Social media campaign to combat illegal ivory trade in Thailand comes to an end
The ‘Elephants Are Like Us’ campaign initiated by the British Embassy of Thailand aimed at increasing awareness about the illegal trade in wildlife.
Thai actor Sukollawat Kanarot (Wier) holding the campaign t-shirt.
The campaign ran from the 28th of January to the 13th of March and aimed to raise awareness of the elephant ivory trade in Thailand, and the illegal wildlife trade in general.
The campaign featured as part of the UK’s wider commitment to combating the illegal wildlife trade globally. The UK views reducing demand for illegal wildlife trade products as a key pillar of our international efforts.
The campaign received overwhelming support from the general public, social media personalities, and celebrities, making it a huge success.
Winner selfie
As part of the campaign the British Embassy of Thailand invited social media users to enter a contest. Entrants could compete for prizes by posting photos of elephants that showed similarities in elephant and human behaviour. Competition winners received elephant statues from Elephant Parade Land. The statues were signed by the British Ambassador and celebrities including Sukollawat Kanarot (Wier), Ittipong Kridakorn Na Ayudhaya (Tar) and Aratchporn Chaladol (Mint).
Booth - Chulalongkorn University
Campaign booths publicising the plight of Thailand’s elephants were set up in Chulalongkorn and Sripatum Universities in Bangkok. The booths provided students with information on the illegal elephant ivory trade, and what they could do to help. T-shirts were given away to those students who posted in support of the campaign to their Facebook or Instagram pages using the hashtags #elephantsarelikeus and @UKinThailand. A poignant video which featured Lamyai, Chopper, and Pimjai, three rescue elephants from Kanchanaburi, was viewed over 98K times. The response to the ‘Elephants Are Like Us’ campaign was incredibly heart-warming, brought much needed attention to a critical issue, and highlighted just how much Thai people care about nature.
Any change is a positive change: any small change contributes to a bigger change.