Category: Protect wildlife: Wildlife Trafficking

1. An appeal from Avaaz: Stop the Poaching Pandemic!

   Posted on 9:00pm Sunday 2nd Aug 2020

   While the human race is battling against  the coronavirus with 213 countries affected, wildlife are far from immune from it either. Elephants, rhinos, pangolins and gorillas all needed wildlife rangers to protect them.   Wildlife conservation groups are faced with the challenge of continuing to protect wildlife and fight poaching whilst budgets are cut and the income wildlife tourism brings to help is virtually non-existent as there are no tourists. Enter Avaaz, a 60 million person global campaign network, with petitions to change the world and appeals to make a difference to those who need it. And they have an appeal right now. An army of 40,000 rangers once protected elephants, rhinos, pangolins and gorillas – and these are in danger of losing their jobs, leaving wildlife at the mercy of poachers and criminal gangs and syndicates.    A team of undercover investigators are working round the clock to rack and prosecute poaching rings in 9 African countries and they are jailing thousands. Their funding is on the rocks.  Wildlife need us to give them our support, however much that is. This is a chance to help vulnerable wildlife.  We can help lock up more criminals, expose international trafficking networks and accelerate global campaigns to protect nature and save vulnerable species. Please donate what you can now.   If we all donated the cost of a coffee, that would make a big difference.  Avaaz has funded these defenders before from the group EAGLE.  Recently they infiltrated a big illegal trafficking ring.  They uncovered nearly 2 tons of pangolin scales, exposing the kingpins and crippling an international network of criminals.  Crucially, they ensure those who are jailed don’t bribe their way out. Let's stop this Poaching Pandemic image copyright to Avaaz If we all chip in, we could (and I quote from Avaaz): Train and sustain many undercover reporters to crack open some of the world’s most wanted wildlife trafficking networks Scale up the number of anti-poaching investigations in 9 countries Arrest hundreds of wildlife traffickers Expose complicit officials and politicians who enable the trade Push to prosecute corporate and government agents who profit from wildlife trafficking Power hard-hitting Avaaz campaigns to protect the natural world and preserve the delicate web of life LET'S STOP THE POACHING PANDEMIC

    

2. Click to tell Facebook to shut down its disturbing pangolin trade

   Posted on 3:00pm Thursday 7th May 2020

   Pangolins need all our help.  I’ve had an email from SumOfUs.org about a petition for pangolin lovers.  They have some really good campaigns on SumOfUs and are achieving some great results Pangolins  they need our voice, and our signature to tell Facebook "to increase  the enforcement of wildlife trafficking policy and make sure that no threatened or endangered species’ parts are sold on your platform." Pangolins are the most trafficked animal on the planet.  Up to 2.7 million of them are killed by poachers every year.  Poachers want to sell their parts to traditional medicine shops. A new report says that Facebook it worse, because they are letting traffickers sell pangolin parts on their platform!  Report investigators searched translations of pangolin in different languages, and there was listing after listing, even though Facebook has already signed an international coalition to stop this sort of thing! They just need to enforce their own rules. Click to tell Facebook to shut down its disturbing pangolin trade

3. Please see this video from Gravitas - how nature is reclaiming its spaces due to the Coronavirus

   Posted on 2:00pm Friday 10th Apr 2020

   Sometimes you see something on the internet or on television that really hits you hard and makes a point extremely well. I saw this video, this afternoon, and I wanted to share it with you.  Please share it with everyone you can. The ultimate message is that we SHARE this planet.  It demonstrates how dominant the human race has become - and how selfish.   I am not going to tell you anymore about it - please just watch it for yourself.   Here it is: Thank you, Gravitas. Please vow to make a difference today.  Find out how to reduce your impact on the earth's resources here.

4. Shut down wildlife markets NOW!

   Posted on 10:00pm Thursday 19th Mar 2020

   How did the coronavirus start? Its outbreak in Wuhan, China, was suspected to be the starting point for the coronavirus.  And a harsh light was cast on wildlife markets.   Huanan Seafood Market has a terrible range of live and freshly killed animals is thought to be the starting point. The meat of 30 terrestrial animal species is at the market, as well as seafood.  Pangolins, civets, squirrels, pheasants, scorpions, snakes and various rates are available there. Shut down wildlife markets NOW! Wildlife markets do 2 things: They spread disease – it’s easy to see why when you just have to look at the terrible conditions in which these animals are kept These markets are driving species towards extinction. We are heading towards a massive extinction – the 2019 UN report warned that up to one million animal and plant species could vanish forever.  In October 2020, China is due to host a UN conference on the Convention of Biological Diversity.  Representatives from nearly 200 countries will look to find ways to stop the mass extinction. Let's put pressure on China... Now is a good time to put pressure on China and push for a worldwide ban on the wildlife trade. Rainforest Rescue has a petition to shut down these markets once and for all.  They are utterly barbaric and it’s high time they were stopped. Please sign here and let's get wildlife markets STOPPED

    

5. African Wildlife Foundation gives $25 million to help wildlife and wildlife habitats in Africa

   Posted on 8:00pm Tuesday 13th Nov 2018

   The African Wildlife Foundation will invest $25 million over the next 4 years to support the work being done by local communities and African governments to protect wild lands and wildlife in Africa. The pledge was made at the recent Illegal Wildlife Trade (IWT) conference in London.  AWF’s President Kaddu Sebunya said that poaching and illegal trade in wildlife poses an acute threat to Africa’s rich heritage of natural wealth. Kaddu says that there is some recovery and stabilization of some vital wildlife populations.   AFW has invested $13.1 million to tackle the illegal wildlife trade in Africa and also a further $5.5 million with public-sector partners.   The total of $18.6 million has been used to: Support anti-poaching efforts on the ground Strengthen prosecutorial and judiciary processes Put sniffer dogs in critical transit points Campaign to stop demand in Asia As a result: 10 out of the 14 populations of elephants the funding has been targeting are increasing or are stable. All rhino populations and 7 out of 9 carnivore populations that AWF supports are increasing or are stable Prosecutors are building stronger case;  judges are delivery stronger sentences for wildlife crimes Sniffer dogs have made over 250 finds And now this most recent pledge will support programmes putting the priorities in place that came out of the London IWT conference: To build African leadership and ownership of the illegal wildlife trade in Africa Protect habitats and key populations of rhinos, elephants, great apes, large carnivores and giraffes Enhance detection of wildlife crimes and strengthen the ability to prosecute and judge, putting criminals behind bars. The belief is that Africa must own and drive the illegal wildlife trade work.  The London conference will help strengthen partnerships across borders to fight the illegal wildlife trade in an effective way. Four key elements are crucial to give Africa’s wildlife a chance, according to AWF Chief Scientist and VP of Species Protection, Dr Philip Muruthi, and they are: Keep wildlife safe from poachers Make wildlife products difficult to move around Actively involve key local players Dampen the demand for wildlife products Visit the African Wildlife Foundation