Did you know you could fit all of the rhinos left in the wild into London's Wembley Stadium? That's the grim message from one of WildAid’s latest campaigns striving to put a stop to the gruesome horn trade.
As government leaders gather in London to discuss new measures to counter wildlife trafficking, WildAid teamed up with conservation’s top stars to release two new messages as part of the world's largest campaign to reduce the demand for endangered species products. One message, 'Whole World', features The Duke of Cambridge, David Beckham, NBA great Yao Ming, and a crash of rhinos courtesy of GreenScreen Animals. The other, 'Tools of the Trade', co-produced with the African Wildlife Foundation (AWF), features action star Jackie Chan, a white rhino named Spike, and a computer-generated rhino made of weapons.
'Whole World' asks viewers to imagine the world’s entire rhino population fitting inside Wembley Stadium and how we could increase their numbers by stopping trade in rhino horn.
WildAid ambassador and former NBA star Yao Ming has seen the poaching firsthand on two visits to Africa while filming an upcoming documentary with WildAid. “We can fill [Wembley] and many more [stadiums] if we can stop the illegal trade,” Yao says in the new message.
Longtime WildAid ambassador Jackie Chan came to London to urge government officials to redouble their efforts to stop illegal wildlife trafficking. "If you are buying rhino horn you may be paying for more than just the horn," said Chan in a new message.
South African wildlife officials recently announced that poachers killed 1,004 of the country’s rhinos in 2013, compared to 13 in 2007.
"Just as with the drug trade, traditional focus on enforcement in producing countries has not worked – we must address the demand side if we are to save these animals," said WildAid’s Executive Director, Peter Knights, who is speaking at this week’s International Wildlife Trafficking Symposium at London Zoo.
To learn more about this campaign and ongoing efforts to stop the demand for rhino horn please visit www.wildaid.org/rhinos or www.awf.org/sayno.
Images: WildAid