Eleven Chinese wildlife “ambassadors” traveled to Kenya last November to help shine the spotlight on the dire situation of illegal trade of wildlife in the country, China Daily reported.
These delegates, which are International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) media partners, are the first batch of wildlife ambassadors from China. Basketball player Yao Ming previously visited the country in 2012, while actress Li Bingbing followed in 2013.
Aside from a tour, the delegation participated in a conservation forum held during the 40th Africa Travel Association conference in Nairobi.
Delegates included Zhang Yue, an anchor on China Central Television.
"We have come to Kenya with good wishes and in good faith to show the African people our determination to stop the illegal wildlife trade," said Yue in a speech addressed to the forum. "In the future, we hope they will proudly show the world that where there are Chinese people, there is hope for animals."
The main goal of sending delegates to the African country is to educate the Chinese people about illegal wildlife trade, particularly in ivory, and discourage them from supporting such products.
"We hope that these Chinese wildlife champions can mobilize Chinese nationals living in Africa to join the endeavor to conserve African elephants," said Grace G. Gabriel, Asia regional director of IFAW.
The media companies also donated free goods and services valued at tens of millions of dollars. It has helped fund a campaign that penetrated 80 percent of Chinese cities within a period of eight months.
"As members of the media, we need not only lead the public to reject wildlife products such as ivory, but also show them the beauty of the wildlife we need to preserve together," said Cheng Fengming, deputy director-general of JCDecaux China. "We need them to understand that wildlife is worth more alive than dead."