11/08/2024 | News release | Distributed by Public on 11/08/2024 10:35
Hamburg, November 8, 2024 - Bill and Tom Kaulitz are now official ambassadors for the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW). The two Tokio Hotel musicians will work with the international NGO to campaign for conservation and animal welfare.
Bill and Tom Kaulitz have supported the work of the IFAW since 2023 and launched the BeOcean marine conservation awareness campaign in September 2024. The twins recently donated their winnings of € 50,000 from the Amazon Prime Show LOL: Last One Laughing to support the work of IFAW.
"Animals mean the world to us. We are incredibly proud when we can use our reach to help protect endangered species," explains Tom Kaulitz, guitarist of the band Tokio Hotel. "We have come to know IFAW very well and have learned a lot about their mission to save marine mammals and protect endangered animals. We are donating our profits from LOL to IFAW so that this great work can continue.
"I find the ocean and its incredible biodiversity truly fascinating. Together with IFAW, we want to stand up for this endangered ecosystem and the animals that call it home," says Bill Kaulitz, singer of the band Tokio Hotel. "As ambassadors for IFAW, we want to educate people about the threats to wild animals and show what can be done to help so that many more people get involved."
During their visit to Cape Cod on the US East Coast in November 2023, the Kaulitz brothers spent a day with IFAW's marine rescue team, which can be seen in episode 6 of the Netflix documentary Kaulitz & Kaulitz. Using a dolphin dummy, they learned from the experts how the team rescues stranded dolphins and the dangers faced by marine mammals . Ship collisions, underwater noise, and entanglement in fishing lines and nets are among the most common causes of death for dolphins and whales today.
The BeOcean campaign, developed together with Bill and Tom Kaulitz, was launched in September 2024 and draws attention to the diverse beauty of the vibrant underwater world. As official IFAW ambassadors, Bill and Tom Kaulitz are now continuing their commitment together with other prominent supporters, such as behavioral scientist Dr. Jane Goodall, actor Leonardo DiCaprio, Formula E driver Max Günther, and many others.
"We are very grateful for the support from Bill and Tom Kaulitz and their generous donation. It's impressive to see how passionate they are about animals," explains Raphael Heinetsberger, IFAW's press spokesperson in Germany. "The brothers' commitment as official IFAW ambassadors is a great opportunity for us to raise public awareness of animal and species conservation and gain valuable support for this important issue."
IFAW has been committed to the protection of marine mammals and their habitats since its foundation. Today, this work focuses on reducing underwater noise, actively campaigning against whaling, organizing rescue missions for stranded whales and dolphins, and working with communities to make fishing practices more sustainable and to better protect endangered species such as the North Atlantic right whale.
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Images and captions are available for download at the following link:
https://spaces.hightail.com/space/7CJnJpSjq0
Press contact:
Raphael Heinetsberger
Press spokesperson
cell: +49 (40) 866 500 38
email: [email protected]