When asked to consider threats to wildlife, most people think about habitat destruction or maybe climate change. One threat that is not talked about enough is illegal trade of wildlife, also known as wildlife trafficking. The illegal trade of wildlife and wildlife products is threatening species like elephants, tigers, rhinos, and sharks. But it’s not just the big species; smaller species like freshwater turtles, pangolin, and sea horses are being trafficked at alarming rates. In fact, the illegal trade of wildlife and wildlife parts is estimated to be worth more than $20 billion a year and is considered to be the fourth largest transnational crime, behind only the drug trade, arms trade, and human trafficking.
Cleveland Metroparks Zoo has been a leader in fighting the illegal wildlife trade for more than 10 years. First, we are a Platinum Partner of the Association of Zoo’s and Aquarium’s (AZA)
Wildlife Trafficking Alliance (WTA). The WTA is an alliance of more than 70 partners that is led by AZA in an effort to raise awareness of wildlife trafficking and its impacts, promote behavior change in consumers, and work with industries to reduce their impact on wildlife trade. Support from zoos like Cleveland Metroparks Zoo is tremendously important in this effort.
But that’s not all we do. We support the training and deployment of wildlife detecting dogs at airports and seaports through Africa Wildlife Foundation’s K9 program. We support the Little Fireface Project’s efforts to evaluate and target wildlife trade in Indonesia. And we support Education for Nature – Vietnam’s work to deter wildlife trafficking through their Wildlife Crime Hotline. You can learn about all of our work to fight illegal wildlife trade on our
website.
This is the work our Zoo is able to support with conservation funds we generate through our operation and raised in partnership with Cleveland Zoological Society, but that’s not all. Our Zoo hosts more than a million guests each year on our campus and in exhibits throughout the campus we message our conservation work and how guests can help. In addition, the Zoo’s website has a
Make a Difference section dedicated to conservation actions our guests can take. Our goal is to motivate the millions of guests and website visitors to take action to prevent wildlife trafficking through advocacy, by being a responsible consumer, and by contributing time and financial resources to the Zoo’s efforts.
As we approach Earth Day, it’s important to remember the impact that human behavior has on the planet. Illegal wildlife trafficking is a serious global crime, but human behavior is powerful and the right behaviors can make the world a better place. This Earth Day find out what things you can do to make a difference and secure a Future For Wildlife.
~Dr. Chris Kuhar, Executive Director of Cleveland Metroparks Zoo