WWF Releases ‘Endangered Pieces’ Puzzles Matching Number Of Animals Surviving

By Mikelle Leow, 17 Mar 2022

Some species are disappearing so fast, you can actually count them under your nose. To raise awareness about biodiversity loss, World Wildlife Fund Canada has launched jigsaw puzzles showing exactly how many animals are left.

In the Endangered Pieces puzzles, each piece represents one animal in the wild, offering an easy way for the public to visualize the urgency of conservation work. The puzzles were created by design and innovation firm AKQA, with illustrations by Jocelin Carmes and accompanying visuals and films by design and animation studio Kuhl & Han.

Image via WWF Canada

Reflecting real-life counterparts, the giant panda puzzle features 1,864 pieces—representing the most abundant population in the series. Successful conservation efforts carried out over the past three decades have led to their status being converted from ‘Endangered’ to ‘Vulnerable’. National Panda Day on March 16, the date of the puzzles’ launch, brings this minor victory to light.

Image via WWF Canada

The other three puzzles paint a less optimistic picture. The Sumatran tiger puzzle comprises 400 pieces, the pygmy three-toed sloth contains 79 pieces, and the Southern Resident killer whale is left with just 73 pieces.

“We know the planet is in crisis, and the window to keep temperature rise below 1.5 degrees and avoid the extinction of at-risk species is closing,” notes Mark Charles, WWF Canada’s vice president of marketing, in a press release. “But there is still time to reverse the path we are on if we act now, with the right conservation actions in the right places… We are working hard to ensure that as this initiative grows, the number of pieces in each puzzle will grow as well.”

All proceeds from the sales of Endangered Pieces will be used to back WWF Canada’s critical conservation work. More details about the puzzles can be found here.