An artist from Kommetjie hopes his sculpture of a Cape clawless otter reminds the public about the beauty of nature and our responsibility to protect our environments so that these ecosystems thrive.
Chip Snaddon unveiled the handmade wooden sculpture of a Cape clawless otter at the Lower Silvermine Wetlands on Friday 9 May where over 50 community members attended.
People’s Post caught up with him in Kommetjie, where he has lived since 2006, and he told of the inspiration behind his creation.
The KwaZulu-Natal-born artist said he was inspired to construct the approximately 3,2 m-long, 1,2 m-high and 600 mm-wide otter “due to my love for wild animals and the otters I often see here in Kommetjie. I wanted to share the wonder these wild creatures bring me and that we should remember we share a space with these animals.”
He built the sculpture from an inner skeleton of tree branches wired together. It took him more than a month to complete the artwork, which is intricately crafted from rooikrans twigs.
“It was challenging getting the scale and proportions correct, referring as I did to photographs and videos, aside from my own observations of otters in the wild.
“My main goal was to capture the look of an otter emerging from the water and roaming in the wetlands.”
Over the past few weeks, said Snaddon, he has heard nothing but praise from visitors.
“I’ve had lovely interactions with members of the public, many of whom witnessed the sculpture’s development, some even offering some constructive criticism.
“My hope is that it gives people joy and reminds us that we should look after our natural resources.”
Martin Sholtz, a committee member at the Lower Silvermine Wetlands, said: “The otter is warning you that this is his home here as a guardian of the wetlands.”
Kim Kruyshaar, a Clovelly resident and volunteer at the wetland was recognised for her decades-long environmental activism in the “far south”.
“It is also great to have the presence of Terry and Evanne Rothwell, so instrumental in the past custodianship of the wetlands as well as Daan Jacobs, and Enoch Moyana, who actively assist with litter management and alien clearing in the area. Just this afternoon a young otter was seen in the wetlands, near the coffer dam.”
