Global Wildlife Trade

Global Wildlife Trade

The global wildlife trade is big business and the industry is worth billions annually. The U.S. is the largest importer of wildlife and wildlife products on record. The market for wild animals and animal products comes with a significant risk to wildlife worldwide due to extinction, spread of disease and the introduction of invasive species into delicate ecosystems. The wildlife trade fuels the pet industry and also provides products ranging from “bushmeat” (meat of wild mammals such as apes and monkeys) to fashion products (fur or skins) as well as products thought to provide medicinal benefits.

EcoHealth Alliance’s health and policy team are conducting ongoing efforts to assess and mitigate the threats from the global trade in wildlife including:

• Informing policy makers and global organizations such at the World Health Organization on the disease threats that may result from wildlife trade
• Working with conservation authorities to advance the protection and welfare of wildlife
• Educating consumers on the health risks related to ‘non-traditional’ pet choices

Using innovative science, EcoHealth Alliance is mapping the spread of pathogens through trade and travel networks to predict possible disease threats. Working with our partners around the globe in highly bio-diverse regions, EcoHealth Alliance is educating wildlife hunters in source areas to educate them on the health risks of the trade. We have successfully turned hunters into wildlife field technicians by training them in disease surveillance efforts providing a new way to make their livelihoods.

The scale and growth of the wildlife trade is enormous but with your help we can prevent the extinction of species, stop the spread of disease and develop public awareness campaigns to stop demand for these products.