Demand an end to the global wildlife trade

Tourist demand for ‘once in a lifetime’ holiday experiences with wild animals drives the commodification of wild animals and fuels the multi-billion-dollar global wildlife trade.  The growth of global tourism has driven the trade of hundreds of thousands of wild animals to be used for entertainment. 

Captured from the wild or intensively bred in captivity, the conditions in which wild animals are kept can cause immense suffering and stress. 

As individual tourists we can stop fuelling the demand for cruel wildlife venues and together we can demand the leaders of the G20 commit to a global ban on the wild animal trade, forever.   

And it is not just tourist demand. Every day, wild animals are forced into a life of suffering in the name of entertainment, for traditional medicine and traded as 'exotic' pets. 

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. 

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

This year, our global petition to end the global wildlife trade reached hundreds of thousands of people around the world. We are calling on the UK government to secure a global wildlife trade ban and end the import and export of wild animals and wild animal products into the UK. 

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dolphin
More than 3,500 captive whales and dolphins are held in public display and interaction facilities around the world.
A dolphin trainer instructing dolphins to perform
The average size of the largest tank used at dolphin facilities is just 444sq m - 200,000 times smaller than their natural home range and only slightly larger than the average IMAX movie screen
Captive dolphin show
Most behaviours performed by whales and dolphins in shows are extreme exaggerations of natural behaviours. Many are completely artificial and would never be seen in the wild.

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