Gisele Bündchen is a sea turtle, Cara Delevingne is not a trophy. It seems as though every week a new supermodel is speaking out against animal trafficking, and we are by no means complaining.
Today, the British model and actress announced her role as inaugural ambassador of I’m Not a Trophy. The organization, founded by French artist and photographer Arno Elias, seeks to spread awareness of the plight of endangered species around the world. For example, did you know Earth has lost half of its wildlife in the past 40 years?
“I am so proud to be an ambassador of @imnotatrophy organization to create greater awareness in the malicious acts of trophy hunting and poaching of endangered species!” Delevingne captioned her eye-catching Instagram unveil, in which she poses naked, the image of a leopard superimposed on her skin. Further shots from the series include a nude Cara obscured by images of elephants, gorillas, zebras and, but of course, lions.
We’ve long known of Cara’s propensity for all things lion-related. The Leo has a tattoo of the animal on her index finger and posed with a wild cub as part of a 2015 Tag Heuer campaign, much to the dismay of animal rights activists. “Lion cubs are not photo props. Their health and well-being should not be compromised,” animal rights expert Neil D’Cruze scorned. In Cara’s defense, she later auctioned off her personal TAG Heuer watch to raise money for wildcru.org, the Wildlife Conservation Research Unit that was studying Cecil the Lion up until his untimely death.
Now, she’s taking her efforts one step further: “I plan on being very hands-on with the organization and will do whatever I can to help create awareness for the tragic poaching and trophy hunting that is occurring in Africa,” the Rimmel spokesgirl told Marie Claire.
The non-profit is understandably hyped to have Cara’s formidable star power behind it: “This imagery of Cara Delevingne with endangered species printed on her skin is a great driving force because she does not only deliver a message to address the memorial of these hunted species but to empower young women,” reads the campaign website. “These photographs show the freedom and liberation of women and the voice to make an impact on a greater cause.”
To those with a real say in the matter: Now that Cara’s got your attention, let’s see some enforcement.
[ via Marie Claire ]
