Large predators at the top of protection list for Cyril Christo and Marie Wilkinson - 27 East

Arts & Living

Arts & Living / 1371381

Large predators at the top of protection list for Cyril Christo and Marie Wilkinson

icon 1 Photo

author on Aug 10, 2010

Cyril Christo is a poet. His language is laced with metaphor and enriched with allusions to mythology and the miraculous.

He can also sound like a biblical prophet, predicting doom for the planet unless its human inhabitants accept, as their forebears once did, that they share the turf with the animal kingdom, and that by threatening the animals’ survival, they threaten their own.

But Mr. Christo, who is back at his Amagansett home for the summer with his family—his wife and partner in all his projects, Marie Wilkinson, and their son, Lysander—does not have his head in the clouds when it comes to the facts behind his concern. The current focus of that concern is the fate of lions, tigers and polar bears and he can cite statistics that tell a chilling tale of population decline and potential extinction.

“We’re just back from Botswana where we learned that the male population of lions is down to 3,000,” Mr. Christo said in a telephone interview, adding that there has been a 90 percent decline in the total male and female population relative to the count a quarter century ago.

In past years, the Christos have returned for their summer stay in Amagansett after travels to Africa to seek out that continent’s surviving pastoral peoples and, more recently, to document the plight of the African elephant. From these forays into the wild, they have come back with extraordinary photographs as well as powerful insights into the cultures characterized by a mutual respect between man and wildlife.

These they have distilled into two portfolio-format art books that use images and essays to make the urgent case for a renewed recognition of the crucial role wild animals play on the planet and to warn of the tragic consequences that would follow their loss. “Lost Africa: The Eyes of Origin,” published in 2004, is their tribute to Africa’s surviving pastoral groups and, in Mr. Christo’s words, “a prayer for their continuity.” The couple’s next book, “Walking Thunder: In the Footsteps of Giants,” was another warning, albeit an alarm expressed in stunning images and lyrical language.

It celebrates the bond between the hunter-gatherers of Africa and the elephant and decries the rupture of that bond as the encroachments of the modern world threaten the existence of both.

The book this time is titled “In Predatory Light” and its subjects, lions, tigers and polar bears, are “the three largest predators on the planet,” Mr. Christo asserted, or rather, he added, remembering the aquatic variety, the three largest terrestrial predators.

“We have been working on this project for about two years,” said Ms. Wilkinson, joining the conversation. When an article by two well-known Botswana-based wildlife experts appeared recently in the mainstream magazine Town & Country, with dire news about the endangered predators, it was a spur to action, she said.

“What seeing that piece by Derrick and Beverly Joubert did,” she explained, “was to verify the importance and the urgency of getting the news out from as many sources as possible.”

“I like to think of the predator as part of our literature,” said Mr. Christo, “to focus on what is part of our subconscious minds.”

Today’s error, in his view, is that people too often think of animals in a negative way, a mindset reflected in the pejorative, “beastly.” In many places, he said, “the lion is honored. The Bushmen say they should be respected, loved and honored.”

Ms. Wilkinson clearly agrees when her husband calls the lion, the tiger and the polar bear “totemic” and points to the huge role they play in man’s imagination from earliest childhood.

“Tigers, lions and polar bears are universally iconic, archetypal, the symbol of kings, of mythic power,” she said. “Their stealth, their godlike ability to appear from nowhere and disappear lends them a mythic quality, and all three are threatened.”

But Ms. Wilkinson is a self-described “organized thinker” and she also speaks in a more practical vein of the complex interactions in nature between prey and predator and predicts that the decimation of these major players in that complicated relationship could have consequences that “we cannot even imagine.”

“In the wild kingdom,” said Ms. Wilkinson, “it is the sick, the old and the very young that are taken out.” The healthy adult population is thus largely spared.

She contrasts that harsh but species-sustaining reality with the threats the deer population faces in modern society. The automobile, which does not necessarily take out the most vulnerable, and a short hunting season do nothing to promote the survival of the most robust among the deer. And this, said Ms. Wilkinson, “skews the ecosystem incredibly.”

“There are 3,000 tigers in all of the world,” said Mr. Christo, moving on to the second of the three threatened predators. He stressed the irony of the Chinese proclaiming this the Year of the Tiger even as the plundering continues—all to satisfy a market for bones and skins. Here, too, he cites dismal numbers: the South China tiger is considered extinct in the wild; the Javan tiger is also extinct; there are 1,000 at most in Indo-China; 1,500 in India; 450 in Siberia; 800 at most in Malaysia.

