Leonardo Dicaprio Calls For Thai Govt And Yingluck To Ban Ivory Trade

[surangw]

hey! he only made a movie here, he needs to spend some time in bar areas to qualify to make such demands

[BrianCR]

I haven't seen the link to the petition itself on here yet.

I doubt if PM Yingluck will undertake anything to conserve elephants.

Anyway, it is worth a try: http://action.panda....mpaign.id=17713

Why do you doubt? Are you now an expert on Thailand?

[01322521959]

What line will Yingluck take to try to stand on both sides of the fence?

The standard answer: That's a good question and the proper authority will give the proper answer at the proper time.

Thank you Sir Humphrey.

[BrianCR]

Just in case you were curious about the hypocrisy of this environmental phase Leo is going through, and the involvement of Thai government... From Wikipedia:

Controversy arose during the making of the film (The Beach) due to 20th Century Fox's bulldozing and landscaping of the natural beach setting of Ko Phi Phi Lee to make it more "paradise-like". The production altered some sand dunes and cleared some coconut trees and grass to widen the beach. Fox set aside a fund to reconstruct and return the beach to its natural state; however, lawsuits were filed by environmentalists who believed the damage to the ecosystem was permanent and restoration attempts had failed.^[4]

The lawsuits dragged on for years. In 2006, Thailand's Supreme Court upheld an appellate court ruling that the filming had harmed the environment and ordered that damage assessments be made. Defendants in the case included 20th Century Fox and some Thai government officials.^[5]

After the film premiered in Thailand in 2000, some Thai politicians were upset at the way Thailand was depicted in the film and called for it to be banned. The depiction of the drug culture was said to give Thailand a bad image and having a statue of Buddha in a bar was cited as "blasphemous".^[6]

That was 13 years ago. Aren't people allowed to change or atone for their former mistakes?

What former mistakes - that was an American Production Company for God sake - and even actors need an income and to get it have to follow the rules (US rules!!!)

[jrincon17]

Pretty sad when some of you guys make negative comments on this guy when he has done more for this country than anyone else on this forum. This guy has more clout with the people in Thailand than any political leader and will do some good. I am sure the PM will voice something whether anything will be done thats another story yet to be heard. Just going to be lip service from the PM I am sure.

[jrincon17]

P.S. who doesnt like Leo Beer !

[lifeincnx]

He's going to "travel around the world to help improve the environment" Hmm .how you doing that Leo.by fuel propelled jets?

Here's how he rolls & flies - a private Gulfstream V.

What exactly is your point? He is successful, has strong name brand recognition and therefore has a far better opportunity to be heard in the face of such blatant animal atrocity. In your narrow world view, if he traveled by coach would his plea resonate more soundly? Edited February 19, 2013 by lifeincnx

[rbrooks]

Now if Leo drops some money down on the table he might get their attention, otherwise forget about it!

[Potosi]

Is the ivory-trade ban about the protection of the animals, or is it about lifting the price of ivory, and monopolizing the trade? Why should the owner of an elephant not sell the ivory when his animal dies of old age? Why shouldn't people make a living collecting ivory from dead animals in the wild? Thailands approach seems sensible, no African-ivory trade, but from Thai elephants it's legal. There are no elephants in the wilderness in Thailand anymore. There are no poachers shooting elephants that are privatly owned, or in elephant farms for tourists.

While we continue to feel good about the ivory-trade ban and think that's gonna save the animal, nature produced the perfect solution for the problem: meet the tuskless elephant. Once a rare genetic oddity, now up to 98% of the animals in some populations are tuskless.

[FDog]

Ok that 5 million pay check, so whats next? I hear the culture minister has a problem with a NOK calendar, for 3 million US I can say I don't like it and it is bad for Africa's Fiji's Russia's image. Oh for crying out loud please keep those cards still, now what is it I was trying to say?

Yum Yum this chicken pie is the best and you will lose 10 kgs in 3 hours if you eat 5 in ten minutes.

Who honestly believes a word a celebrity says?

paid for comment muppets that is all they are.

I don't normally disagree with you but because you are a Saints fan allow me to do so once.

I don't care whether he is a celebrity or not. Is what he says wrong?

Go the mighty Bris Lions..........after the drug scandal is sorted of course.

[Thai at Heart]

Just in case you were curious about the hypocrisy of this environmental phase Leo is going through, and the involvement of Thai government... From Wikipedia:

Controversy arose during the making of the film (The Beach) due to 20th Century Fox's bulldozing and landscaping of the natural beach setting of Ko Phi Phi Lee to make it more "paradise-like". The production altered some sand dunes and cleared some coconut trees and grass to widen the beach. Fox set aside a fund to reconstruct and return the beach to its natural state; however, lawsuits were filed by environmentalists who believed the damage to the ecosystem was permanent and restoration attempts had failed.^[4]

The lawsuits dragged on for years. In 2006, Thailand's Supreme Court upheld an appellate court ruling that the filming had harmed the environment and ordered that damage assessments be made. Defendants in the case included 20th Century Fox and some Thai government officials.^[5]

After the film premiered in Thailand in 2000, some Thai politicians were upset at the way Thailand was depicted in the film and called for it to be banned. The depiction of the drug culture was said to give Thailand a bad image and having a statue of Buddha in a bar was cited as "blasphemous".^[6]

Can buddha be blasphemed?

