On July 20th I had the fantastic opportunity to attend Traffic's Wildlife Superheroes workshop, right here on the island of Penang.
I was fascinated by the turnout - almost no young people. I was happy to see the older generation getting involved, but sad to see so few of "my own" there. I am assuming they were too busy trying to get toy Minions from McDonald's (seriously, what is up with that?). I personally think slow lorises are cuter, but then again, most people don't know what a slow loris is.
But I'm getting distracted.
The workshop really was fantastic. Aside from getting to spend a morning learning about something I love, I enjoyed learning new little details about the trade. There were amazing pictures of men with snakes in suitcases and birds around the ankles, and we even got to see dummy egg-smuggling shirts and underwear (that's dedication). These articles of clothing, used to smuggle reptile and bird eggs, have little individual pockets sown in for each egg.
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| A South American example of an "egg smuggling shirt." Picture from The Independent. |
One resource they shared with us, however, I think is useful for every Wildlife Warrior to have: Species Identification Sheets! We need to use the information we have access to - we need to be informed. If we don't know it when we see it, what good is seeing it at all? They may seem a little dry and boring, but they are quick and easy to use. You can identify species and their derivatives, learn local names for the species, and discover laws that protect the species. These are useful things to know even if you are just walking around and spot something suspicious. (On a side note, if you see this, be sure to call the anonymous 24-hour wildlife crime hotline, 019-3564194.)
The sheets can be downloaded here.
If you're interested in these workshops, three more will be held within the year (including in KL and on Penang's mainland). More information is available on Traffic's Facebook page.
