KANCHANABURI: Local residents have launched a new campaign against poaching, tapping into heightened public interest following recent arrests in a high-profile illegal hunting case in this western province.
Somchai Promchana, chairman of the Black Panther Lovers Club of Kanchanaburi, launched the campaign in Phanom Thuan district on Saturday.
Local residents joined academics, students, teachers and officials in T-shirts bearing the image of a panther to pledge their opposition to all forms of hunting and cruelty to animals. Many crossed their forearms in a "Wakanda Forever" salute, a gesture popularised by the hit movie Black Panther.
Mr Somchai said the campaign aimed to bolster awareness of wildlife conservation and oppose all forms of hunting and cruelty to animals. He declined to discuss the case involving construction tycoon Premchai Karnasuta, which has sparked public outrage about illegal hunting, saying it was proceeding through the legal system.
The club's seven stated goals are: encouraging participation in environmental conservation, bolstering awareness of wildlife conservation, holding activities for the environment and nature, supporting learning about nature, educating the public about conservation, instilling values opposed to animal cruelty and hunting, and cooperating with other organisations with the same goals.
In addition to making merit on April 7 for the panther shot dead in the Thungyai Naresuan Wildlife Sanctuary in the province in February, the club plans to seek permission from the Department of National Park, Wildlife and Plant Conservation to build a panther statue at the spot where it was killed.
It also urged local people to wear the campaign T-shirts on that day.
A web page will be also put online to accept tip-offs about poaching so that members can coordinate with responsible authorities, he said.
Manop Promchana, a lecturer at Prince of Songkla University Hat Yai Campus and an adviser to the club, said several laws were outdated, including the 58-year-old law on wildlife protection.
“Rare animals such as panthers need more protection and harsher penalties. While all wildlife is precious, certain types call for more severe punishments than others or our descendants will never see and study them,” he said.
Thawatchai Pikulkaew, an educator, said the slaying of the panther served as a wake-up call for wildlife protection, especially as fewer than 130 of the breed are now said to be left.
“I’d like to see a single standard in law enforcement and more courses on wildlife conservation at schools,” he said.
On Feb 4, Mr Premchai, president of the construction firm Italian-Thai Development Plc, together with three others, was caught with carcasses of animals of endangered species, including a panther, and several firearms in a prohibited area of the World Heritage sanctuary in the province.
Police last week pressed nine charges against him involving hunting animals of endangered species, hunting in prohibited areas and possession of firearms. But lingering doubts remain about how far authorities will pursue the case, given his wealth and social status.
As the case continues to attract publicity, the panther has become a symbol of poaching and cruelty to animals, with images appearing in many public places.
Local residents make the Wakanda Forever salute from the hit movie Black Panther at the launch of the campaign against poaching and animal cruelty in Kanchanaburi on Saturday.
