Former champion Andy Murray continues to endorse the World Wide Fund For Nature at this year’s US Open through an endorsement campaign led by the UK number one sporting the NGO’s panda on his shirt.
The WWF global ambassador will wear the iconic WWF logo on his sleeve throughout the US Open as he blends two of his life passions – tennis and wildlife – to highlight the organisation’s fight against the illegal wildlife trade.
The illegal wildlife trade sees around 30,000 African elephants killed by poachers each year.
The logo badge raises awareness of the programme on-court and through TV, while Murray led PR work also drives consumers and animal lovers online to the campaign site where Murray fronts a direct donation drive at wwf.org.uk/andy.
The programme is also being amplified across social media.
Our ambassador @andy_murray will sport the panda during #USOpen to highlight wildlife crime http://t.co/3anjefG3A0 pic.twitter.com/xrWUAAq1N6
— WWF UK (@wwf_uk) August 25, 2015
‘I’m extremely proud to support WWF and it’s great to be able to raise global awareness for their work to protect some of the most iconic, yet threatened species on our planet,’ trumpets Murray.
‘While the spotlight will be on the players during the tournament, I hope that supporters will also take a moment to find out more about WWF’s work and my particular interest in their fight against the illegal wildlife trade.’
Comment
This isn’t the first time Murray has fronted a WWF marketing initiative at a 2015 major tournament.
Earlier in the summer at Wimbledon, the two-time Grand Slam winner raised awareness for WWF’s programme in Nepal supporting the use and training of dogs to track and catch poachers through the #GoWildForAndy campaign which marked the start of the All England Club Championships fortnight.
Led by two sniffer dog films.
The aim of the campaign is to raise awareness of the role of the sniffer dogs working in Chitwan National Park in the battle against illegal wildlife trade.
Murray first became a WWF global ambassador back in November 2014.
WWF even named a new puppy in the Nepalese elite dog team ‘Murray’ and in March 2015 the world number three even named the companion of his own sniffer dog ‘Sears’ in tribute to his wife.
‘Andy’s support for our fight against poaching has been fantastic in raising both the crucial funds and awareness necessary to help tackle the illegal wildlife trade,’ explains WWF chief species advisor Heather Sohl.
‘It’s wonderful to have this opportunity to highlight our work on a global stage and as always, we wish Andy the best of luck on court.’
Links
WWF Andy Murray Website:
WWF YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/user/WWFunitedkingdom
WWF Website:
WWF Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/WWFUnitedKingdom
WWF Twitter:
WWF Instagram:
https://instagram.com/wwf_uk/?hl=en
Andy Murray Website:
