EndDanger

When I was younger, my little brothers owned pet turtles. They were named Michelangelo and Leonardo (how original). I thought they were so cute but I never realized their significance until they passed away years ago. I now know how wrong it was to have them trapped in an aquarium all their lives. Just a few months ago, my friend told me a horrific story about how her uncle urged her to eat ginataang pawikan, sea turtle cooked in coconut milk, one time when they went on vacation. Can you imagine?! They’re endangered!! How can people actually kill a poor pawikan and still manage to sleep at night?

As a responsible member of the community, I feel that we should do our part in taking care of this planet, and everything that resides in it, no matter how small a part it may seem. Every action counts, which is why I’m urging all of you to participate in this event called EndDanger.

EndDanger is an art exhibit and music fest fundraiser for Save Philippine Seas’ Pawikan Watchers. The event opens on January 19, 2013 at the Conspiracy Garden Café, Quezon City.

EndDanger, which features mixed media artworks from the group Artists for Nature and performances from Flying Ipis and other bands, calls attention to the growing problem of animal endangerment in the Philippines and encourages the community to get involved in conservation and protection efforts.

The artists and organizers behind EndDanger seek to raise funds for the monitoring of one of the Philippines’ most threatened species, the pawikan. All proceeds from the event’s ticket sales will go to the Pawikan Watchers training program, which Save Philippine Seas (SPS)—an independent movement that fights abuse of our aquatic resources through legal discourse and social media—launched in cooperation with Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau (PAWB).

Pawikan Watchers aims to educate volunteers from different parts of the Philippines on the ecology and biology of, and PAWB-approved guidelines for, handling sea turtles. Apart from raising funds, Artists for Nature sees the exhibit as an opportunity to broaden public awareness of the urgent need to preserve our wildlife.

The art exhibit runs up to February 8, 2013. Conspiracy Garden Café is located at 59 Visayas Avenue, Project 6, Quezon City.

For opening night tickets or more information, please contact Wendi Garcia at +639162742859 or artistsfornature@gmail.com. Like them on Facebook www.facebook.com/artistsfornature and follow them on Twitter (@artists4nature) for updates.