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By Ashira Morris, ODP Staff Writer The wildlife trafficking market is, unfortunately, alive and well, despite national and international protection. An investigation by the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) found nearly 1,200 advertisements for almost 2,400 animals or animal products for sale online over the course of six weeks despite protection under U.S. and international law. […]
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by Amy Lupica, ODP Staff Writer In 2020, the world watched as global stay-at-home orders led to the resurgence of wildlife populations in expected, and unexpected, ways. For rhinos in South Africa, the lockdowns led to an astounding 33% reduction in poaching. In 2019, 594 rhinos were poached for their horns. In 2020, that number fell to 394. The World Wildlife […]
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by Julia Fine, ODP Contributing Writer Due to the impact of the pandemic, poaching has “surged” in Uganda, as Dina Fine Maron reported last week in National Geographic. Using illegal wire snares and steel traps, poachers are able to catch unsuspecting animals such as antelopes, giraffes, and lions. According to National Geographic, “thousands” of these […]
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While we’ve seen the headlines of animals reclaiming cities and roaming wild as humans are stuck indoors, COVID-19 lockdowns have not been entirely beneficial for wildlife. In fact, in many regions of the world (like India, Southeast Asia, Africa and South America) poaching has increased. As the Independent explained, “the sudden fall in tourism income […]
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After a 5-year ban, the government announced recently that elephant hunting is again legal in the southern African nation of Botswana. The former President Ian Khama originally implemented the hunting ban, but it came under scrutiny by Khama’s successor, President Mokgweetsi E.K. Masisi, with the Environment Ministry citing conflicts with humans and an inability to manage increasing elephant populations as the rationale.
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BuzzFeed News published a shocking exposé on Monday, in which it alleged that one of the world’s largest and most respected environmental organizations, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), has supported anti-poaching guards “who have tortured and killed people.” Immediately two leading Democratic Members of Congress called for an investigation into these allegations because WWF receives funding from the government to help fight wildlife trafficking. WWF pledged “an “independent review” led by human rights specialists into the evidence uncovered by BuzzFeed News.”
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