Sunday 19 August 2007

It's Wild at WWF

I first spotted WWF island some months ago, but I was not aware it had opened until I saw a twitter "tweet" from TerryAnn Antonelli, confirming not only that the island was open, but also it had nothing to do with wrestling. The WWF in question is the World Wildlife Fund.

I confess I only spent a short amount of time looking over the island, so will leave the pictures to tell you most of the story:

I infer from the last picture that the island is in a "soft launch" phase - open to the public, but without any great razzamatazz while the builders elicit feedback. For the freebie-grabbers there are several free items, ranging from a kid's windmill (symbolising renewable energy), through ice creams (courtesy of the relaxed Orang Utan), to your own Panda.

There are numerous creatures gracing the sim, some of which are animated. There is a pathway you can follow around the sim, though at present some of this seems a bit lifeless (ironically) culminating in a "panda forest". I'm not sure about the juxtaposition of architecture and pandas, which doesn't look quite right - but that may be due to my ignorance of Chinese architectural ruins!

There is some information available about the various threats to World wildlife, but the little village where much of this is provided feels like it is still in development. The buildings are there, but the content is a bit light. There are also a few features flagged as "coming soon."

It is at an early stage of deployment, but various notices do give indications of what's to come. We can expect to see live events, music, dancing... the usual SL fun and frolics. However, nothing is scheduled just yet. Go along, have a look, get a panda.

Hmmm... Thinks: "Is the extraction of virtual pandas from their natural habitat actually in keeping with the aims of WWF?"

D'OH! I don't have a SLURL for this - but use the "Map" button and search for "WWF"

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