Not sure that is possible.

[Thai at Heart]

Is the ivory-trade ban about the protection of the animals, or is it about lifting the price of ivory, and monopolizing the trade? Why should the owner of an elephant not sell the ivory when his animal dies of old age? Why shouldn't people make a living collecting ivory from dead animals in the wild? Thailands approach seems sensible, no African-ivory trade, but from Thai elephants it's legal. There are no elephants in the wilderness in Thailand anymore. There are no poachers shooting elephants that are privatly owned, or in elephant farms for tourists.

While we continue to feel good about the ivory-trade ban and think that's gonna save the animal, nature produced the perfect solution for the problem: meet the tuskless elephant. Once a rare genetic oddity, now up to 98% of the animals in some populations are tuskless.

So why import from africa?

[DP25]

There are no elephants in the wilderness in Thailand anymore. There are no poachers shooting elephants that are privatly owned, or in elephant farms for tourists.

There are actually several thousand wild elephants in Thailand. And they are being poached for ivory, there was a big story about a year ago about several elephant corpses with their tusks sawed off being found in a national park.

[tigergrl]

for the record.. rhinos don't produce ivory..they have horns which are of a different composition. more like compressed hair.

in Thailand you don't have to wait until your elephant dies to harvest it's ivory.. you can cut/trim the tusk and sell the smaller

pieces for carving. provided you understand that there is a nerve which grows within the tusk and you don't cut too short,

the tusk will keep growing and you can keep harvesting. if you do cut too short, the tusk may fall out, the elephant could die

of infection and uh oh.. you need a new elephant. maybe you saved your smaller pieces of tusk and you sell them to the

carving shops and make enough to buy a new one. or heck, get a pick-up truck instead.

if people are interested.. there is a petition on the WWF site to ban the ivory trade.. that's why they brought in Leo..

celebrity brings mass appeal.. http://action.panda.org/ea-action/action?ea.client.id=1773&ea.campaign.id=17713

we're looking to get a million signatures.

[OzMick]

If you could get everyone who signs the petition to attach B100, I'm sure it would be received warmly by Yingluk.

[waders123]

I, for one, applaud Mr. DiCaprio and his fellow celebrity friends for throwing their voice behind this worthwhile cause. Without action to save wildlife species from the practice of illegal wildlife trade extinction will be the result. People can slam him for his mode of transportation, his lifestyle, and what his status brings out in people, but the fact is, HE IS WILLING to take on such a righteous cause. Financially, this man is set for life and doesn’t have to do anything but just enjoy the fruits of his labor; he doesn’t need to help anyone or anything. But he has chosen to tackle a problem that impacts the world; not just himself. Mr. DiCaprio's, along with fellow peers, will hopefully lend a hand in enlightening people globally to what the consequences are in NOT taking action to stop the extinction of these endangered species. I say, “Kudos for all these people TRYING to make a difference instead of doing NOTHING”. Trashing people that are at least attempting to do positive action in this world is counter-productive and simply bad taste.

[keemapoot]

He's going to "travel around the world to help improve the environment" Hmm .how you doing that Leo.by fuel propelled jets?

Here's how he rolls & flies - a private Gulfstream V.

What exactly is your point? He is successful, has strong name brand recognition and therefore has a far better opportunity to be heard in the face of such blatant animal atrocity. In your narrow world view, if he traveled by coach would his plea resonate more soundly?

I've never been accused of having a narrow world view, but thanks for that piece of entertainment. In fairness, ever since DiCaprio announced in 2007 that he would try to fly commercially as much as possible, he seems to have done so some or much of the time rather than leave the huge carbon footprint most celebrities in his position leave. That is impressive for a star with a net worth over $200 million as he could own several gulfstreams if he wanted. So, yes I agree he has tried to walk the walk as well as talk the talk. And, in spite of taking a lot of flak for his causes, he has kept at it for over a decade now and has done a lot of good.

But my point remains. Hollywood celebrities are largely hypocrites on environmental and "save the planet" issues.

[JLCrab]

I have no problem with someone like Leonardo using his celebrity status to do some good in this world. However, such celebrity positions always remind me of the Saturday Night Live (SNL) parody of 'We Are The World" entitled "Musicians for Free-Range Chickens" including comments like "Chickens are like you and me, except they're chickens" and lryics:

"We've turned our backs too long

We see that something's wrong."

A transcript is available here http://snltranscript...rchickens.phtml but the hysterical video itself is nominally blocked for Thailand.

Edited February 19, 2013 by JLCrab

[noitom]

Go Leo! That's what Thailand needs is a little global visibility. Maybe some of this "Thai stuff" will start to turn if enough high profile opinion influencers start getting on the case.

