3/10 Weit und breit kein Tier in Sicht. Mit ihren Nacktaufnahmen will Marisa Papen das ändern. (Credit: CEN/Uwe Ommer-Marisa Papen)
The globetrotting nude model jailed after a photoshoot inside an Egyptian temple has disrobed in Africa again for a calendar highlighting animal extinction.
Belgian nude model Marisa Papen, who describes herself as a "free-spirited and wild-hearted expressionist", became the centre of a worldwide controversy when she ended up in prison after a spectacular photoshoot in the vast temple complex of Karnak near the Egyptian city of Luxor.
The horrendous conditions of an Egyptian jail have however not deterred Papen from continuing to walk nude in the most exotic of places.
She has just visited the Democratic Republic of Congo to be photographed for her new calendar.
And while last year's calendar focused on the huge amounts of plastic waste ending up in the world's oceans, this year Papen focused on Africa’s disappearing wildlife.
Papen teamed up with Robert Muir, the British biologist and CEO of Forgotten Parks Foundation, an organisation which protects wildlife and tries to enhance the management of "forgotten" National Parks in partnership with governments and local communities.
Papen said: "In Congo they do not promote safaris like they do for example in South Africa.
"The government does not care very much what happens with the flora and fauna, as there is little profit to be made out of it."
With her 2018 nude calendar, profits from which will go to Forgotten Parks Foundation, Papen hopes to highlight the decline in the number of animals in parks such as Upemba and Kundelungu that she visited in Congo.
Papen said: "For hundreds and thousands of years these African Savannahs were overflowing with wildlife. However, thanks to man’s destructive ways, these animals are completely disappearing."
The statistics of the two Congolese parks are telling. What once was an elephant population of 32,000 has gone down to just 180. Of the 1,000 zebras, currently 78 are remaining.
The last buffalo in the park was seen in 1991, the last lion in 1973, and the last rhinoceros in 1954, all thanks to deforestation, poaching and climate change.
Besides having a huge effect on the ecosystem, it also created problems for Papen and 75-year-old German photographer Uwe Ommer.
They initially planned to snap pictures of Papen walking nude near some wildlife, but in ten days they only encountered one baboon.
Papen said: "Because we did not encounter wildlife, we had to use our creativity.
"One of the concepts was to photograph miniature animals in the same landscape. I posed with the thought that the three-centimetre figure was in reality a life-size animal."
In some pictures, Papen and Ommer later enlarged the animal figures digitally to resemble real wildlife.
Papen said she was particularly impressed by the energy of 75-year-old Ommer, with whom she spent two weeks camping without any comfort whatsoever.
Papen said: "Him and me together were an interesting combination, creating a grandpa-grandchild look and feel."
Once in Congo, the logistics were however challenging, as driving just 40 miles can easily take eight hours because of the muddy roads.
And not all went without problems, as Papen even suffered a heatstroke as well as a sprained ankle when walking downhill in the high savannah grass.
Papen said: "When I'm in the nature and I can walk around nude, I'm in my element. But on the third day I got sunstroke, which is weird because I always put on enough anti-sunburn cream and wear a hat.
"The next day I wasn't really aware what was going on, I think I slept for 24 hours straight."
Papen said she always gets fresh inspiration from "nature and animals" and explained that walking nude is a great way for her to raise awareness and tell tales about faraway cultures and the wonders of the world.
She said that she talked for hours with Robert Muir about Forgotten Parks Foundation and could see with her own eyes how new rangers are being trained and how local kids are being taught in schools.
Papen said: "I am 100 percent that the money raised will be wisely spent by Forgotten Parks."
Those willing to support Forgotten Parks can order the limited-edition 2018 calendar at http://www.plastic-sushi.com.
