Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Dutch artist Bart Jansen who turned his dead cat into a drone wants to make a badger submarine

Jansen's plans have stalled, as he struggles to find labs willing to waterproof the dead animal

Kashmira Gander
Friday 30 January 2015 17:12 GMT
Comments
The cat done which made Jense an internet sensation
The cat done which made Jense an internet sensation (YouTube/pricordia)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Not content with turning his dead cat into a bizarre half-animal half-drone machine, a Dutch artist is once again gaining international attention for his latest project – a jet-propelled badger submarine.

In 2012, Bart Jansen decided to transform his late moggy into a drone because he thought it would be a shame to simply bury his pet, which he after named Orville Wright after the Wright Brothers. He named his creation the OrvilleCopter.

“People keep on saying it's animal cruelty, but my cat was already dead and I didn't kill him. I really was sad, but that didn't stop me from making a completely absurd monument,” Jansen told Mirror Online.

In the face of international intrigue, and some outcry, Jansen gave a 21kg ostrich the OrvilleCopter treatment, and created an OstrichCopter using a specially-built mechanism. His more recent mind-boggling creations include a RatCopter, and a Sharjet, using a creature which died of an infection at a local acquarium.

Now, with the offer of a dead badger from a friend which Jansen couldn't refuse, the artist intends to transform the carcass into a remote-controlled submarine. The project is dubbed “Das Boot,” a play on the famous WWII film and the Dutch word for badger— das, he told the Business Insider.

But transforming animals into water-ready machines isn’t without its difficulties. Jansen has been unable to find a lab willing to waterproof the creature, as badgers are a protected species in the Netherlands. Other legal restrictions mean the finished product can’t be exhibited, or exported abroad.

For now, the badger remains in Jensen’s freezer.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in