A number of international airline companies will be taking the message of pangolin conservation to the skies this year.
British Airways, Swiss International Air Lines, Lufthansa and Austrian Airlines have all committed to screening the ground-breaking documentary Eye of the Pangolin on their long-haul routes. Pangolin.Africa, the non-profit organisation who co-produced the film, is also in negotiation with several other key carriers to include the film in their inflight entertainment programmes.
Pangolins are currently the most trafficked wildlife species on earth, and the film aims to raise much-needed awareness around the plight of this extraordinary animal.
The film was released online for free on YouTube in 2019 and is now also being made available to airlines for onboard viewing, as inflight online streaming is not commonly available. Says director of Pangolin.Africa Toby Jermyn: “We see passengers in flight as the perfect captive audience to enjoy and learn from our 45-minute film about two men’s mission to get all four species of African pangolin on film for the first time. The move to make the film available to airlines for free is in line with our goal to make Eye of the Pangolin the most watched wildlife documentary ever.”
Onboard screenings are set to run from February this year to coincide with World Pangolin Day on 15 February. This will be supported by social media campaigns targeting potential travellers at major international airports where the participating airlines operate out of.
Pangolin.Africa is inviting other international airlines to also ‘come on board’ and join Team Pangolin in this global conservation initiative. Visit www.pangolin.africa/inflight for details.