Life-Sized Animal Puppets Complete 20,000km Climate Crisis Journey

In April, a herd of towering, life-sized animal puppets - from elephants, giraffes, to antelopes and lions - set out from Kinshasa, in the Congo rainforest, on a ambitious journey that would take them across two continents and 20,000 km, reports Euro News.

Their migration - fictional but steeped in reality - was designed to mirror the flight of animals and people escaping the growing effects of climate disaster and to bring the climate crisis into public spaces in a way that was emotionally visceral, not abstract.

As they moved north through Africa and into Europe, the travelling troupe “adopted” new members - animals native to the countries they passed through - each one built from recycled materials such as and cardboard and plywood.

Over the course of the journey, 1,000 people were trained as puppeteers, bringing the creatures to life in 56 public events across 11 countries.

The Herds has now finally reached the end of their long migration: climbing Norway’s Jostedalsbreen glacier, the largest in mainland Europe, before pressing on to Nordkapp in the Arctic Circle to greet the sunrise on 1 August.

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