Wildlife Crime Fighters is a YouTube series from the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). Dutch crime fighters are followed in six episodes of a maximum of four minutes. They are committed with heart and soul to stop poaching of endangered species such as the tiger, rhinoceros and elephant. Biologist Freek Vonk is the presenter and voice-over of the series. A new episode will be on it every Tuesday at 19 p.m. for the next few weeks WWF YouTube channel.
Tiger and elephant poaching in Thailand
In the first episode, WWF ambassador Harm Edens shows the disastrous consequences of tiger and elephant poaching in Thailand. “I have young children and if they want to see an elephant in the wild one more time, we have to hurry because they are really falling in droves,” Edens warns in the first episode. He was in Thailand in 2012 for a television series about wildlife crime. “At the local market in Bangkok, I immediately saw all kinds of stuff from endangered species in the first stall: ivory figurines and tiger products. Unbelievable, because it is simply forbidden to trade in it!” Thailand is one of the world's most important markets for ivory because there are no regulations against domestic trade.
Inventor of the eco-drone
The Wildlife Crime Fighters series also follows the young passionate nature conservationist Femke Koopmans and Serge Wich, the Dutch 'inventor' of the eco-drones, unmanned aircraft that are used against poaching. The fight against poaching of Christiaan van der Hoeven, wildlife crime expert, can also be seen in the series and Wildlife Crime Fighter Jaap van der Waarde tells how special patrols in Cameroon combat poaching. Every week there will be an episode on the WWF YouTube channel.
Top 5 organized crime
With the series Wildlife Crime Fighters, the WWF wants to show the Dutch how gigantic the wildlife crime market is. Worldwide, this form of crime is now in the top 5 of organized crime. It is about 8 to 10 billion euros per year. Because the level of prosperity in Asia is rising, the demand for products from endangered species, for example, has never been greater. That is why all support is needed to combat poaching and bring criminals to justice.
Countering it is one of WWF's top priorities. Read more about WWF's approach to poaching and illegal trade in endangered species.
Youtube Channel
A new episode of Wildlife Crime Fighters can be seen every Tuesday through June 30. Visitors can subscribe to the YouTube channel to stay up to date with the latest videos. In addition to the WWF channel, the WWF also develops YouTube channels for the little ones (Bamboo Club) and children aged 6-12 (WNF Rangers).
Video: Wildlife Crime Fighters: Harm Edens on illegal trade in Thailand
See episode 1 here:
[youtube]https://youtu.be/ry0p1nsoJi8[/youtube]
Combating poaching is good, that's for sure. But how would we like it if foreigners from the other side of the world came here to fight poaching and illegal hunting?
Do I read between the lines that you actually mean the eternal clincher to say 'the country belongs to the Thai, we are guests here so we should not interfere with that'.
Dear Sir Charles, I mean literally what I write and nothing between the lines. That's why I start with that it's good to fight it. I do have questions about the eternal typical Dutch finger that only points in one direction, away from ourselves. So I literally wonder what I would think if, for example, a Chinese came here to protect the wild boars. Should be possible, but also mutual.
The Dutch are experts in the field of water management and therefore travel all over the world to offer their services. So is the WWF that assists Thailand, probably completely free of charge, with their experience and specialism against poaching and illegal trade. The WWF works closely with the local authorities, in this case in Thailand. And to answer your question, I would welcome foreign expertise and help on all kinds of problems that would not be solved without this help.
We must do everything we can to save those beasts.
And it's nonsense if you say you can't interfere with other countries.