The Giant Pangolin, one ofthe imperiled species included
in our guidebooks.
If an animal photo is worth a thousand words, how much is a photo of an extinct animal worth? We’re working hard to make sure that we never have to answer that question, because there will be enough protection, education, and legislation to make sure threatened and endangered animals don’t become extinct.[teaserbreak]
One of the best—and worst!—parts of my job is looking at photos of animals. It can be most difficult when I’m working with the kind of photos and video our investigator took of the cruel world of trapping in the United States. But, it can be absolutely amazing when I’m working with photos of threatened and endangered species. I am constantly astounded by all of the wonderful, beautiful, and strange animals with which we share this planet. Thankfully, that’s what I’m looking at now.
We’re currently working on a large project to help strengthen the enforcement of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), creating a tool that customs and border enforcement personnel can use to help protect species in Congo, Cameroon, Guinea Bissau, and other African countries.
Due to limited internet and computer access in these regions, there is a need for basic information—presented on good old-fashioned (recycled) paper. To combat wildlife crime, we are taking two major steps. First, we are developing guidebooks with photos of the threatened and endangered species in each specific African country (among other tools). These guidebooks will be made available to port and border personnel, as well as to the judiciary officials and other authorities, to help them identify threatened and endangered species—and their parts—that are frequently trafficked across borders. Next, we are holding training sessions to assist border personnel in identifying protected species and their parts, and to help provide a better understanding of the tasks and responsibilities for each individual person involved.
We’ve already come across a few species for which “no photo is available!” That really makes me want to work harder to reverse the decline, so nature photographers can have a better opportunity to snap a shot, and you and I—and border patrol agents—can get a better look at these amazing creatures.
The global commercialization of wild animals and plants is a multi-billion-dollar industry that causes extreme animal cruelty and serious population declines. Law enforcement officials have declared that the illegal wildlife trade is fourth only to the trades of illegal drugs and weapons and human trafficking in terms of profitability. Indeed, wildlife trafficking has become a criminal enterprise that has expanded from a conservation concern to a security threat. The activities of transnational organized crime syndicates have had an increasingly devastating impact on wildlife. (Learn specifically about the ivory trade in more depth, through our two reports, including the Ivory’s Curse: Militarization and Professionalization of Poaching in Africa.)
But, the hope is that with your support, along with tools like these guidebooks, we can make it easier for key personnel to identify protected species and their parts and products crossing borders, and, together, we can help slow the population declines in threatened and endangered species. And, maybe even reverse it? These animals are too precious to lose. And, as we know, extinction is forever.
Keep Wildlife in the Wild,
P.S. Learn more about the work we’ve been involved in behind the scenes at CITES, which brings countries together every three years to decide what level of protection to grant international trade species.