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The United Nations has released the official public service announcement (PSA) for the United Nations’ World Wildlife Day 2018. The annual celebration marks the date (03 March) the Convention on the International Trade of Endangered Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) was signed. The video mirrors the theme of this year’s celebration, ‘Big Cats: Predators Under Threat’.
The video shows stunning footage of lions, jaguars, snow leopards, tigers and other cat species in stunning wild landscapes across Africa, Latin America and Asia, as well as the efforts to save these majestic species on the ground.
‘The threats facing big cat species found across the globe must be curtailed with strategic and coordinated efforts. The focus on big cats this World Wildlife Day will help raise awareness and spark support for actions to save these majestic species including, lions, tigers, leopards, jaguars, cheetahs, snow leopards and others. We are honored to partner with the United Nations with the release of the World Wildlife Day official video that highlights just how important these species are to what makes our planet astounding and wonderful.’
CRISTIAN SAMPER
President and CEO of the Wildlife Conservation
The UN has translated the video into Chinese, French and Spanish. People around the world have offered to translate it into other non-UN languages.
This PSA has been widely shared on social media in the run-up to World Wildlife Day.
Actor and environmentalist Leonardo DiCarprio has shared it on his Twitter account, and some TV stations and airlines have offered to broadcast it on their channels and inflight entertainment systems. This is the first time a World Wildlife Day PSA has reached such a wide global audience.
‘The majestic big cats inspire us with their beauty, their speed, their strength and their raw energy. But big cats face many threats to their survival in the wild. People have caused these threats to our big cats and people can also choose to resolve them. A crisis can still be averted, if we take action now! As the official facilitator for the global celebration of World Wildlife Day, we are most grateful to WCS for the generous support in the production of this powerful video.’
JOHN E. SCANLON
Secretary-general of CITES
On 20 December 2013, at its 68th session, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) proclaimed 03 March, the day of signature of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), as UN World Wildlife Day. Each year, the day would be used to celebrate and raise awareness of the world’s wild animals and plants.
World Wildlife Day has now become the most important global annual event dedicated to wildlife.
Over the past century we have been losing big cats, the planet’s most majestic predators, at an alarming rate. World Wildlife Day 2018 gives us the opportunity to raise awareness of their plight and to galvanise support for the many global and national actions that are underway to save these iconic species
Through World Wildlife Day, big cats will generate the level of attention they all deserve to ensure they’re with us for generations to come.
The video was written, produced and edited by WCS executive producer Natalie Cash. WCS staff videographer Jeff Morey provided motion graphics. Footage came from International Fund for Animal Welfare, Panthera, Biggest and Baddest series | Gryphon Productions and Shutterstock.
Narrator: Christian Brammer; additional narration: Boniface Osujaki (WCS Tanzania Program), Diego Coll (WCS Peru Program), Rocky Liang (WCS China Program); Music: ‘Epic Journey’ by David Tobin, Jeff Meehan and Malcolm Edmonstone/Audio Network.
Click here to find out more about threats to Africa’s lions and what you can do to help.
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