WWF and IFAW Sells Out Elephants and Rhinos at CITES Conference
Dominick Mezzapesa
wildlifeplanet.net The two animals that The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) has in their logo and promotional material are the two animals that CITES, WWF and IFAW sold out. Last week, thousands of conservationists and government officials gathered in Johannesburg to thrash out regulating international trade in elephant ivory, rhino horn and hundreds of endangered wild animals and plants. The world's largest wildlife meeting wrapped up late Tuesday after ten days of talks that ended a day earlier than expected, with conservationists hailing progress in tightening rules on trafficking of endangered species including sharks, Grey parrots and Pangolin's. These conservationist patting themselves on the back should actually be given a swift kick in the ass and booted out the door, for their utter failure to protect Elephant and Rhinos. The CITES conference exposed sharp differences over how to best protect Africa's elephants and rhinos. CITES chief John Scanlon describing the meeting as "a game changer for the planet's most vulnerable wild animals and plants". Whenever a politician claims "Game Changer" you can be assured it's anything but a "Game Changer." More than 2,500 delegates sifted through 62 proposals to reform trade restrictions on more than 400 species. In all, 51 proposals were accepted, five rejected and six were withdrawn. Wildlife campaigners generally welcomed the outcome, adding that concrete action was now needed to tackle a global boom in poaching and trafficking, without actually doing anything about the two poster-children of poaching and trafficking. The lack any real impact to address the two most prominent species in the "War against Poachers" can only lead Wildlife Planet to believe that money, not the protection of Elephants and Rhinos was the reason this conference failed to do anything except show the donating public some insignificant, slight of hand in protecting these endangered animals. How many people actually believe billions of dollars are being donated and spent for or against the trafficking of African Grey Parrots? If this conference took a hard stance on protecting elephants and Rhinos it would affect countless organizations bottom lines. Hell, a small no name site like wildlifeplanet.net would be effected. It's not hard to imagine a place like the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) or the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) being scared to death of losing their two biggest money makers. If the WWF and IFAW actually made a real effort to curb Asia's lust for Rhino horn to fill their need to supply their insane voodoo magic medical industry or Elephant Ivory for their key-chain and table top worshiping trinkets, they would accomplish so much more than a few talking points to put in their next fund-raising brochure. These two are some of the biggest, most corrupt organizations are nothing more than frauds. The WWF and IFAW pretend to care about protecting Elephants and Rhinos instead the only thing they cared about was the need to protect the Millions of dollars pouring in each year in donations. When the conference finished up they ran to their sites, Twitter and Facebook accounts to pat themselves on their backs about how well they have done. The WWF said that governments had united behind "tough decisions", while the IFAW claims that "conservation trumped commerce". Really IFAW? How did that actually happen? By doing nothing to slow down the slaughtering of Elephants for ivory and Rhinos for their horn? It looks like IFAW let commerce take over the conference while they stood by and watch them throw conservation under the bus. As the WWF and IFAW were saying all the wonderful things they have accomplished, they were probably sending a text message to their printers giving the OK for the printing of their next "Please Donate to Save Our Elephant and Rhino" fundraising pamphlets The pamphlets will say "We have accomplished so much, but in order to finish the job we need your donations in order to protect our endangered Elephants and Rhinos?" Here are the major outcomes of The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) conference in Johannesburg. African grey parrots Governments overwhelmingly voted to outlaw all trade of the much sought-after bird. The birds are prized as pets because of their intelligence and ability to mimic human speech. Their numbers have been hit by poaching as well as destruction of forest habitats. The birds are now rarely sighted or locally extinct in countries including Benin, Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Togo. African elephants A high-profile bid by 29 African countries to have all African elephants included in the highest category of CITES protection was rejected after heated debate. Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe—which claim to boast healthy elephant populations—argued against the proposal, and southern African elephants stayed on the list that could allow for trade under stringent conditions. International trade in ivory remains banned, and campaigners urged governments to concentrate on tackling trafficking and ending ivory demand in Vietnam and China. A new study revealed that the number of African elephants has fallen by around 111,000 in the past decade—the worst drop in 25 years. Pangolins Trade in all eight species of pangolin in Africa and Asia was banned when they were placed in CITES' top protection category to save them from extinction. The shy, scale-covered pangolin has become the world's most heavily trafficked mammal, valued as an edible delicacy and ingredient in traditional medicine, especially in east Asia as well as across Africa. They curl up into a ball when under attack—an effective tactic against lions, but one that allows human hunters to easily pick them up. Rhino A controversial bid by the tiny African kingdom of Swaziland to be permitted to trade its rhino horn was soundly defeated. Some campaigners argue that providing a legal supply of farmed rhino horn is the only way to break a sudden boom in poaching that threatens the animal's survival. Demand for rhino horn, which is composed of keratin—the same substance found in human nails—has soared in Vietnam and China, where it is believed to have medicinal powers capable of curing everything from hangovers to cancer. Sharks Thirteen species of devil rays, thresher sharks and the silky shark, populations of which have been in free-fall, won tougher protection when they were elevated into Appendix II of CITES, meaning they can be traded only under strict conditions. A 2013 study estimated that 100 million sharks are killed every year —- twice the rate that conservationists say is sustainable. Sharks are hunted for their meat, skin, liver oil and cartilage, with shark fin soup often consumed at prestigious banquets in China, Hong Kong and Singapore. |
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