Crocs on a truck: Talking crocodiles (and tennis) with Michel Lacoste

On May 19, Lacoste S.A. Chairman Michel Lacoste boarded a 6 x 6 truck in San Mariano, Isabela with a dozen 2-year-old crocodiles. The juvenile crocodiles belong to the severely endangered species Crocodylus mindorensis or Philippine crocodile (local name: bukarot). This small freshwater species found only in this country will become extinct in ten years if no conservation action is taken. (The enormous celebrity crocodile Lolong is of a saltwater species originating in Australia.)

 The 12 crocs on the truck had been raised from hatchlings in the crocodile rearing station in San Mariano operated by Mabuwaya Foundation, the DENR and the local government. Local residents had collected the newly-hatched crocodiles and taken them to the station, where they had a better chance of survival. The survival rate for hatchling crocodiles in the wild is very low—hunting, destructive fishing methods and habitat loss have destroyed croc populations. At the station they are raised (head-started) until they are big enough to reproduce. This takes about 2 years, after which they are released in the small lakes in the Crocodile Habitat Management Zone in the Strict Protection Zone of the Northern Sierra Madre Natural Park.

 Mr. Lacoste’s company, which was founded by his father the tennis champion Rene Lacoste 79 years ago, is part of the international conservation initiative Save Your Logo. In the Save Your Logo program, companies whose logos featured endangered wildlife species are called upon to contribute to the preservation of these species. When Rene Lacoste, nicknamed “The Crocodile” for his tenacity on court, had his animal nickname embroidered on his shirts, the Lacoste brand was forever linked to the crocodile. Which is why Michel Lacoste, his company representatives, local and international environment specialists, media and the head-started crocs were on three 6x6 trucks in Isabela.

 After three hours of lurching through rough gravel roads, boulders, rivers and narrow mountain passes, the trucks reached Dunoy. The passengers crossed Catalangan River on a bamboo raft, then hiked up the steep, wooded mountain trails. It had rained the previous day, making the paths muddy. A half-hour later they reached Lake Dunoy, where the community joined the guests in a ceremony releasing the 12 young crocs back into the wild. Some guests were asked to name a croc and express their good wishes for its safety. Mr. Lacoste called his croc “Elodie” after a photographer on the Lacoste team. “I wonder if giving a crocodile the name of my wife would’ve been appreciated,” he joked.

 “Save Your Logo is our first real entry in the world of protecting the environment and biodiversity,” Lacoste explained. “Before this we had done practically nothing for the crocodile. Once, 25 years ago, we did something with the zoo in Singapore where we sponsored two crocodiles. Then 10 years ago we helped a village in Africa which was having problems with crocodiles—they were making their nests in the dams which held the water that was used for agriculture. We helped to find a solution so they would not have to kill the crocodiles to protect their fields. 

 “We were convinced that if Lacoste starts speaking of the Philippine crocodile and other endangered species, it amplifies the noise that groups like Mabuwaya Foundation make, which means they will get more support from the authorities. Civil servants will be more willing to listen to them.” The Mabuwaya Foundation is a non-profit organization established by Isabela State University and Leiden University in the Netherlands with the aim of protecting the Philippine crocodile and its natural habitat. On May 18, Mabuwaya, Isabela State, and the provincial government organized a mini-summit at the provincial capitol in Ilagan, Isabela. Crocodile and environment experts from around the world came to discuss the future of Philippine crocodile conservation in the wild.

 “From a management point of view, what is important is to make sure that the organizations we are supporting are professional,” Lacoste said. “We don’t want to get involved with people who, even if they have a very good heart, don’t have organizational qualities. From a personal point of view, the high point (of the trip) was seeing these young crocodiles swimming in the pond then coming up to the surface with their little eyes looking at you, and hoping that in six weeks they would start breeding and produce many crocodiles.”

 The Save Your Logo campaign has taken Lacoste all over the world in support of crocodile conservation.

“In Nepal we travelled across the jungle on the back of an elephant, which is enjoyable for me, I don’t know about the elephant,” he laughed. “In Colombia it meant going out in nature, like in Isabela.

 “People who live in places far from crocodiles are not afraid of the crocodiles. If you live in London or Paris you never are going to cross the path of a crocodile. If you live in Isabela by the river where there are some crocodiles, it’s different.” There really is no reason to fear the Philippine crocodile—it is relatively small— reaching a maximum length of 3 meters, shy, and does not attack people unless it is provoked.

