Update: Partnering for change
We’re working with scientists and organizations across Canada to ask the federal government to take action on the wildlife trade. We signed on to this open letter asking multiple Canadian officials to recognize their role in preventing pandemics in the future.
Photo credit: World Animal Protection – Aaron Gekowski
Why stop the wildlife trade?
Thank you to everyone who supported our petition to the B.C. government calling for tighter regulation of the sale and trade of wild and exotic animals in the province.
Despite calls from experts to take more action against the global wildlife trade, which scientists believe is the most likely source of Covid-19, there has been virtually no response from Canada. That’s a shame, as there is plenty Canada could do to combat this cruel trade and improve our own safeguards against diseases from imported wildlife.
Canada needs to:
- Use international forums, such as the United Nations and the G20 to call for a ban on the global wildlife trade.
- Strengthen Canada’s defences against zoonotic disease from the wildlife trade by prohibiting the import of exotic and wild animals and by improving Canada’s surveillance systems for detecting zoonotic disease.
- Increase resources for federal agencies such as the Wildlife Enforcement Directorate to prevent the smuggling of wildlife into Canada.