CryptoKitties Unveils ‘Honu Kitty’ Collectible Dedicated To Sea Turtle Preservation
CryptoKitties has teamed up with ACTAI Global and Ocean Elders to launch a charitable collectible dubbed ‘Honu Kitty’. The environmental-friendly collectible is designed to highlight awareness on the need to protect endangered sea turtles.
The marine organizations and CryptoKitties ran an auction between July 9, 2018, and July 18, 2018, whereby 18 bids were received on the Honu Kitty. The winner paid $25,000 for the one of a kind collectible with the funds donated to two organizations specializing in sea turtle protection.
Honu Kitty’s auction was the first of a series of environmental charities that CryptoKitties hopes will go a long way in highlighting the need to protect and preserve endangered species. The raising of $25,000, with the one of a kind collectible cat, underscores the power of blockchain technology when it comes to inspiring charitable giving.
The auction brought together people from all walks of life from gamers to technologists as well as environmentalists, allowing them to engage together in a bid to protect the environment.
“We are so excited to see Honu in the wild-one part activist, telling stories of our endangered friends, and another part pop culture icon, stealing the spotlight to combine both worlds for greater good. The very first in a lineage of Cryptokitty icons representing the charities and causes they embody,” said Cassidy Robertson, head of Kitties-for-Good, CryptoKitties’ charitable initiative.
The funds are to go to Unite BVI based in the British Virgin Island as well as Sea Shepherd Conservation Society UN Antigua and Barbuda. The two are to use the funds to protect sea turtles while they are mating as this is when they are most vulnerable to poachers.
Cryptokitty has been aggressive in using its blockchain platform as well as a pipeline of collectibles for charity endeavors. In May, the firm launched a Celestial Cyber Dimension Kitty that went on sale for $140,000 in an auction. The funds went on to support blockchain and art industry. The company has also sold 370 CryptoKitties for $15,000 and used the funds to support a children’s hospital in the Seattle area.
Cryptokitty is not the only company that has successfully combined crypto and blockchain programs for charitable causes. The Pineapple Fund remains the most successful in this front, having already raised $34 million, funds that it has since donated to 60 different charities. Brian Armstrong, Coinbase founder, has also launched a blockchain-based charity platform that has attracted donations from Ripple and Zcash executives.