Secretary Clinton commits US government to saving global wildlife from trade

Recently the U.S. government has been making various public statements aimed at addressing wildlife crime – the most dramatic of which happened very recently. 

On November 8^th, I was lucky enough to represent International Fund for Animal Welfare at an event held by the U.S. Department of State in which U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton made a remarkable speech acknowledging the need for a global commitment to fight wildlife crime. 

She was passionate and resolute in her announcement that the US will be working with leaders around the world to stop the brutal wildlife trade currently hammering populations of species like tigers, elephants and rhinos. 

On the heels of this event, leaders within the U.S. Congress held a bipartisan, bicameral caucus hearing to address the global poaching crisis.  Additionally, just this past Sunday, President Obama alluded to the global wildlife trade in his opening remarks at a Press Conference held with the Prime Minster of Thailand in Bangkok.

Given IFAW’s long-standing involvement combating wildlife crime we are thrilled to see concerted efforts aimed at garnering support and raising awareness, and extremely proud to have been one of the groups consulted by the US Government in the meetings leading up to this series of events.  

To continue building on the momentum from the Administration and Congress’ commitment to global wildlife conservation, IFAW is excited to be joining forces with the State Department and partner NGOs to spread the word about international unity against wildlife crime on December 4, 2012: Wildlife Conservation Day. 

In recognition of this momentous day, the U.S. government will work with our embassies in multiple countries to communicate the necessity of the world banding together against illegal wildlife activities—serving as a reminder to citizens that wildlife crime is—in the words of Secretary Clinton, “socially unacceptable.” 

“The world’s wildlife, both on land and in our waters, is such a precious resource, but it is also a limited one…those who profit from it illegally are not just undermining our borders and our economies; they are truly stealing it from the next generation,” said Secretary Clinton at the event on November 8.  “So we have to work together to stop them and ensure a sustainable future for our wildlife, the people who live with them, and the people who appreciate them everywhere.”

With the help of government leaders like Secretary Clinton and events like World Conservation Day, the world can come together and engage their leaders and citizens to help protect and preserve our planet’s abundance of incredible species—now and forever.  This is a vision for the future we can all get behind.

 --JF