See all the experts What is your job?
WildAid, Director of Field Operations.
Where do you work?
Bangkok, Thailand.
Why do you care about helping clouded leopards?
I care about conserving all wild animals. And over the years I have noticed that
poachers and traffickers who were killing and selling other rare cats, like tigers,
have taken more interest in clouded leopards now that it's hard to find tigers in
the wild. This is the normal trend in the illegal wildlife trade. When one species
starts to run "low", the traffickers simply move onto the next. So the
story of the clouded leopard is an important one. No cat or any wild animal is safe
from the illegal trade without more protection and education.
How did you get your start?
I was an investigative researcher, working on the illegal trade in arms and drugs.
I was asked to look into a similar black market business --the illegal wildlife
trade. I got hooked.
What's the best part of your job?
Working with my very dedicated staff and with the agencies we train. Everyone seems
quite passionate about protecting nature and wild animals, like it's their life's
calling. We're all lucky to have a meaning to our life.
What suggestions could you give me for getting into your field?
Learn to write reports, grant proposals, and pick one skill in conservation and
get really good at it. It could be fundraising, PR, or it could be project monitoring,
management, wildlife monitoring, or community outreach. But make sure you can write
and communicate well, and personal management skills are a must.
Do you think clouded leopards have a chance to survive in the
wild?
Absolutely. We need to protect their habitat and make sure their homes are secured
(with patrolling and strong community support). And we need to make sure that the
trade in cat skins becomes a thing of the past, or at least much less trendy than
it is now.
How can I help clouded leopards?
Help raise awareness of its plight, and help raise money for projects that are doing
something to change the situation.
|
| | | | |
Copyright 2003-2023. The Clouded Leopard Project. All Rights Reserved.
Original site design by
|