AIT works with Taiwan museums to save wildlife

2014-12-15

A program combining culture and wildlife conservation was launched by the American Institute in Taiwan Dec. 11 in Taipei City, with six local museums taking part to promote public awareness of wildlife protection issues.

“Taiwan’s museums are among the most frequently visited cultural institutions in the world,” AIT Director Christopher J. Marut said during a press conference promoting the event, adding that Taipei City-based National Palace Museum was the second most popular facility in Asia with 4.4 million visits last year.

“The program builds on the determined efforts of both U.S. and Taiwan authorities to curb wildlife trafficking, and has the potential to reach millions of visitors from all over Asia and the world with this important message,” he said.

According to Marut, the expertise of these museums in conservation and innovative public outreach is what prompted AIT to team up with them for the initiative.

A key part of the campaign is educating consumers that purchasing ivory or rhino horn products threatens the existence of these species, he said. “Killing these animals upsets the ecological balance of their native habitat.”

The U.S. official also invited representatives of the participating organizations to sign a poster that carries the slogan "Ivory Collections Only Belong in Museums" as a gesture of their support.

NPM Director Fung Ming-chu expressed full approval of the AIT initiative, saying that the NPM will display the wildlife conservation posters in every exhibition room of the museum.

The curator said that, as the museum expects to attract more than 5.3 million patrons this year, the important message will be spread to all corners of Asia.

The other participating institutions in the program are the National Museum of History in Taipei City, National Museum of Natural Science in Taichung City, National Taiwan Museum in Taipei City, National Museum of Prehistory in Taitung City and National Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium in Pingtung County.

Source: Taiwan Today (http://taiwantoday.tw/ct.asp?xItem=225128&CtNode=413)