HOT Magazine: Tell us about what
you do.
Edwin Wiek: I founded the Wildlife
Friends Foundation Thailand (WFFT)
in 2001 and have since built up an
organization, which provides full-time
care for almost 1200 wild animals, and
has rescued over 5,000 wild animals
since its inception over 14 years ago. We
manage two wildlife rescue centers, one
in Thailand and one in Laos with 115
staff members and 60 volunteers. Along
with the direct care of wildlife we also
run various other projects and wildlife
protection campaigns.
HOT Magazine: What led you to take
on such an initiative?
Edwin Wiek: In October 1999 I fell
asleep behind the wheel of my care on
my way back from a business meeting, I
had almost ended my life there and then.
After such a life changing experience
I felt fortunate to have survived and
realized my life was not as fulfilled as
it should be. During the months after
the accident I evaluated my life and my
business (I was the director of a factory
that produced fashion accessories here
in Thailand) and decided I wanted
something different. During this time
a friend handed over a monkey to me
that he had bought for his girlfriend
and could not keep any longer. I tried
to find a suitable home for the monkey
but was not able to, finding a wildlife
rescue facility in Thailand was almost
impossible, and soon the idea of building
a home for wild animals like this monkey
started to become a target of mine.
HOT Magazine: What is it that you
like the most about your job? Moreover,
in what do you find the gratification of
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