For lions and tigers, human encroachment and poaching pose the greatest existential threats, according to Ms. Wilkinson. Climate change will affect them sooner or later, but the polar bear, as most are aware, is facing its consequences right now. In light of the polar bear’s real and immediate peril, Mr. Christo is incensed that Canada still permits polar bears to be killed—the only country that does,

“For $40,000 you can still hunt the polar bear in Canada,” he observed angrily. “It should be criminal.”

There was a time, he maintained, when “we understood that if you shoot something for the fun of it, you should be punished.”

Now, “in the day of the iPod,” respect for the animals that share our planet has been lost, he believes, though perhaps not irretrievably.

That respect must be regained and “our connection with our roots must be reestablished,” Mr. Christo exhorts, or we will all—humans and animals alike—suffer the consequences.

You May Also Like:

Springs Artist Fitzhugh Karol Debuts Outdoor Sculpture Show at Duck Creek

The Arts Center at Duck Creek will present “Fitzhugh Karol: On the Grounds,” a site-specific ... 8 Jul 2025 by Staff Writer

La Goulue Sur Mer Arrives in Southampton, With a Dash of Chaos and a Side of Style

“Is it true?” said the anxious DM on my Instagram account. “Is La Goulue really ... by Steven Stolman

Art on a Line: Guild Hall’s Clothesline Sale Hangs Tough for 2025

Guild Hall’s beloved Clothesline Art Sale returns on Saturday, July 19, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The annual event, a Hamptons tradition since 1946, transforms the museum’s lawn into a sea of original artwork — hung on clotheslines — and offers visitors the chance to purchase local art at accessible prices. Jackson Pollock once sold a painting at the sale for $250, and past participants have included Lee Krasner, Alfonso Ossorio, Elaine and Willem de Kooning and other art-world icons. The event continues to offer a rare opportunity for the public to view and purchase work by East End ... by Staff Writer

The Climate-Friendly Fitness Routine

“Live simply so that others might simply live” — Mahatma Gandhi The first time I ... by Jenny Noble

Joy Behar Gets the Last Laugh in ‘My First Ex-Husband' at Bay Street Theater, July 14-19

Emmy Award-winning comedian and co-host of “The View,” Joy Behar stars in “My First Ex-Husband,” a bold, funny and heartfelt new play based on true stories from her life. The limited engagement runs July 14 through 19, at Bay Street Theater in Sag Harbor. With razor-sharp wit and no filters, “My First Ex-Husband” explores the messy, hilarious truths of love, sex and relationships. Adapted from Behar’s personal experiences, the show is both deeply personal and widely relatable. Behar will appear on stage on July 14, 18 and 19. Also appearing nightly, July 14 through 19, are Veanne Cox, a Tony-nominated ... by Staff Writer

Experience the Rhythms of Brazil With Nilson Matta’s Voyage Quartet

Grammy-nominated bassist Nilson Matta will lead his Brazilian Voyage Quartet at The Church on Friday, July 25, at 6 p.m. The concert is part of Hamptons JazzFest. The group features acclaimed guitarist Chico Pinheiro and offers a rich exploration of samba, bossa nova and modern Brazilian jazz. Matta, a founding member of the renowned Trio da Paz and longtime collaborator with Yo-Yo Ma on the Grammy-winning “Obrigado Brazil” project, is known for blending traditional Brazilian rhythms with contemporary jazz. His lyrical bass playing and deep rhythmic connection have earned him international acclaim. Guitarist Chico Pinheiro, recognized as a leading voice ... by Staff Writer

At the Galleries for July 10, 2025

Montauk The Depot Art Gallery, at the Montauk railroad station at the corner of Flamingo ... by Staff Writer

Round and About for July 10, 2025

Fireworks Shelter Island Fireworks The Shelter Island fireworks will be held on Saturday, July 12, ... by Staff Writer

Curtis Institute of Music Alumni and Faculty To Perform in East Hampton on July 22

Talented alumni and faculty from the world-renowned Curtis Institute of Music will tour the East Coast this summer, with a concert scheduled for Tuesday, July 22, at 7 p.m. at the First Presbyterian Church of East Hampton. The event is presented by Music for Montauk. The program features beloved melodies ranging from Gershwin’s “Porgy and Bess” to works by Brahms and de Falla. Performers include mezzo-soprano Katie Trigg, violinist Elissa Lee Koljonen, pianist Hanchien Lee, and Curtis Institute President and violist Roberto Díaz. The concert program includes: Manuel de Falla’s “Suite Populaire Espagnole,” performed by Díaz (viola) and Lee (piano); ... by Staff Writer

'Bonnie & Clyde' Cast and Crew Announced for Bay Street Musical

Bay Street Theater has unveiled the complete cast and creative teams for its pulse-pounding musical ... 7 Jul 2025 by Staff Writer