A coalition of animal welfare organisations, co-ordinated by World Animal Protection (WAP), have launched a Campaign to End the Wildlife Trade.
Every day, thousands of animals are forced into the multi-billion pound global trade in wildlife – killed for food, harvested for traditional medicine, traded as ‘exotic’ pets or forced into a life of suffering in entertainment.
The UK government has an opportunity and a responsibility to lead the world in bringing an end to the global trade in wildlife. This year, at the G20 summit in November, we want the government to call for a global wildlife trade ban and to introduce a new law to ban the import and export of wild animals and wild animal products in the UK.
Wild animals don’t belong to us, they belong in the wild
Horrific conditions cause unimaginable suffering in the global wildlife trade. This also creates a hotbed of diseases that originate from animals, leading to deadly outbreaks like SARS and now COVID-19.
With the impact and grim reality of the COVID-19 pandemic sweeping across the globe, we can no longer ignore the dangers of exploiting wild animals:
- 60% of emerging infectious diseases are zoonotic, meaning they originate from animals, with 70% of these thought to originate from wild animals
- The methods used to snatch animals from their natural habitats are extremely distressing for them and can cause injury and even death
As well as needing to end the pain and suffering inflicted on animals, we must stop this trade now to help prevent future global health crises and protect our environment for generations to come.
Please join us in calling on the government to secure a global wildlife trade ban and end the import and export of wild animals and wild animal products into the UK.
