Singapore Airlines Takes a Stand Against Wildlife Trafficking
Singapore Airlines has taken a stand against wildlife trafficking by signing the United for Wildlife Transport Taskforce Buckingham Palace Declaration.
GREAT NEWS! Singapore Airlines @SAirlines has pledged 2 fight against the transportation of illegal wildlife ? https://t.co/GEaKusxVet (1/4) pic.twitter.com/Zd7QKnwlie
— PETA Asia (@PETAAsia) June 7, 2017
The declaration now bears signatures from 38 airlines, all of which have pledged to fight the transportation of illegal wildlife products in the hope of clamping down on worldwide trade chains. Airlines that enforce a complete ban on the importation and exportation of wild animals and their body parts have the single-greatest positive impact on all forms of exotic-animal trafficking. Wildlife trafficking is a global crisis, and we hope other airlines will follow in Singapore Airline’s footsteps until our skies are clear of all trafficked animals.
Did You Know?
The exotic-pet trade is a cruel, ugly, and deadly multibillion-dollar business that causes immense suffering for animals and poses definite health risks for both humans and animals. As long as a market for wild animals—dead or alive, whole or dismembered, endangered or otherwise—exists, there will be people who seek to profit from them, with no regard for their well-being. Selling protected wildlife in stores, at auctions, or online is one of the world’s largest sources of criminal earnings, behind only arms smuggling and drug trafficking. Any country that allows any trade—whether legal or illegal—in wild animals is contributing to poaching and trafficking problems.
When people succumb to the temptation to purchase wild animals such as hedgehogs, macaws, lizards, and monkeys—and even tigers and bears—from stores, auctions, or the internet in order to keep them as pets, it often leads to pain and death for these animals. Wild animals can easily suffer from malnutrition, loneliness, and the overwhelming stress of being confined to an unnatural and uncomfortable environment. They’re also notoriously unpredictable and dangerous since they haven’t been domesticated for thousands of years as cats and dogs have. The wild-animal trade is also deadly for animals we don’t see: For every animal who makes it to the store or the auction, countless others die along the way.
If you’d like an animal companion, visit your local animal shelter, rather than supporting the illegal and barbaric smuggling of wildlife.
