Twycross Zoo introduces holograms of endangered rhinos and elephants to 'inspire conversation'

• Watch hologram Javan Rhinos and elephants roam a technological world

A new zoo exhibit features holograms of critically-endangered animals - in what's believed to be a UK first - to "inspire conversation" about the extinction crisis.

Visitors to Twycross Zoo will be able to see an impressive new addition from Tuesday 15 August called Projecting Hope.

The project is intended to provide an attention-grabbing way for young visitors to discover and engage with endangered species. 

Unless more is done to protect endangered animals, a hologram of them could be the only way future generations will know what these species look like. 

The conservation charity has partnered with Dr Lisa Yon at the University of Nottingham, to launch the project.

She said: “All three species of elephant are now endangered which means they are dying out in the wild.  

“The only place we will have them on the planet will be in captivity.  We want them to be as happy as possible in captivity and given the best possible welfare.  

“This project is designed to help people do that better.”

Dr Richard Sands added: “The Javan Rhino is one of the most endangered mammals, only 76 left and all found on the island of Java in Indonesia.

“The elephants are part of the elephant welfare project and are threatened with extinction due to poaching.  

“There's a million species at risk of extinction so now is the time to highlight the threat to our visitors, and a hologram is a great way to do that. It's modern technology and it gets people thinking about what they can do.”

The Twycross zoo works with the University of Nottingham on the Elephant Welfare project to help conserve the species, who are only at risk because of human actions like hunting.

Director of Conservation Rebecca Biddle hopes the new project will inspire zoo visitors to get involved in conservation and think about what they can do to help.

“We have animals here on breeding programmes and we also work with partners globally looking at wild populations and habitats," she said.

“Our strategy also includes looking after native species, we have a nature reserve here and inspire our visitors to get involved in conservation as well and to think about things they can do at home.”

In a world led by technology, the hologram is described as being a way of engaging with younger people about conservation, and how we can make sure we live in a world where the animals are real.

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