El Activista

Posted by: Ariana Green
on November 27, 2007 at 5:13 pm

The famed Mexican wrestler El Hijo de Santo might be tough in the ring, but you should see him pet a whale. As the new spokesman for Wildcoast, a California- and Mexico-based conservation organization, it’s de Santo’s job to show the Mexican people the importance of conservation.

Beyond a general message of environmental stewardship (Wildcoast reports that in 2006, beaches between Tijuana and San Diego were closed for 196 days due to contamination), de Santo’s main issue is the preservation of endangered sea turtles—turtle meat often ends up in soup and tacos, and the eggs end up on the black market.

“Young and common people follow me and my career,” says the 25-year veteran, who still fights regularly. “So the moment I say, ‘You have to protect the seas and take care not to eat turtle eggs,’ they listen, because they admire me.”

LEARN MORE
wildcoast.net

Filed under: Magazine : Look
Categories: Environment

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About The Contributors

Ariana Green

Ariana Green is a journalist and nonfiction writer living in Boston. She has worked as a freelancer for the New York Times since 2005, reporting first from Puerto Rico (front page National byline and various contributor bylines), then later from London (on terrorism, books and sports – co-bylines, two videos, ArtsBeat blog entries). She currently writes regularly for the New York Times National section and a variety of other publications.