The handbag also carries a strong message.
When people come to the zoo, they expect to see the animals in action. But one London zoo has done something remarkable to draw attention to the threat facing different species of animals. At the enclosure for the Siamese Crocodile, zoo authorities placed a handbag made from its skin, to combat the use of animal skins and fur as fashion. The poignant photo has gone viral on Twitter since it was posted on August 2nd and has received more than 370,000 likes and over 60,000 retweets.
The photo was posted by Twitter user Tom, who visited the zoo, with the caption, “London Zoo is not to be provoked.”
London Zoo doesn’t pee around pic.twitter.com/C9cxoDCba2
– BATH (@sleepy_homo) August 1, 2022
The message is pasted together with the crown colored bag for a serious accent. “This bag has been found swimming in slow-flowing rivers and streams throughout Southeast Asia and Indonesia. Over the past 75 years, more than 80 percent of Siamese crocodiles have disappeared. Many species like this are hunted for their food. da. on the illegal wildlife trade,” it said.
Follow BBCThe bag was seized by UK border officials at a London airport in 2018 and delivered to a zoo to highlight the impact of the global illegal wildlife trade.
Twitter users were shocked when they saw the photo.
“It’s not even a cute bag… I understand how animals get revenge right now because you mean you killed my family to make this ugly thing?” said one user. “It should be taken seriously,” said another.
The Siamese crocodile, native to parts of Southeast Asia, is critically endangered and nearly extinct in the wild. Only 500-1,000 of these crocodiles are thought to be left worldwide due to habitat loss and hunting.
Humans treat animals ethically (PETA), an organization that works to end the ill-treatment of animals, recently reported that more than 1 billion animals are killed for their hides or skins annually worldwide.
Reptiles such as pythons, caimans, rat snakes, monitor lizards, tegu lizards, crocodiles and alligators are often hunted for their skins.
The 196-year-old zoo, in London’s Regent’s Park, is home to more than 3,000 animals confiscated by border police at the city’s airports.
