INTERVIEW / PHOTO OPPORTUNITY - Patricia Sims Co-Founder of World Elephant Day and Producer/Director "Return to the Forest"
TORONTO, July 17, 2012 /CNW/ -
What: | The first-ever World Elephant Day (http://www.worldelephantday.org/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/worldelephantday; Twitter: @ElephantMovie) in conjunction with the film "Return to the Forest" is an international awareness campaign to inform the public about the urgent plight of Asian and African elephants. The campaign is commissioned and supported by the Elephant Reintroduction Foundation (http://www.elephantreintroduction.org/eng/menu1_en.html) in Thailand and developed by Canadian Patricia Sims of Canazwest Pictures Inc. | |
Where: | The World Elephant Day website will release "Return to the Forest," a 30-minute documentary produced by CanazWest Pictures Inc. and commissioned by the Elephant Reintroduction Foundation, a royal initiative of HM Queen Sirikit of Thailand. Actor William Shatner is the narrator. | |
Why: | Both species of elephants — African and Asian — are under siege. With less than 50,000 Asian elephants left in the world, they are now considered endangered. About 4,000 live in Thailand with approximately 2,800 in captivity and 1,200 in the wild. While facing severe threat from habitat loss, Asian elephants are also killed for their ivory, meat and body parts while young elephants are removed from their natural environment for use in the tourism industry. In Africa, there are less than 400,000 elephants. During the past two years, poaching for ivory has surged to unprecedented levels. It is estimated that 100 African elephants are slaughtered daily for the illegal trade. | |
When: | World Elephant Day August 12, 2012 |
MEDIA: For more information, visuals or to book a one-on-one interview via Skype with Patricia Sims, (producer/director of "Return to the Forest" and originator of World Elephant Day) and Sivaporn Dardarananda, Secretary General of the Elephant Reintroduction Foundation, please contact Susan Willemsen, Alexandra Muszynski-Kwan or Michelle Jobin at The Siren Group Inc. Tel: (416) 461-5270. Fax: (416) 778-9047. Email: [email protected], Online: www.thesirengroup.com or on Twitter @thesirengroup
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