Lacoste releases a baby croc in Dunoy Lake, Isabella

 “The purpose of Mabuwaya is to educate the people living there so that crocodiles and people can live together in harmony,” Lacoste continued. The local community in Dunoy, which is actively involved in the croc conservation program, receives assistance in developing sustainable livelihood activities.

 In developing countries like ours, critics are quick to complain that help is being extended to other species when it is humans who need it most. “I would challenge the notion that this balance is more crucial in the Philippines than in other places,” Lacoste said. “We all know that most governments around the world today don’t have enough money to go round.

Today the rate of unemployment in Spain is 25 percent. One person out of four is out of a job. When you have a situation like that the question is not, ‘Should we spend money to protect the environment?’ I would rephrase the question to say, ‘Look, there’s no way you can have a happy population of human beings if you don’t give them the proper framework. You cannot even consider doing nothing about the environment. If you do nothing about the environment, very quickly the situation of the people living on planet earth will become a total tragedy. 

 “It’s not a matter of choice, choosing whether you should put money on Health or Education,” he continued. “In Isabela we saw a 15-year-old girl breastfeeding a baby. Don’t make me choose between taking care of her or taking care of a great-grandmother who is sick and needs care. We need to provide a proper environment for all people to live in.”

 Lacoste added that one of the nice things about the Save Your Logo trips is the chance to get out of the city center. “On my first trip to the Philippines I stayed at the Manila Hotel and worked on trademarks, legal matters. So sadly my view of the Philippines is the same as my view of other cities where I go to work: a 7, 8 or 9-star hotel where you live in a little cocoon and everything is beautiful and comfortable and there are no problems. When you go to a country you can’t say you know the country. You only have a stamp on your passport.”

 Of course we had to ask him for the secret of the Lacoste brand’s success. “If I knew the secret I would not tell you. I think the position of the brand today in the Philippines is the result of many years of hard work by Gina (Dagdag) and the people who have worked on the brand before her. We’ve been partners of Rustan’s and Stores Specialists for 30 years and we’re impressed with the approach they’ve taken as to development of the business, the care they take for distribution, the communication work. 

 “In a more general way I think the strength of Lacoste is that it is modern while at the same time it has kept its roots. We are doing well presently, we have surpassed our largest figures from 2007 and 2011—we are ahead of these figures and have good perspectives for 2012. Next year we are celebrating our 80th anniversary but we all know that falling from our position can happen very quickly if we stop working hard.”

This year Lacoste signed its first celebrity (non-sport) endorser, the Oscar-winning actor Adrien Brody. Did the choice have anything to do with Brody’s resemblance to Rene Lacoste? “I completely agree with you that Adrien Brody has the family look,” Lacoste said. “I have in particular one nephew who is also dark-haired and dark-skinned; they could be related. He is the most notable non-sport figure we have worked with. In the field of sport we have had as ambassadors people who are just as visible—Andy Roddick and many others. I do feel that as a brand it is good to be associated with faces who stand for something. We think the reception of Adrien Brody will be very positive.”

 We could not resist asking Lacoste this hypothetical question: How would Rene Lacoste fare against today’s top tennis players? 

“He would win all the tournaments!” he replied. “No, I’m joking. It is completely impossible to compare the game of tennis or the practice of any other sport 50, 80 years ago to today. It starts with the preparation of the bodies of the sportsmen. The amount of work which is made today by a champion to develop his physical quality, the hours of physical preparation…

The game, the equipment has changed very much.

“When my father was competing he stopped playing tennis completely for 4, 5 months each year. He was not playing tournament after tournament—I understand players today are playing non-stop. That was not the way tennis was played 80 years ago. My father worked hard, he was very rigorous and methodical; thanks to these qualities he developed the modern steel tennis racquet which Jimmy Connors used to win all his championships. I guess he would’ve been a great champion but you cannot imagine a Federer-Lacoste match.”

 In closing we asked him for any words of advice Rene Lacoste had given him. “My father’s main lesson was that sport taught him a lot about life. If you want to be successful in sports you’ve got to work hard, practice. You have to accept the idea that you can win but you can also lose, and when you lose you have to do what you must to win next time. Teamwork in all sports is important. If you can translate these qualities into your everyday life, you have advantages others don’t have.”