On Thursday 3 February, OneKind initiated an online stand against potential culls of Red River Hogs at Edinburgh Zoo. This is the story of Save the Hogs.
OneKind was told on Wednesday 2nd February that Edinburgh Zoo were considering culling three more Red River Hogs, you may remember Sammi and Becca were culled in late 2010. OneKind felt this was just not cricket and decided we had to encourage people to contact the zoo to peacefully state their opposition, but...how?
Then it came to us, the immediacy of Twitter and Facebook might just allow us to build a strong movement quickly and effectively. We decided on engaging people using the hashtag #savethehogs, this would allow people to track the conversation and engage with fellow supporters.
The conversation built rapidly, with thousands of people getting involved in letting the zoo know their feelings on the possible culls. We gained strong support from our friends at Captive Animals Protection Society, which helped us reach an even wider audience.
On Friday 4th February, the press revealed that the zoo would now commit to finding new homes for the three Red River Hog Piglets. This was fantastic news for the legions of online supporters who helped drive the positive result.
This astounding result, achieved in just one afternoon, demonstrates the reach which social media allows for charities. OneKind was able to rally strong support from like minded individuals who felt compelled to speak out for animals.
It only serves to display what we can achieve we stand together, allowing for the realisation that behind social media are very real human feelings. In adopting a proactive and dynamic response to this issue, people were able to come together, exerting a powerful influence. Everybody who got involved can be very proud of the result. How about that for social media return on investment?
Of course, OneKind cannot continue to respond to issues like this in such a fashion without the dedication and commitment of our wonderful movement. The last mention goes to all of you. We thank you all from the bottom of our hearts.
If you would like to help animals, then please give what you can. We can't run any of our exciting and dynamic campaigns without you.