Maasai tribesman leads Hongkongers in protest against ivory trade

Over the weekend, a 50-strong crowd of protesters marched through the streets of Sheung Wan, Hong Kong’s main ivory trading district, and called for the government to crack down on ivory trading.

According to Wildaid, Saturday’s protest was the fifth ivory march in the last two years, and was organised by Sean Lee-Davies of Project C:Change and Ted Hodgkinson from Hong Kong’s The Elephant Society. The march, billed as Hong Kong’s “first Maasai March”, featured Daniel Ole Sambu, a Kenyan Maasai warrior as the “guest star”.

Sambu is also a Predator Protection Programme Coordinator for Big Life Foundation, a Kenya-based NGO that is “fighting illegal poaching and habitat destruction”. 

During the march, Sambu appeared “visibly shaken” and told the SCMP “it’s horrible because all I see are dead elephants”. 

As the march began drawing to a close and the main group of protesters dispersed, remaining protesters, including Sambu and Lee-Davies approached an unnamed trader in front of a shop called Antiques & Collectibles.
 

Photo: Alex Hofford

The man, who had a floppy pink mohawk, shouted at the protesters and raised his middle finger to the camera, because that’s definitely a cool and mature way to show people who’s boss (in case the limp pink hair didn’t give it away).

Photos: Alex Hofford

Related articles:

Wildaid debuts first elephant conservation PSA for Hong Kong (VIDEO)

100 schoolchildren march in Hong Kong’s largest anti-ivory protest (PHOTOS)

Coconuts Hong Kong is a media partner of Project C:Change. 


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