the friendly primate received some of his favorite treats: crackers, popcorn, and of course, bananas.
Besides, the starting point for bidding on this NFT collection is going to be $550, way less than Bored Apes Yacht Club NFTs, which currently have a floor price of 69.69 ETH (around $129K). Ultimately, 20 of the NFT pieces of art will be sold off in an auction, while the last piece will be kept by the Oklahoma City Zoo.
Elok The Orangutan’s Art Classes Curated By Ms. Dolphin
Tracey Dolphin, the curator of primates at Oklahoma City Zoo, said Elok the orangutan has gotten into painting through daily activities, first creating on a physical canvas. As pointed out by Ms. Dolphin, the ape had no difficulties switching to digital painting and even got more engaged. “You could see that learning as he went through the process and once he understood it, then he got a little bit more into it,” says Dolphin.
The brutal bushmeat hunting has led all three species of orangutans to be endangered. Elok is a Sumatran orangutan, but his kindred Tapanuli and Bornean orangutans are facing extinction too. In order to stop this, the OKC Zoo is ready to donate 100% to the cause. As Rebecca Snyder, the director of the OKC Zoo, says, “A lot of people don’t know what’s happening to orangutans and their habitat, or to the other species that share the forest they live in, and our animals are a good way to introduce people to that and make them care about something that’s happening on the other side of the planet.”
You know what's better than NFTs of cute animals? NFTs made BY cute animals. My friend partnered with @okczoo to bring the enrichment art of Elok the orangutan to the NFT space. 100% of the proceeds of this collection go toward orangutan conservation, definitely check it out! https://t.co/2PJGE0sGv9
— buzz.pcc.eth (@trustthepastas) August 18, 2022
On the Flipside
- Anonymous suspects monkey business connected to Bored Apes Yacht Club NFTs
- Justin Bieber and 19 other celebrities targeted by Watchdog for shilling NFTS
Why You Should Care
The Oklahoma City Zoo will donate 100% of the NFT art proceeds to conservation organizations. All three species of orangutans are in danger of extinction.
