#ProtectOurMascots Initiative Reaches Over One Million People

This past Monday, students and fans set aside their football rivalry to come together during the College Football Playoff National Championship in a show of support for their wild tiger and elephant mascots.

The National Tigers for Tigers Coalition, a program of the National Wildlife Refuge Association, worked with student-led groups Clemson Tigers for Tigers and Alabama’s Tide for Tusks to implement a social media campaign surrounding the hype generated for National Championship Game.

Throughout the day, a social media blitz featuring the hashtag #ProtectOurMascots reached millions of people on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram as students and fans came together in solidarity for their wild mascots. Less than 3,200 tigers remain in the wild, while a global poaching crisis is driving elephants toward extinction at a rate of 96 elephants each day. Despite the rivalry on the field, fans came together to raise awareness for their wild mascots.

“Clemson and Alabama have two of the most passionate fan bases in all of college sports,” said Tigers for Tigers intern Taylor Tench. “It was fantastic to see that on the day of the game, with so much on the line for both schools, the students and fans channeled their existing passion for their universities to support their wild mascots.”

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