Post on 14-Jun-2020
transcript
TheJaneGoodallInstitute|Global�www.thejanegoodallinsitute.com�mail@thejanegoodallinstitute.com
Address:BWBSecretarialLimited�10QueenStreetPlace�London,EC4R1BE�UnitedKingdomRegisteredintheUK:CompanyNo.08122637CharityNo.1153284
Wild Animals are not Pets CampaigningwithRoots&ShootsinArgentina
Inmanycountriesaroundtheworld,demandforexoticpetsisakeydriverbehindtheillegaltradeinwildlife.ThisisthecaseinArgentinawherepurchasingnative,andoftenendangered,wildlifeisincreasinglypopular.Notonlyareat-riskspeciestraffickeddomestically,theyaresoldtoothercountriesaswell,pushingmorethan50speciesofmammalsandbirdstothebrinkofextinction,nottomentionthesteadylossinbiodiversity.
However,thoughwildanimalpopulationsaredwindling,manypeopleareunawareoftheissue.InresponseJGIArgentinalaunchedacampaignin2017toendthelocalexoticpettrade.Throughtheirefforts,theArgentinaofficehasworkedcloselywithteachers,communitymembersandstudents,toraiseawarenessabouttheimportantdifferencebetweendomesticatedanimalsthataresuitableaspetsandwildanimalsthatarenot.
Educatorshavesupportedthecampaign,extendingthemessagetotheirstudents.Youngpeople,inturn,havespreadthemessageevenfurther.Hundredsofstudentsenthusiasticallyjoinedthe“AnimalParade”inBuenosAiresasacelebrationofbiodiversityandtodrawattentiontotheproblemofpoachingwildlifeforthepettrade.BuenosAiresisthecentreofillegalwildlifetradingandfourofthemosttrafficked,andveryspecial,localspecieswereshowcasedasambassadorsforthecampaign:thetortoise,toucan,howlermonkeyandyellowcardinal.ChildrenfromlocalschoolsandJaneGoodall’sRoots&Shootsgroupsmadecostumeswithrecycledmaterialsanddressedupasoneofthefouranimals.
Intheircolourfulcostumesandmasks,theparadewasfestiveandfun,reachingover2,000peopleattheevent.Atthesametime,studentsalsostartedtounderstandforthemselvestheveryrealthreatsfacedbytheanimalstheyrepresentedandtheurgentneedforconservation.Someofthechildren,suchasthepre-schoolRoots&Shootsgroup“TheJaguarExplorers”(“Losexploradoresyaguaretés”),evengottheirfamiliesinvolved.
JaneGoodallwasonhandtojointheparade,encouragingeveryonetosharehervisionforaworldwherewecanlivemoreharmoniouslywithnature.Andlocalcelebritiesalsogotinvolved,
makingavideotocapturepeople’sattentionandspreadawareness.
JGIArgentina’scampaignisstillgoingstrong.Thisyear,childrenhavebeenmakingpostersandvideosaboutthethreatsthatjaguarsfacefrompoaching.
15schoolsandnearly700youthhavebeeninvolvedinJGIArgentina’scampaignandhelpedspreadthemessagetotheirfamily,friendsandthepublic.Withmanyoftheyoungpeoplehavingonceownedwildanimalsaspets,thiscampaignhithomewithimmediateimpact.
• Livetraffickingofwildlifecausesimmensesufferingtoanimalsduringthehuntanddur-ingtheirclandestinejourneytotheirdestination.Theyareoftenhandledinappropriatelyandmaysufferterribleconditionsintransportationandcaptivity.Manyanimalsdieenroute.
• Allsortsofanimalsaretraffickedfortheexoticpetmarketandtherearemarketsallovertheworld.Reptilesandamphibians,includingvulnerablespecies,aretraffickedinthegreatestnumbers.AccordingtoTRAFFIC,morethan6040Indianstartortoiseswereseizedgloballyin2017.Birdsarealsowidelytraffickedaspets.
• Demandforexoticpetsisadriverofwildlifetrafficking.Withprotectedspeciesopenlytraded,egonsocialmedia,buyersmaybeunawarethattheirinterestinanimalsisfund-ingcrime,crueltyandenvironmentaldamage.
• Peoplewhoseesuspiciousadvertsforexoticpetsonsocialmediashouldreportthistothecompanyusingtheplatform’sreportingtools,egFacebookreporting