MALAWI WILDLIFE ACTIVISTS MARCH ON

00031.MTS.Still001LWT ambassadors and all round wildlife activists, Jamie Unwin and Hannah Pollock, joined the thousands who marched around the world this weekend as part of the Global March For Elephants and Rhinos calling upon governments to help save elephants and rhinos from extinction.

 

Jamie marched alongside thousands of supporters in London, including Ian Musayni, First Counsellor to the Malawi High Commission, who made the journey over to represent Malawi’s dedication to putting an end to the illegal wildlife trade. Mr Musayni 00112.MTS.Still001spoke out in front of the marchers in an impassioned speech calling for support from the international community in tackling the problems Malawi is facing.

 

“Despite our best efforts, this is a battle that we cannot win alone. We call on the international community to take our pleas of support to heart and join us in our fight to protect Malawi’s wildlife. As I stand here in London telling you of our own nation’s plight, I no doubt speak for many other African countries facing the same challenges. This is a global problem requiring a global response. To all of you standing here today, please accept our heartfelt thanks, your voices are being heard back in the Warm Heart of Africa.”

 

speechMeanwhile, Hannah marched in Denver and even made a public speech to marchers emphasising Malawi’s plight and encouraging further will in stepping in to assist in the fight against wildlife crime.

 

The Global March for Elephants and Rhinos saw over 100 countries uniting in a joint goal – to eradicate the illegal wildlife trade that is driving elephants and rhinos to extinction. One of the lead objectives this time round was to eliminate domestic markets that are fuelling demand for ivory, and since the march California has stepped up to ban theirs – the third biggest market in the US – a huge step forward and we hope others will take their lead.

 

00118.MTS.Still004Jamie first came to Malawi in December 2014 to help Lilongwe Wildlife Trust with our ‘stop wildlife crime’ campaign, creating a moving film about the plight of Malawi’s elephants and highlighting the shared support for them from government to school children. He will be going to New York this month where the film will be shown at the International Wildlife Conservation Film Festival, and then heading back to Malawi in December with Hannah to revisit the campaign and spread the messages within the film to a wider audience. The duo have managed to raise thousands of pounds for their trip, where they will join the LWT team with a pedal powered cinema, taking the SWC film to the local communities.

 

If you would like to donate to their project ‘Stand Up For Nature’ please click here

 

We’re looking forward to having them out here!