NUTHATAI CHOTECHUANG, WILDAID THAILAND
Thai martial arts star Tony Jaa, internationally known from his leading roles in Furious 7 and Ong-Bak: Muay Thai Warrior, is giving a sneak preview of his new role as Thailand’s first ambassador for the Ivory Free campaign, a joint venture between WildAid and our conservation partners.
International passengers arriving at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport can catch Jaa’s #IvoryFree billboard at Concourse C, alongside fellow WildAid ambassadors Prince William, David Beckham and Yao Ming.
Jaa grew up in Thailand’s northeastern province of Surin, where his family raised elephants. He is urging locals and tourists alike not to buy ivory, as it’s illegal to transport any ivory products, even small pieces, out of Thailand.
Thailand’s ivory market remains one the largest in the world. Current law allows trading of ivory from domesticated Thai elephants, but the market is fueled by illegal ivory smuggled from Africa. The Thai government has demonstrated efforts to regulate and control ivory trading and possession by passing a legislation earlier this year, and is preparing the country’s first ever burning of illegal ivory later this month.
Stay tuned for more from Tony as part of the Ivory Free movement! You can do your part by pledging to be Ivory Free at ivoryfree.org.
Our thanks to African Wildlife Foundation, Save the Elephants, USAID, FREELAND and iThink for their support of the Thai Ivory Free campaign.
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WildAid is a non-profit organization with a mission to protect wildlife from illegal trade and other imminent threats. While most wildlife conservation groups focus on protecting animals from poaching, WildAid primarily works to reduce global consumption of wildlife products such as elephant ivory, rhino horn and shark fin soup. With an unrivaled portfolio of celebrity ambassadors and a global network of media partners, WildAid leverages more than $308 million in annual pro-bono media support with a simple message: When the Buying Stops, the Killing Can Too.
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