On Saturday night, August 1, New York's iconic Empire State Building took a break from its traditional colored lights and light shows. Instead, one entire side of the super-tall building was used as a projection screen, where a complex presentation devoted to endangered animal species was displayed.
Organizers, from the Oceanic Preservation Society and Discovery Channel, told press that the live video projection was the first of its kind for the New York landmark. The show incorporated 160 species of animals, some shown in still images and others in video.
Among the many creatures were antelope, tigers, lemurs and snow leopards, along with numerous snakes, insects, birds, and sea life. King Kong even put in a cameo, or rather his shadow, which appeared to be climbing the building. But one particular animal came as a late addition to the presentation.
Endangered species projected on @EmpireStateBldg tonight. Here’s the show in 30 seconds and 4k #RacingExtinction pic.twitter.com/Xp6gnIansa
— Josiah Daniel Ryan (@JosiahRyan) August 2, 2015
Cecil, the famous lion from Zimbabwe hunted and killed by dentist Walter Palmer, was added to the display as a way of honoring the deceased animal. Cecil's killing caused public outrage throughout the world, though Palmer claims he didn't know he'd killed a famous creature until after the fact.
The presentation was projected on the side of the Empire State Building thanks to forty extremely powerful projectors, each one capable of 20,000 lumens. For a three-hour block on Saturday night, it was shown every fifteen minutes, and ran for eight minutes in length.
Reportedly, the entire project carried a $1 million price tag. It was put together to promote a documentary called Racing Extinction, which premieres on Discovery Channel on December 2, 2015.
