WATSONS Malaysia has raised RM29,775 in conjunction with “World Tapir Day”, which is held on April 27 annually.
The funds were raised by Naturals by Watsons, through the “We Hug Tapir” nationwide campaign, which was organised by Watsons for the third consecutive year, in collaboration with Pocotee & Friends and the Ecotourism and Conservation Society Malaysia (ECOMY).
Watsons contributed RM1 from the sale of Natural haircare and bodycare products towards the campaign. The funds will be channelled towards ECOMY in support of its mission of conserving Malaysia’s unique habitat, plants and wildlife as well as promoting sustainable tourism as one of the key elements of conservation.
With only four species of tapirs left in the world, the animal is classified as an endangered species under the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List. The campaign aims to educate the public about tapir awareness and the importance of conservation efforts to create awareness of rainforests and other habitats.
Managing director of Watsons Malaysia Caryn Loh said the company is on a mission to conserve Malaysia’s heritage and wildlife through the “We Hug Tapir” campaign.
“Through this campaign, we took the opportunity to educate our shoppers about the awareness of tapirs and how the decline of its population will affect our ecosystem. With the destruction of the forest, tapirs are forced to the brink of extinction along with countless other species. Not only would it disrupt key ecological processes such as seed dispersal and nutrient recycling, it will also compromise the biodiversity of the forest ecosystem.
“Hence, we chose Natural by Watsons range of products as it resonates with the advocacy of using natural ingredients and promotes environmental consciousness. We would also like to thank our shoppers for purchasing the Natural by Watsons range of products during the campaign and joining in our initiative to save the tapirs and our environment,” she said.
At the culmination of the campaign, Loh presented a mock cheque to Elena, the co-founder and CEO of ECOMY.
