Four international airline companies will be taking the message of pangolin conservation to the skies this year.
According to Pangolin.Africa, 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 in-flight entertainment programmes, the statement read.
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 for free on YouTube in 2019 and is now also being made available to airlines for on-board viewing as in-flight online streaming is not commonly available. Director of Pangolin.Africa, Toby Jermyn said: “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.”
On-board screenings are set to run from February this year to coincide with World Pangolin Day on February 15. This will be supported by social media campaigns targeting potential travellers at major international airports where the participating airlines operate out of.
Pangolin.Africa hopes that other airlines also come on board to join the global conservation initiative. Visit www.pangolin.africa/inflight