Emirates Airlines has developed special liveries for two of its A380 aircraft in support of the Kingdom for Wildlife. This is aimed at raising awareness of the illegal trade in wild species and to communicate the need for urgent action.
A video of the new liveries being painted can be foundcan be found here.
The Lord Hague Richmond, president of the United for Wildlife Transport Taskforce said “we welcome the efforts and commitment made by Emirates airline to combat the illegal wildlife trade. This is more than just an environmental issue. The illegal wildlife trade is now recognized as a serious and organized transnational crime. It drives corruption, is linked to money laundering and can damage economic development in many of the world’s poorest countries and communities. It will take a concerted effort, involving not only effective deterrents against poaching and smuggling, and vigilance in policing and punishing these crimes, but also efforts to increase consumer education to cut demand to protect these animals for the future.
Tim Clark, President of Emirates Airline stated that “many animals, in particular African elephants, rhinos, tigers, and pangolins, are under extreme pressure because of an unprecedented spike in the illegal wildlife trade. The world is in a global poaching crisis, and everyone has to do their part to stop this, before it is too late. Emirates believe that the global transport industry, including airlines, can play a significant role to break the supply chain of illegal wildlife trade. And at Emirates, we are committing the resources to do our part.”
The Bottom Line: Airlines are increasingly doing their part to ensure that poaching of endangered species is discouraged, and that it will be difficult to send ivory, or hunting trophies, or other body parts anywhere in the world. We look forward to additional airlines joining this cause.
by Fabio Gigante
