“GOOD-FOR-NOTHING BUSHMEAT” CAMPAIGN

Calling on the community to “say No” to wildlife trade and consumption, Choice Not-for-profit and WildAid are launching the Good-for-Nothing Bushmeat Campaign (Vie: Chiến dịch Thịt rừng Sạch – Sành – “Xanh”?).

The campaign aims to change the awareness and behavior of bushmeat consumers by offering new perspectives to voice opposition to the outdated belief that “bushmeat is hygienic, organic, and fit for gourmets”, in addition to providing information on the threats of bushmeat consumption to humans.

The campaign will be implemented in the peak of bushmeat consumption during the 2024 summer tourism season, officially kicking off on June 24, 2024, through many online and offline media channels, including outdoor advertising systems at Vincom Phạm Ngọc Thạch, Hanoi and Ben Thanh Market, Ho Chi Minh City, LCD screens in elevators of office buildings, high-end apartments, and major social media platforms such as Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok. The campaign specifically targets bushmeat consumers, with a focus on Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and other major cities – where 80% of bushmeat is consumed in Vietnam.

Bushmeat and other wildlife products are illegally sold out in the open with attractive assurances: that bushmeat is Hygienic (Vie: Sạch) as wildlife is hunted and butchered on the spot, a Gourmet (Vie: Sành) delicacy fit for the most authentic of epicureans who enjoy savoring Organic (Vie: Xanh) delicacies fresh from nature. Therefore, gullible consumers mistakenly believe that bushmeat, which carries many hidden pathogens, is safer and more nutritious than livestock meat that has undergone inspections.

Can bushmeat be “Hygienic”, when underlying the eye-catching bushmeat dishes is actually rotten meat that was poorly preserved underground and putting consumers at risk of many infectious diseases such as SARS coronavirus, Ebola, A/H5N1, Nipah virus.

Is bushmest “HYGIENIC”?

Can bushmeat be “Gourmet”, when advertised as bushmeat, such as wild boar meat, is in fact meat from farmed pigs who were starved and implanted with fake hair strands to imitate bushmeat delicacies.

Is bushmeat “GOURMET”?

Can bushmeat be “Organic”, when the meat is preserved with formaldehyde and “cleansed” with other harmful chemicals before being sold? Or are they all just cunning tricks of the trade and baseless rumors that make consumers “pay” a hefty price for this good-for-nothing bushmeat.

Is bushmeat “ORGANIC”?

The Good-for-Nothing Bushmeat Campaign (Vie: Chiến dịch Thịt rừng Sạch – Sành – “Xanh”?) questions the “hygienic, gourmet, and organic” impression of bushmeat. The tagline “Ăn miếng thịt rừng mất Sạch Sành Sanh” also serves as a wordplay in Vietnamese, meaning one will lose everything with just one bite of bushmeat. Not only are consumers of bushmeat unable to achieve the rumored health benefits, but they also risk contracting dangerous infectious diseases, digestive diseases, and even cancer due to consuming unhygienic meat that has been treated with toxic chemicals. Mr. Trần Thanh Kim Tiền, Marketing Communications Manager at Choice Not-for-profit, shares: “With the Good-for-Nothing Bushmeat Campaign, Choice and WildAid hope to inform the public of the threats behind bushmeat consumption, thereby eliminating bushmeat from being sold at delicacy restaurants, encouraging the public to be mindful of their health and contributing to wildlife conservation.”

The campaign is launched with the Good-for-Nothing Bushmeat video clip to oppose the outdated belief that “bushmeat is hygienic, organic, and fit for gourmets”. By utilizing creative key visuals with intriguing underlying messages, the campaign subtly lets the public arrive at their own conclusion on the subject matter. Subsequently, the public can change their behavior and adopt a less impactful lifestyle for the environment and wildlife. The campaign also launches the https://choicevn.com/noikhongvoithitrung website to provide general information about the campaign, along with scientific facts and statistics on the looming threats from bushmeat and other wildlife products, in addition to guidelines on living more in harmony with nature and conserving the environment. Moreover, the community can commit to taking action for wildlife by pledging via the website to turn down bushmeat and urging others to do the same.