London Zoo has been praised online for its Siamese crocodile exhibit, which contains only one bag, and no live Siamese crocodiles. And it was not for less: its existence is in danger. Only 500 to 1,000 are thought to remain worldwide due to habitat loss and hunting.
“London Zoo doesn’t mince words”
In a viral tweet, who has received more than 400,000 likes and more than 70,000 retweets since it was posted on August 2, one Twitter user has drawn attention to the zoo’s Siamese crocodile enclosure, claiming “London Zoo doesn’t mince words.”
“This bag used to be found swimming in slow-flowing rivers and streams throughout Southeast Asia and Indonesia,” reads a sign next to the compound.
“In the last 75 years, more than 80% of Siamese crocodiles have disappeared. Many, like this one, were hunted for their skins as part of the illegal wildlife trade.”
Impact of the illegal trade in wild animals
The bag, made from the skin of one of those crocodiles, was seized by UK border agents at a London airport in 2018 and handed over to the zoo in order to highlight the impact that the illegal trade in wild animals is having. taking around the world, as reported by the BBC.
Although the zoo exhibit has been in operation for the past few years, it was the recent tweet that returned interest in the symbolic message of the zoo.
According to PETA, each year more than 1 billion animals are killed for their fur or hides around the world. Louis Vuitton and Gucci came under fire in December 2021 after a PETA investigation revealed fashion brands were creating accessories featuring snakes and lizards that were being savagely killed in “slaughterhouses” in Indonesia.
Great part of decline in the number of Siamese crocodiles This is because humans used their natural wetland habitat to grow rice, before commercial hunting for their fur became widespread in the 1950s.
“We did this exhibition, within London’s ZSL Reptile House, to draw visitors’ attention to the devastating impact that the Illegal Wildlife Trade (IWT) is having on species around the world,” he said. London Zoo’s reptile and amphibian curator Ben Tapley told Newsweek.
“At ZSL we are working globally with governments and local communities to protect wildlife, support law enforcement targeting trafficking networks, empower local communities affected by IWT and reduce the demand on life. threatened wild,” he added.
Source: DW