[webfact]

UPDATE:

HANDS OFF MY PARTS

DiCaprio calls on Yingluck to ban ivory trade

Agencies

BANGKOK: -- Hollywood heartthrob Leonardo DiCaprio has called on Thailand and Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra to show leadership on elephant conservation by banning all ivory trade in the country.

"Illegal wildlife trade is the most urgent threat facing species like tigers, rhinos and elephants. These animals are being killed every day to feed an escalating demand for their body parts," he said.

In a personal e-mail, DiCaprio, 38, urged the public to join the initiative, which includes spreading the word and signing a global petition calling on Yingluck to prohibit any kind of ivory trade.

He is helping to launch the World Wildlife Fund's animal rights campaign called "Hands off My Parts".

"Whole populations are at risk of being wiped out if we don't take immediate action to shut down this illicit trade. As a key step, I am joining WWF and others in calling on Thailand's government to show leadership on elephant conservation by shutting down its ivory market before |the country hosts a meeting of 177 nations on wildlife trade in March 2013."

The initiative aims to raise awareness about the rhinoceroses, tigers and elephants that are being slaughtered for their skins, bones, tusks, horns and other parts.

The actor and other celebrity animal-rights activists such as Emily VanCamp, Josh Bowman, Stacy Keibler, Alyssa Milano, Ian Somerhalder and Ethan Suplee have banded together to demand immediate action on the black-market trade in fauna.

The superstar said late last month he was taking a breather from acting.

"I'm a little bit drained," he told the German newspaper Bild.

"I am now going to take a long, long break."

After appearing in three films - "Django Unchained", "The Great Gatsby" and the recently finished "The Wolf of Wall Street" - in two years, DiCaprio says he's "just worn out".

Publicity tours for the films still lie ahead, but he has other plans for when his schedule loosens up.

"I would like to improve the world a bit," he said. "I will fly around the world doing good for the environment."

-- The Nation 2013-02-20

[FNQ]

He's going to "travel around the world to help improve the environment" Hmm .how you doing that Leo.by fuel propelled jets?

Good Point !!

Tusk,Tusk, Tusk. Leo (sorry couldnt help myself)

[willyumiii]

This could actually be quite hilarious to watch.

You notice when something indefensible or genuinely embarrasing, it is only handled by the underling ministers, such as culture. Note the deathly silence about the Karen girl from anyone in government. So, in reality, what is Yingluck going to do when asked about this by a reporter? There is absolutely only one logical side to stand on, in this arguement. What line will Yingluck take to try to stand on both sides of the fence?

"You know, elephants, we trade ivory, falang no understand". I await her sheepish response to why this shouldn't be outlawed.

Girl who tries to stand on both sides of fence can not avoid a pain in the ass!

[harber8]

This problem stems from lack of education in the most part.

People in Thailand don't understand food chains and how a species dying out can have far serious repercussions. Where I live in Bangkok there are signs around my condo advertising shark fin soup. Not subtle either. Large neon signs that can be seen for a couple of Kilometers.

I sometimes run this topic and others past my better speaking english students at school to see there reaction. The result.....zero reaction, minimum confrontation, no opinion, as long as thai people are making money there is no problem. They will happily kill out a species to make money then move on to kill out another.

This is how things work here and we all know it.

I hope Yinluck acts on this but honestly I'm not holding my breath.

[GrantSmith]

Speaking of 'Hollywood' bringing Thailand's image into disrepute..

What about Hangover 2?

Full of all sorts of debautry and questionable behavior filmed in Thailand..

I'll now remove my tongue from inside my cheek..

[harrry]

Thai elephants are not famous for their ivory. Most famous byproduct of Thai elephants now is beer.

and coffee

[youngXpat]

Although your intentions are good 'Leo' , please just stick to making movies.

[spidermike007]

Good for Leo. Lets put Yingluck on the spot. Lets ask her to do the right thing. Lets embarrass the Thai authorities for not stepping up. For a man in his position to use his influence to do good for the world is admirable. The world has enough completely self absorbed celebrities like Kobe Bryant, and Nicolas Cage, who do nothing for the planet. Kudos to this man of courage. It sometimes seems that the only way something positive happens here, is due to the loss of face, and the resulting embarrassment. So, lets see if anything develops from this.

[bigbamboo]

Although your intentions are good 'Leo' , please just stick to making movies.

Leo doing his best for chang.

We could singha song about that.

[yourauntbob]

Leo obviously doesn't know Thailand. Just because they ban it doesn't mean they will enforce it.

[HeijoshinCool]

"It is not doable to ban all ivory trading at the moment," said Theerapat Prayurasiddhi, deputy director-general of the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation.

"This is because in the case of domesticated elephants, it's within the owner's rights to do what he wishes with the remains of an elephant after its death. Therefore, we cannot prohibit them from selling the tusks."

He said Thailand has tackled the illegal ivory trade through the registration of shops and businesses and detailed records of sales.

"We are also urging traders not to sell ivory to foreign buyers, who will likely bring it out of the country and therefore violate the CITES agreement," Theerapat said.