1/10 Dem (falschen) Löwen wird die Sicht auf einen wunderschönen Regenbogen verstellt. Den echte Löwen soll es helfen. (Credit: CEN/Uwe Ommer-Marisa Papen)...(Bild: kein Anbieter/zVg)
2/10 Weil Marisa Papen und Fotograf Uwe Ommer bei ihrer Bild-Safari keinen Tieren begegneten, mussten Plastikmodelle herhalten. (Credit: CEN/Uwe Ommer-Marisa Papen)...(Bild: kein Anbieter/zVg)
3/10 Weit und breit kein Tier in Sicht. Mit ihren Nacktaufnahmen will Marisa Papen das ändern. (Credit: CEN/Uwe Ommer-Marisa Papen) The globetrotting nude model jailed after a photoshoot inside an Egyptian temple has disrobed in Africa again for a calendar highlighting animal extinction. Belgian nude model Marisa Papen, who describes herself as a "free-spirited and wild-hearted expressionist", became the centre of a worldwide controversy when she ended up in prison after a spectacular photoshoot in the vast temple complex of Karnak near the Egyptian city of Luxor. The horrendous conditions of an Egyptian jail have however not deterred Papen from continuing to walk nude in the most exotic of places. She has just visited the Democratic Republic of Congo to be photographed for her new calendar. And while last year's calendar focused on the huge amounts of plastic waste ending up in the world's oceans, this year Papen focused on Africa’s disappearing wildlife. Papen teamed up with Robert Muir, the British biologist and CEO of Forgotten Parks Foundation, an organisation which protects wildlife and tries to enhance the management of "forgotten" National Parks in partnership with governments and local communities. Papen said: "In Congo they do not promote safaris like they do for example in South Africa. "The government does not care very much what happens with the flora and fauna, as there is little profit to be made out of it." With her 2018 nude calendar, profits from which will go to Forgotten Parks Foundation, Papen hopes to highlight the decline in the number of animals in parks such as Upemba and Kundelungu that she visited in Congo. Papen said: "For hundreds and thousands of years these African Savannahs were overflowing with wildlife. However, thanks to man’s destructive ways, these animals are completely disappearing." The statistics of the two Congolese parks are telling. What once was an elephant population of 32,000 has gone down to just 180. Of the 1,000 zebras, currently 78 are remaining. The last buffalo in the park was seen in 1991, the last lion in 1973, and the last rhinoceros in 1954, all thanks to deforestation, poaching and climate change. Besides having a huge effect on the ecosystem, it also created problems for Papen and 75-year-old German photographer Uwe Ommer. They initially planned to snap pictures of Papen walking nude near some wildlife, but in ten days they only encountered one baboon. Papen said: "Because we did not encounter wildlife, we had to use our creativity. "One of the concepts was to photograph miniature animals in the same landscape. I posed with the thought that the three-centimetre figure was in reality a life-size animal." In some pictures, Papen and Ommer later enlarged the animal figures digitally to resemble real wildlife. Papen said she was particularly impressed by the energy of 75-year-old Ommer, with whom she spent two weeks camping without any comfort whatsoever. Papen said: "Him and me together were an interesting combination, creating a grandpa-grandchild look and feel." Once in Congo, the logistics were however challenging, as driving just 40 miles can easily take eight hours because of the muddy roads. And not all went without problems, as Papen even suffered a heatstroke as well as a sprained ankle when walking downhill in the high savannah grass. Papen said: "When I'm in the nature and I can walk around nude, I'm in my element. But on the third day I got sunstroke, which is weird because I always put on enough anti-sunburn cream and wear a hat. "The next day I wasn't really aware what was going on, I think I slept for 24 hours straight." Papen said she always gets fresh inspiration from "nature and animals" and explained that walking nude is a great way for her to raise awareness and tell tales about faraway cultures and the wonders of the world. She said that she talked for hours with Robert Muir about Forgotten Parks Foundation and could see with her own eyes how new rangers are being trained and how local kids are being taught in schools. Papen said: "I am 100 percent that the money raised will be wisely spent by Forgotten Parks." Those willing to support Forgotten Parks can order the limited-edition 2018 calendar at http://www.plastic-sushi.com....(Bild: kein Anbieter/zVg)
4/10 Auch das Campen im Kongo erledigte Marisa Papen hüllenlos. (Credit: CEN/Uwe Ommer-Marisa Papen)...(Bild: kein Anbieter/zVg)
5/10 Für den Erhalt bedrohter Arten lohn es sich zu kämpfen: Marisa Papen posierte im Kongo auch mit einem Trupp Soldaten. (Credit: CEN/Uwe Ommer-Marisa Papen)...(Bild: kein Anbieter/zVg)
6/10 Marisa Papen beim Kalender-Fotoshooting mit Uwe Ommer. (Credit: CEN/Uwe Ommer-Marisa Papen)...(Bild: zVg)
7/10 Zwischen den Nacktaufnahmen legte Marisa Papen auch mal Kleidung an. (Credit: CEN/Uwe Ommer-Marisa Papen)...(Bild: kein Anbieter/zVg)
8/10 Mit ihrem letzten Kalender tauchte Marisa Papen nicht wirklich in eine völlig unbekannte Welt ein. Das belgische Model ist für seine Nacktaufnahmen bekannt. (Credit: CEN/Christian Vizl-Marisa Papen)...(Bild: kein Anbieter/zVg)
9/10 Marisa Papen veröffentlich die heißen Schnappschüsse gemeinsam mit der Forgotten Parks Foundation. (Credit: CEN/Uwe Ommer-Marisa Papen)...(Bild: kein Anbieter/zVg)
10/10 Schöne Aussichten mitten im Müll. (Credit: CEN/Marisa Papen)...(Bild: kein Anbieter/zVg)