Bo Derek, Jackie Chan reach half of China with shark fin message  
Thursday, October 25th, 2007

   

Bo Derek being sworn in last year (Aug. 2006) at the State Department by Asst. Secretary of State for the Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs

After a recent trip to the Galapagos Islands Marine Reserve, actress and activist Bo Derek was touched by the plight of sea mammals, as shark "finners" use animals such as sea lions for bait, hunt sharks, and slaughter them for their fins to make shark fin soup. "It made me realize that even the most remote wilderness is now touched by the global economy - in this case, the demand for products derived from protected wildlife," Derek wrote in to Larry King Live.  "That is why I have been working with the State Department and the San Francisco-based conservation organization, WildAid, to help in their effort to stop wildlife traffickers." "The illegal wildlife trade is estimated to be worth $10 billion to $20 billion a year...and it traffics in all wild things from shark fins to elephant ivory, from rare orchids to valuable timer.  It leaves behind a catalog of species on the brink of extinction and millions of animals suffering either a brutal death or inhuman transportation," she wrote.

Bo is not the only one.  She's been working alongside Yao Ming, Jackie Chan, and Chinese Olympic medalists to reach almost half of the Chinese population with TV commercials that say, "When the buying stops, the killing can, too."

Chan is also working with the Active Conservation Awareness Program to influence consumer attitudes toward wildlife.  After seeing a video of tiger killings, he vowed to help, and has assisted WildAid with educating the Chinese public about the effect wildlife trafficking has on the species involved.

As we told you earlier this month, Jackie Chan is amongst the top 10 stars considered the most inspirational and charitable.

You can learn all about the endangered and trafficked species, as well as how to take action, at WildAid.org.

   

 

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