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This World Pangolin Day, I’m happy to be exploring the function of artistic storytelling by means of design, trend and expertise. You will have already observed that I’ve a powerful ardour for conservation communications; and consider the ability of storytelling is an instrumental device in our conservation efforts to save lots of endangered species, reminiscent of pangolins.
I had the chance to talk with Azi Sharif, founding father of luxurious trend firm, FashWand, and passionate advocate for bringing an finish to the unlawful wildlife commerce.
This World Pangolin Day, Azi has launched an unique assortment taking inspiration from pure great thing about the Pangolin. From this assortment, FashWand will contribute 20% of the proceeds to Pangolin Conservations packages. I used to be excited to seek out out extra:
Interview with FashWand Founder, Azi Sharif
Kate: Pangolins are among the most extremely distinctive animals, but they’re essentially the most trafficked mammal on this planet. How did you first turn into excited by their plight?
Azi: I first noticed a Pangolin photograph in 2015 on social media for world pangolin day. I used to be immediately impressed by the Pangolin and their distinctive scales, and I couldn’t consider after I noticed they’re being killed for his or her scales. I researched extra about pangolins and created a pangolin drawing for World Pangolin Day 2015 and shared the drawing with insights about pangolins to lift consciousness.
Kate: What do you’re keen on most about these animals?
Azi: I really like how extremely particular and distinctive Pangolins are. Pangolins are prehistoric and been round for 80 million years, they’re the one mammal with their physique full of gorgeous and overlapping scales, every scale has barely completely different form, they’re a pure murals and look as if they arrive from an imaginary fairy story world.
Kate: How have you ever integrated pangolins into your work?
Azi: I painted the pangolin for my Wildlife Jewels® assortment of work and remodeled the art work into house ornament items and at FashWand we’re growing a trend assortment impressed by the attractive Pangolin.
Our Pangolin assortment trend items embrace tops and clothes regionally made in Southern California which are composed of eco-friendly materials.
Every trend merchandise shares the fantastic thing about the Pangolin and is designed to lift consciousness for the Pangolin.
With the sale of every merchandise, 20% of proceeds are donated to pangolin safety foundations and a card comes with every merchandise that shares insights, the crucial standing of the pangolin and a few ways in which people will help Pangolins.
Kate: Have you ever learnt something new about pangolins from the artistic strategy of your work?
Azi: I’ve realized a lot about Pangolins throughout the artistic course of. Previous to beginning my Pangolin impressed designs, I found extra particulars in regards to the Pangolins physique construction and the science behind their scales.
Pangolins have as many as 1000 scales, every one in every of their paws has 5 toes, and their forefeet have three lengthy, curved, claws used to demolish the nests of termites and ants and to dig nesting and sleeping burrows.
Additionally, for FashWand trend items I chosen a golden yellow coloration for the gemstone that resembles the Pangolin, and I chosen the material colours primarily based on that.
I found that the mature grownup Pangolins are gentle brown, olive, and darkish brown in coloration, whereas younger are pale brown or pink in coloration. One other attention-grabbing reality I realized all through the artistic course of is that Pangolins are fully toothless, solitary and their mechanism of protection is to roll up right into a ball and wait till the hazard goes away.
Kate: Why is it vital to guard this species?
Pangolins are shy, lovely, and innocent animals. It’s past unhappy and unimaginable that greater than 1 million of those superb animals have been poached within the final 10 years.
At the least 1 pangolin is poached each 5 minutes. The poachers use clever trafficking routes throughout the globe and use the developments in expertise to promote their Pangolin merchandise on-line.
All 8 species of Pangolins are present in Asia and Africa (4 in Asia: Chinese language, Sunda, Indian, and Philippine pangolins; 4 in Africa: the bottom pangolin, the large pangolin, the white-bellied pangolin, and black-bellied pangolin) and they’re now all prone to extinction.
Pangolins are killed for drugs, luxurious items, and meals for standing with the best demand in China and Vietnam. Pangolin scales are additionally made into powder and known as drugs. Nonetheless, there isn’t a scientific foundation, the truth is, pangolin scales are made from keratin, the identical materials as our fingernails.
In Asia, some individuals eat Pangolins to display social standing. Just lately poachers are concentrating on an increasing number of of the African pangolins. Along with being killed by poachers they’re in decline on account of habitat loss, and pangolins reproduce slowly, at a price of just one child per yr.
Saving Pangolins is just not just for the great of the majestic Pangolins however for all animals and all different endangered species, as Pangolin sellers are a part of the identical community that kill elephants, tigers, rhinos, and different valuable animals.
Kate: How can we help the pangolin in our personal particular person actions?
Azi: We urgently have to develop and implement collaborative international insurance policies to cease wildlife crime. Listed here are a few of my suggestions for tactics which you could assist:
- Seek the advice of with tech consultants who’re specialised in cyber safety and discover methods to trace down poachers after they use the web.
- Seek the advice of with international coverage makers and develop international legal guidelines that may be enforced and carried out to finish wildlife crime.
- Be alert on-line and look out for pangolin merchandise report them as quickly as you see them.
Kate: The place can we see or help your work, together with your new items impressed by pangolins?
Azi: You may see my work and discover out how one can help my efforts to assist save the Pangolin at www.fashwand.com.
The Plight of the Pangolins – World Pangolin Day on-line speak, dropped at you by the Wildlife Blogger Crowd.
Be a part of Kate on Conservation and Azi Sharif, PhD; Founding father of the design firm FashWand by Azi, and tech firm, Wildlife Bots, for a dialogue in regards to the Unlawful Wildlife Commerce and the plight of Pangolins — the world’s most trafficked animal by watching the video under.
We check out pangolins as a species, why and the way they’ve turn into the poster-animal for the unlawful wildlife commerce, and the work that’s being finished to fight the unlawful commerce of untamed animals and their elements. We additionally look at how trend and expertise can be utilized in conservation.
Azi additionally introduces her pangolin portray and pangolin-inspired trend designs, and we take a look at the function of storytelling past journalism, and into the extra artistic fields.
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The role of technology in tracking poachers, as mentioned by Azi, is an essential aspect of modern conservation strategies. It’s encouraging to see creative solutions being proposed to tackle such a critical issue.
The collaboration between fashion and environmental advocacy is noteworthy. It’s important for consumers to be informed about the impact their purchases can have on wildlife conservation efforts, especially regarding endangered species like pangolins.
Pangolins are indeed fascinating creatures, and their plight deserves more attention. It’s commendable that a portion of the proceeds from FashWand will support conservation programs dedicated to protecting these animals.
The integration of art and conservation, as seen in Azi Sharif’s work, is quite inspiring. It’s interesting to see how storytelling can be leveraged to raise awareness about endangered species like pangolins.
Azi’s approach to blending fashion with conservation efforts is innovative. The statistics on pangolin poaching are alarming and highlight the need for urgent action in wildlife protection initiatives.