End the commercial wildlife trade. Forever.
The global trade of wild animals is cruel and puts our health at risk from pandemics.
Every day, thousands of wild animals are poached or farmed and sold into the global multi-billion-dollar wild animal trade – for luxury food, for pets, for traditional medicine and for entertainment.
The horrific conditions they face cause much suffering for every single animal involved.
Close contact between captive wild animals and people is a dangerous cocktail. Zoonotic infections can emerge and be spread at every stage of the trade. This should be of critical concern, as almost 75% of emerging infectious diseases affecting human health originate in wildlife – SARS, Ebola, and now COVID-19.
Beyond the pain inflicted on animals, we must stop this trade in wild animals now to help prevent future global health crises and protect our environment for generations to come.
Join us in calling on the Canadian government to support and champion a global ban on the wildlife trade.
Sign the petition to join us in calling on the Government of Canada to:
- Support the immediate and permanent closure of wildlife markets.
- End the import and domestic trade in wild animals and wild animal products that could contribute to the spread of zoonotic disease in Canada.
- Champion this issue globally and encourage other countries to end the international trade in wild animals and wild animal products.
Help end all wildlife exploitation
Wild animals are exploited for tourist entertainment. Taken away as babies, these animals are trained into submission so they can be forced to interact with tourists for rides, selfies and performances.
Wild animals are exploited as 'exotic pets'. Poached from the wild or bred in captivity, these animals suffer long before they reach our homes.
Wild animals are exploited to use in traditional medicines. Often bred on farms, they are kept in small, barren cages so their body parts can used in traditional medicines.
The commercial wildlife trade and wildlife markets are the root cause of most of the wildlife cruelty in the world. Take action to help us stamp it out.
It's essential to recognize that Indigenous communities often have longstanding traditions of sustainable wildlife use for cultural, nutritional, medicinal and economic purposes. Due to the historic and on-going effects of colonization and the lack of contemporary economic opportunities for many Indigenous peoples, we also recognize how important a sustainable wildlife trade is for economic sovereignty within Indigenous communities. Some examples of Indigenous economies tied to sustainable wildlife trade are traditional arts and commercial fisheries. However, these practices can be threatened by the illegal wildlife trade and unsustainable wildlife exploitation. As an organization we are committed to wildlife protection. We aim to collaborate with Indigenous peoples and local communities to promote sustainable practices and protect both wildlife and traditional ways of life.
Donate to support our work:
We're building on our existing work and relationships to advocate for solutions to the root cause – the commercial wildlife trade. Your donation will support our programs to end the use of wild animals as entertainment, food, medicine and exotic pets.