Extinct – a roaring success for tigers
It was the Pop Idol of the natural world, bringing the plight of some of the world’s most endangered animals to millions of TV viewers. And it helped raise over £650,000 to help WWF conserve threatened species around the world.
Presented by Zoe Ball and Sir Trevor McDonald, Extinct was first broadcast in December 2006 on ITV. The series featured eight of the world’s most iconic endangered animals. Viewers voted for the animal they wanted to benefit from the money their votes raised.
Celebrity champions
Celebrities presented short films about each of the animals, explaining why they were in danger and what could be done to save them. The contenders and their celebrity champions were:
- Polar bear – Anneka Rice
- Giant panda – David Suchet
- Orang-utan – Sadie Frost
- Hyacinth macaw – Michael Portillo
- Mountain gorilla – Graeme Le Saux
- Asian elephant – Miranda Richardson
- Leatherback sea turtle – Dermot O’Leary
- Bengal tiger – Pauline Collins
And the winner was…
The Bengal tiger received the most votes, followed by the mountain gorilla and the giant panda.
Phone voting helped to raise over £350,000. That gave WWF just over £178,000 to spend on tiger conservation projects, with the same amount shared equally between the seven runners-up. Viewers also donated more than £300,000 to support WWF’s conservation work.
Tiger’s share
WWF is putting the tiger’s share of the money towards conservation projects in Nepal, where around 350 Bengal tigers remain in the wild.
It’s funding anti-poaching activities and scientific studies that will help us understand more about tigers and their prey. We’re also repairing guard posts destroyed in Nepal’s civil conflict, and building a state-of-the-art wildlife forensics laboratory.
Fantastic opportunity
“Extinct gave WWF a fantastic opportunity to reach a huge audience,” said WWF’s director of communications, Winnie De’Ath.
“As well as appealing to the UK’s famous passion for charismatic species, the series enabled us to highlight the reality of our work on the ground – showing issues such as people struggling to make a living from their natural resources. The response was fabulous, and raised vital funds to help us continue our urgent work.”
You can…
How you can help
Extinct gave WWF a fantastic opportunity to reach a huge audience
Winnie De’Ath, WWF’s director of communications