No Ivory, No Tiger Amulets campaign launched on World Wildlife Day

On March 3, USAID and Thailand’s Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP) launched the “No Ivory No Tiger Amulets #ไม่พึ่งเขี้ยวงา” campaign, a joint USAID-DNP effort to reduce the demand for wildlife products. The campaign video features the well-known Buddhist Dharma Teacher, Venerable Maha Sompong Talaputto, calling on the public to question their belief in the protective power of ivory and tiger amulets and to stop buying and using these products. This is the second of a two-phased six-month campaign targeting spiritual beliefs, a key driver to the purchase and use of ivory and tiger products revealed by USAID Wildlife Asia’s 2018 consumer research in Thailand. So what? Social and behavior change communication research indicates that sustained and repeat messages are necessary to alter attitudes and behavior. Dissemination of campaign messages will be distributed through digital media, billboards, and on tuk-tuks within locations accessed by amulet buyers and traders in order to reach the target audience.