Nandu News Reporter Wang Wei from Beijing On July 25, the premiere of the pangolin protection documentary series "The Seekers" was held in Beijing, and the documentary-themed posters and trailers were released on the spot. As the main characters in "Protector", Wang Yibo, the public welfare ambassador of WildAid, Sun Song, a doctoral student jointly trained by the Pangolin Conservation Research Center of the National Forestry and Grassland Administration and the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Li Cheng, director of the Xizijiang Ecological Conservation Center, shared at the premiere He expressed his own experiences and feelings during the filming of the documentary, and called on the whole society to pay attention to and participate in pangolin protection, so as to jointly light up hope for the recovery of the Chinese pangolin population.
It is reported that "Protector Seekers" is divided into the first episode "Crossing the Mountains for Love" and the second episode "Lighting Up Hope", which show the true stories of pangolin protection workers with the themes of "Searching" and "Protecting" respectively. "The Guardian" will be launched on the Youku Documentary Channel on July 29 and August 5.
Poster for the pangolin conservation documentary "The Seekers".
The Chinese pangolin is one of the few wild animals named "China" and was once widely distributed in the south of the Yangtze River in my country. Due to habitat destruction and over-exploitation, the population has declined by 80% in 20 years, and it was listed as critically endangered in 2014 by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species. In recent years, the road to recovery of the Chinese pangolin is being illuminated by top-down conservation actions. In August 2018, my country completely stopped the commercial import of pangolins and their products, and through special actions and other measures, it intensified its crackdown on crimes that destroy pangolins and other wild animal resources; in June 2020, pangolins were classified as national secondary protected wild animals. The animal was adjusted to a national first-level protected wild animal; in the same year, the Pangolin Conservation Research Center of the State Forestry and Grassland Administration was established in Guangdong to further strengthen research on pangolin rescue, breeding, and reintroduction into the wild; pangolin wild populations have been launched in various areas where pangolins have historically been distributed. and habitat survey monitoring. At the same time, many social forces have also joined the ranks of protecting pangolins: In 2018, the country’s first wild scene of the Chinese pangolin was photographed in the Wuqizhang area of Huidong County, Guangdong; in 2020, the country’s first special patrol for the protection of the Chinese pangolin A conservation team was established; many social organizations actively carried out public education work, calling on the public to reject and report illegal activities that damage pangolins and animals.
The hope of reviving the Chinese pangolin population requires the joint efforts of the whole society. "Protect Seekers" is such a documentary that comprehensively and truly reflects the problems faced by pangolins and showcases the rescue and protection work from the Chinese government and private sector. The documentary focuses on a wild trip by Wild Rescue charity ambassador and young actor Wang Yibo to search for Chinese pangolins. Through the real-life stories of scientists, forest rangers, community residents, conservation agencies and science education workers he met during the journey, It shows the efforts, challenges and achievements of these ordinary heroes in their efforts to save the Chinese pangolins. The producers of "Keepers", WildAid and the China Wildlife Conservation Association, hope to enhance the public's awareness and understanding of pangolin protection through this documentary, and see the hope and future of Chinese pangolins, so as to pay more attention to and care for pangolins.
event site.
Si Ping, deputy secretary-general of the China Wildlife Conservation Association, said: “In order to promote the recovery and growth of pangolin populations and strengthen the effectiveness of the protection of pangolins and their habitats, in recent years, surveys and monitoring of pangolin wild populations and habitats have been carried out across my country, and forces have been organized to strengthen field patrols. , strictly prevent poaching, continuously improve and restore the living environment of pangolins, strengthen research on artificial breeding and reintroduction of pangolins, increase publicity for pangolin protection, and severely crack down on illegal trade, smuggling, overeating of pangolins and their products and other illegal activities in my country. Pangolin activities in the wild have been monitored in more than 70 places in more than 10 provinces, indicating that their wild populations are recovering and growing.John Baker, president and global chief program officer of
WildAid, said: “Pangolins are an important species that affects the structure, function and health of forest ecosystems, and are also the main targets of the illegal wildlife trade. All eight species of pangolins in the world are Facing great survival difficulties. Over the years, WildAid has continued to carry out public communication campaigns to reduce the illegal trade of pangolins in countries such as China, Vietnam, Cameroon, and Nigeria where pangolins are found. However, there are relatively few images and written stories that systematically record pangolin protection, and the public has not yet formed a comprehensive understanding of pangolin protection. Therefore, we filmed "The Guardian", which records the efforts of the Chinese government and social organizations to protect pangolins in recent years, to inspire the public to continue to pay attention to and support pangolin protection, to enhance public confidence in the future of pangolins, and to encourage people to engage in conservation work. All parties continue to work hard and continue to produce protection results. WildAid is willing to continue to promote international cooperation and contribute our efforts to protect and rescue pangolins and their habitats, as well as combat cross-border illegal wildlife trade. "
At the premiere of "The Seekers", Wild Rescue Charity Ambassador Wang Yibo and a number of pangolin conservation workers accepted the "Pangolin Seekers" commemorative medals issued by the organizer. Wang Yibo shared his experience during the filming of the documentary at the scene. He said: "Although the scales of pangolins look very hard, when I touch them with my hands, I can feel the temperature under the scales. I realize that they are actually very fragile and in great need of protection." More protection. During this protection trip, I got to know many people who are working hard to protect pangolins. On the one hand, I realized how hard they work, and on the other hand, I also realized that protecting pangolins requires not only them, but also everyone’s attention and participation. : Reject and report illegal activities that undermine pangolins. "
Youku, the co-producer of "The Guardian", has provided an exclusive online broadcast platform for the program. Han Yun, general manager of Youku Documentary, said: "Youku has always actively assumed social responsibilities, insisted on exploring high-quality content, and promoted documentaries from the niche to the public. We are very pleased to cooperate with WildAid again to produce a documentary on wildlife conservation after 2019, and to cooperate with Wang Yibo again after 2021 to produce high-quality documentary content. We believe that this powerful combination will 'break the circle' of public welfare communication. Promotion provides greater impact. "Protector" is the first documentary in China that fully presents the real and precious images of the rescue, conservation, rewilding, release and activities of wild pangolins in their habitats. We hope that this work can build the relationship between the public and wild animals. Connect and promote harmonious coexistence between man and nature. "
