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APRIL 13, 2027

United we turn our planet
GREEN for BUANOI

#FreeBuanoiDay #SetBuanoiFree #ShineALightForBuanoi

About

Event

BUANOI

BuaNoi is the only gorilla in Thailand. She was trafficked and has been in a shopping mall zoo for nearly 40 years living in horrific conditions just for human entertainment. Her cage is concrete with no grass, no trees and no sunshine. Her name means Little Lotus and we can not comprehend the loneliness she feels.

We launched International Free BuaNoi Day to raise awareness of her plight and help shut down the notorious Pata Zoo. BuaNoi will also represent all animals held captive for human entertainment and who are victims of wildlife trafficking.

Each year on April 13th we ask you to light a candle (preferably green) at 7.00pm your time to show your support. If everyone lights their candles at 7.00 pm in their local time zone, a wave of light will travel around the globe from time zone to time zone.

Why green? To represent the forest/habitat she should be living in.

Please photograph your candle and do a post on social media using the hashtags above to spread the word about BuaNoi. You can also download Social Media posts and banners here

#shinealightforbuanoi

For hundreds of years, lighting a candle has been a way to show respect for those who need to be remembered. To support BuaNoi please light a candle (preferably green) at 7.00pm wherever you are to show the world captive animals now have a voice!

Take a picture of your candle, tag us #shinealightforbuanoi, #freebuanoiday, or send it by email to animalheroeshalloffame@gmail.com and we will add it to the annual candle-lighting album..

2026

Wildlife In Crisis is a four part series shedding light on Hoo Pub, Bua Noi, Zaytin and wildlife trafficking.

Part One: with Sinjira Apaitan, a Thai activist who has spent nearly 40 years fighting for the only gorilla in Thailand, Bua Noi. Bua Noi was trafficked and lives isolated, in highly unsuitable conditions in Pata Zoo, located on the top of a derelict shopping mall. Sinjira is also raising awareness for Hoo Pub, a young bull elephant who died during relocation due to human-wildlife conflict after questionable actions by veterinarians and authorities.

Part Two: with Sai Scott, a Thai activist who has been speaking out about the death of Hoo Pub and raising awareness for Bua Noi in Pata Zoo. He shares insight into Thai animal laws, the accountability of the government and his other conservation and marine work.

Part Three: with Daniel Stiles, a leading Wildlife Trade Investigator who explains how exactly wildlife trafficking works. He also shares his experiences of Bua Noi and Pata Zoo and discusses the similarities between her case and the more recent story of Zaytin, a trafficked baby gorilla, currently held captive in Istanbul, Turkey. Unless the authorities agree to release him, he is destined to become the next Bua Noi.

Part Four: with Colin Sytsma, the award-winning cinematographer of two documentaries and an animation focusing on the wildlife trade. He shares with us his experiences of meeting and filming Bua Noi and working with Wildlife Trade Investigator Daniel Stiles (interviewed in part three). We also discuss the effects of trafficking on the ecosystem.