14 DAY TRIAL // When it comes to raising awareness with respect to the need to protect various endangered species, wacky ideas are the ones that more often than not prove successful. Hence comedian Bill Bailey's decision to ask people that they grow a beard in order to promote orangutan conservation.
This campaign was launched this March 25 by a green-oriented group known as the Sumatran Orangutan Society, and its official name is Ape-ril.
“Grow your beard in Ape-ril: release the ape in you,” the greenheads now working with the Sumatran Orangutan Society wrote on the official website for this project.
As the name of this campaign suggests, those who agree to grow a beard in order to show their support for conservation projects aimed at safeguarding orangutans will be allowed to shave it off once the month of April comes to an end. Look to the Stars reports that, when asked to explain his decision to support this campaign, Bill Bailey argued that, as scientific evidence shows, these apes are not all that different from humans.
“We share 96.4% of our DNA with orangutans – some of us, perhaps, a little more… I’ve been told I look like a man of the forest,” the comedian told members of the press.
“We’re apes too, so go wild and grow a beard – by raising awareness, and vital funds, we can make a real and lasting impact on the survival of orangutans. And that’s got to be worth a bit of an itchy chin,” Bill Bailey went on to argue.
The women and children who wish to take part in this campaign yet fear that they won't be allowed to do so due to their being unable to grow a bead need not worry.
This is because both Bill Bailey and the people at the Sumatran Orangutan Society thoroughly approve of fake beards, regardless of whether they are worn for a day, a week or even an entire month.
“Sumatran orangutans are on the edge of extinction, but SOS are working hard to turn this around – they deserve your support,” Bill Bailey wished to emphasize.
To learn more about Ape-ril, check out the campaign's official website here.