Counter-wildlife trade exhibition held in Skytrain station of Bangkok on World Environment Day

An exhibition is held at the skywalk linking the national stadium skytrain station in Bangkok to increase public support for wildlife protection on Sunday, which is the annual World Environment Day.

Pictures of celebrities such as the Chinese actress Li Bingbing and Thai veterinarian Pattarapol Maneeorn overlapping animal images can be seen at the exhibition, which advocates zero tolerance against wildlife crime.

"Poaching wildlife, consuming meat of them, and destroying their natural habitats are important ways that viruses are transmitted to human beings, so protecting them and the environment is protecting ourselves." said the vet Pattarapol at the opening ceremony.

Some other guest speakers criticized the Tiger Temple of Thailand where dead tiger cubs and items made of tiger fangs and skin are found in a raid.

The now closed Tiger Temple is a famous tourist site and was described as a place where "monks and tigers live in harmony".

Besides the exhibition, Thai students and teachers at the nearby Bangkok Cultural Center were drawing animals on T-shirts and small boards that would be distributed to passers-by.

The event is organized by the United Nations Environment Programme(UNDP), the Freeland Foundation, the Bangkok Cultural Center, Roongaroon School, Thammasart University and Bangkok Mass Transit System Public(BTS) Company, which runs the skytrain in Bangkok.

According to CEO of the BTS Surapong Laoha-unya, the company has also supported the treatment of injured elephant across Thailand since 2010, which are often poached for their tusks.

World Environment Day 2016 focuses on urgent need for all to act against the escalating crisis of wildlife crime on the theme "Go wild for life". Endit