A FUND FOR THAILAND’S BRAVEST

Life as a forest ranger is undeniably tough, and certainly not one with comfort. They spend half their time trekking and living in the woods to protect the country’s natural resources. And in light of the killing of the black Indochinese leopard, the spotlight now shines on these brave rangers who risk themselves catching powerful men. Their sacrifices draw sympathetic souls who wish to support these unsung heroes. The Unifying Thai Spirit Foundation, along with several Thai celebrities and the western unit of the Thungyai Naresuan wildlife sanctuary, is now selling Phuen Poo Pitak Pa (Friends of Wildlife Protector) T-shirts as part of a fundraising project to support the work of these rangers. Proceeds made from the sale will be used to set up a trust fund for the project to finance health and life insurance for the rangers, supplies, equipment, food, medicine, as well as scholarships for the rangers’ children. The fund will be available to all rangers within the west side of the Thungyai Naresuan wildlife sanctuary, and will be expanded to cover rangers in other areas as well. This side of the Thungyai Naresuan wildlife sanctuary is currently run by Wichian Chinwong, who led the team in the arrest of construction magnate Premchai Karnasuta for wildlife poaching. The vast area covers 1,331,062 rai of land in Kanchanaburi province. It is home to several rare species of wildlife. However, the sanctuary only has 226 staff members and rangers to protect the area. The sale of the T-shirt, and the people who will be wearing them later in public, will persist in the call for justice for fallen wildlife, draw attention to the merciless crime of men who remain unpunished, and to raise awareness on the burden these forest rangers have to face in their line of work. It will hopefully keep the conversation on the black leopard alive and keep the public eye on the case to ensure justice is served for the lost animals and the hardworking rangers. The T-shirt, available in black and white colours, features a black leopard, deer and pheasant — all the unfortunate victims of the recent killing — on the design made by artist Tossaporn Klunkaew from Spankystudio. They can be ordered from all branches of 7-Eleven, or online by clicking on the “fashion” tab at 24catalog.com and shopat24.com. The T-shirt costs 300 baht for S-XL size, and 250 baht for XXL and 3XL size. Orders can be made from now until April 7, with the T-shirt to be made available from April 25 onwards.