Turtles appear on Bournemouth beach with 'say no' message

by Daniel Farey-Jones, Brand Republic 06-May-09, 12:00

LONDON - Two hundred cardboard turtles created by Rapp and left on a Bournemouth beach have helped the International Fund for Animal Welfare raise awareness of how tourist souvenirs threaten the survival of the species.

The ambient stunt was carried out at first light on Monday. People who picked up the life-size turtle models left on the beach discovered a message on their underside which said: "Turning the turtle over is the first thing the poachers do".

Totalling just above 100 words, the copy attempted to convince people not to buy items made from tortoiseshell (turtle shell), which are illegal and involve the slaughter of many endangered marine turtles by poachers.

In a recent survey, IFAW discovered that just one in four people knew items labelled as "genuine tortoiseshell" are actually made from the hard shells of sea turtles.

The message finished with the appeal "Think Twice -- don't buy wildlife souvenirs" and an invitation to visit the IFAW website to find out more.

Robbie Marsland, the UK director of IFAW, said: "This turtle invasion may look out of place on an English beach but unfortunately many endangered species have their final resting place in this country -- as tokens of exotic holiday abroad."

Rapp's previous work for IFAW has included a viral based on the Cadbury's Dairy Milk 'Gorilla' ad.