Attenborough

Original oil painting on linen.
2025
Proceeds donated to the Kakapo Recovery Foundation

The kākāpō is one of the rarest and most remarkable birds in the world. Native to New Zealand, this flightless parrot climbs trees with strong feet and glides down with its wings. It is nocturnal, with a gentle, curious nature that has captured the hearts of everyone who meets it. I personally first saw the kākāpō on YouTube years ago when one names Sirocco tried to “shag” zoologist Mark Carwadine’s neck. Being a young child, I didn’t understand what he was trying to do but it looked so funny and made me laugh so much they immediately become one of my favourite animals. Sadly, the kākāpō has been pushed to the brink of extinction. Introduced predators like cats, rats, and stoats devastated their numbers, and by the 1990s only around 50 remained. Thanks to decades of dedicated conservation work, their population is slowly recovering, but there are still only a few hundred left. Every bird is precious. This painting was created to celebrate the kākāpō and to support the people @kakapo_recovery working tirelessly to bring them back from the edge. By protecting the kākāpō, we also protect the wild places they call home and ensure that future generations can marvel at this extraordinary parrot.