A photo of Cecil the Zimbabwean lion, who was killed by an American dentist causing international outrage, is projected on the Empire State Building in the 'Projecting Change on the Empire State Building' project in New York on 1 August 2015. Photo: AFP

2 August 2015 (AFP) – A giant photo of the beloved Zimbabwean lion killed by an American trophy hunter was among images projected Saturday onto the Empire State Building in New York in a dazzling display. The “Projecting Change on the Empire State Building” initiative was designed to raise awareness about the plight of endangered animals and was billed as a first of its kind. An image of Cecil the lion, whose killing has sparked international outrage, was prime among animals whose pictures covered 33 floors of the southern face of one of the world’s most famous landmarks in an eight-minute video loop. New Yorkers from as far as 20 blocks away snapped pictures of the building as it lit up the nighttime sky over a steamy Manhattan. The project was the brainchild of Louie Psihoyos, founder of the Oceanic Preservation Society and director of Oscar-winning 2009 documentary film The Cove, which shone a grisly light on Japan’s dolphin-hunting industry. [more]

Cecil the lion lights up New York’s Empire State building