Programmer Creates 22 Photos Where Each Pixel Represents The Number Of Endangered Animals Left In The World

Back in 2008, WWF Japan has launched a powerful campaign titled Population by pixel, where each pixel of a photo represented the number of animals still left alive. The eye-opening campaign was created by creative directors Nami Hoshino, Yoshiyuki Mikami, and designer Kazuhiro Mochizuki working for the Hakuhodo C&D creative agency in Tokyo. And now, 11 years later, Imgur user JJSmooth44 has done an impromptu follow-up inspired by the original Japanese campaign.

African Wild Dog. Estimated between 3000 and 5500 remain

Image credits: JJSmooth44

The user says he did it as a programming challenge using Python but calls the code “very gross”. He got the numbers for the animals in Animal Planet’s endangered animals’ list. “I only worried about the final product and not the readability/niceness of the code,” writes JJSmooth44.

Check out the pixelated photos of endangered animals in the gallery below!

Amur Leopard. Estimated about 60 remain

Image credits: JJSmooth44

Amur Tiger. Estimated about 450 remain

Image credits: JJSmooth44

Asian Elephant. Estimated between 40000 and 50000 remain

Image credits: JJSmooth44

Bengal Tiger. Estimated about 2500 remain

Image credits: JJSmooth44

Black Footed Ferret. Estimated about 300 remain

Image credits: JJSmooth44

Black Rhino. Estimated about 5000 remain

Image credits: JJSmooth44

Blue Whale. Estimated between 10000 and 25000 remain

Image credits: JJSmooth44

Bonobo. Estimated between 10000 and 50000 remain

Image credits: JJSmooth44

Bornean Orangutan. Estimated between 45000 and 69000 remain

Image credits: JJSmooth44

Borneo Pygmy Elephant. Estimated about 1500 remain

Image credits: JJSmooth44

Chimpanzee. Estimated between 172700 and 299700 remain

Image credits: JJSmooth44

Eastern Lowland Gorilla. Estimated about 17000 remain

Image credits: JJSmooth44

Fin Whale. Estimated between 50000 and 90000 remain

Image credits: JJSmooth44

Galapagos Penguin. Estimated about 2000 remain

Image credits: JJSmooth44

Giant Panda. Estimated about 1864 remain

Image credits: JJSmooth44

Green Sea Turtle. Estimated between 3000 and 5500 remain

Image credits: JJSmooth44

Hectors Dolphin. Estimated about 7000 remain

Image credits: JJSmooth44

Indian Elephant, Estimated between 20000 and 25000 remain

Image credits: JJSmooth44

Indochinese Tiger. Estimated between 600 and 650 remain

Image credits: JJSmooth44

Indus River Dolphin. Estimated about 1100 remain

Image credits: JJSmooth44

Javan Rhino. Estimated about 60 remain

Image credits: JJSmooth44

People had a lot to say about the project