Madagascar
(Endangered Species VI) 
The ploughshare tortosie, found only in Madagascar, is one of the rarest animals on earth with fewer than 400 left in the wild.  Endemic to the dry forests of Baly Bay, these slow-moving reptiles carry golden, star-patterned shells that make them prized targets of the illegal pet trade. My sculpture celebrates their fragile beauty and calls attention to the urgent fight against extinction.