WiLDCOAST/TURTLE CAMPAIGN ON NPR

WiLDCOAST TURTLE CAMPAIGN ON
NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO/DAY TO DAY

A Racy Ad Campaign to Save Sea Tortoises

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http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4951194

by Lourdes Garcia-Navarro 
 
Day to Day, October 10, 2005 · In Mexico, a new campaign to protect endangered sea tortoise eggs has been launched across the country with the help of a controversial spokesperson: Playboy model, singer and pin-up icon Dorismar.

In Latin America, sea tortoise eggs are reputed to boost male potency -- and that myth has driven some species of tortoise to near extinction. The California-based group Wildcoast and a slate of Mexican conservation organizations enlisted the help of Dorismar, the Mexican musical supergroup Los Tigres del Norte and other Latino celebrities to get out the message that sea tortoises are worth saving.

Dorismar's suggestive ads show glamour photos of the scantily clad, busty model with words that translate to: "My man doesn't need tortoise eggs." The model also made a personal appeal in a recent appearance on "Sabado Gigante" with Don Francisco, known as the "Johnny Carson of Latin America." The show reaches a global audience of more than 100 million in 42 nations.

Not everyone welcomes Dorismar's personal appeal -- women's groups, for example, say the ads are demeaning. But Wildcoast officials say the campaign is getting the message out to the people who matter most: men who eat tortoise eggs and meat for their supposed sexual powers.

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WILDCOAST 2002 TURTLE CAMPAIGN AT:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1140655