In 1997, Carl was commissioned by the Ocean Park Aquarium in Hong Kong to create an accurate life-size bronze figure of the then critically endangered Baiji Chinese River Dolphin (Lipotes vexillifer). This two-year project involved first-hand observation of the one remaining animal in captivity at the Institute of Hydrobiology in Wuhan, China. The centerpiece of Conservation Square at the aquarium, the sculpture is seen and photographed by millions of visitors each year. Sadly, the Baiji is now extinct.
