WildAid

Last updated
WildAid
Headquarters220 Montgomery Street, Suite 1200, San Francisco, California, United States
Coordinates 37°47′31″N122°24′06″W / 37.791944°N 122.401667°W / 37.791944; -122.401667
CEO
Meaghan Brosnan
Chief Program Officer
John Baker
Website wildaid.org

WildAid is an environmental organization based in San Francisco, California, United States.

Contents

WildAid focuses on reducing the demand for wildlife products. WildAid works with Asian and Western celebrities and business leaders to dissuade people from purchasing wildlife products via public service announcements and educational initiatives, reaching hundreds of millions of people per year. [1]

WildAid operates a field program in the Galapagos Islands, protecting the Galápagos Marine Reserve, apprehending poachers and smugglers and creating economic alternatives to local communities. WildAid works with media, governments, celebrities and local partners and communities worldwide to make wildlife conservation a global priority. WildAid has partnered with organizations such as the African Wildlife Foundation, the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, and SharkSavers. [2] Charity Navigator has given WildAid a perfect score of 100.00 since December 1, 2016. [3]

History

WildAid was originally founded in 1995 by Steven R. Galster and Michael C. Mitchell under the name Global Survival Network (GSN). GSN was an environmental NGO which focused on countering wildlife and human trafficking. At GSN, Peter Knights ran a successful program to reduce demand for wildlife.[ citation needed ]

Galster conducted undercover video with poachers to strengthen attempts to prevent poaching. Galster's undercover meetings revealed a strong connection between animal poachers and human traffickers, which led the GSN to make efforts to combat human trafficking. From 1995-1997 GSN personally undertook a two-year undercover investigation into the international relationship between animal and human trafficking, which included personal meetings with human traffickers and trafficked women.[ citation needed ]

Video footage and information from the investigation was used to create a GSN written report, "Crime & Servitude", [4] and a 1997 video documentary, Bought & Sold. [5] Upon its release, Bought & Sold received widespread media coverage in the US and internationally, and was featured in specials on ABC Primetime Live, CNN, and BBC. The documentary contributed to the development of new legislative reforms and financial initiatives to combat human trafficking. [6] The materials that were collected during the two year exposé are housed at the Human Rights Documentation Initiative (HRDI), The University of Texas at Austin.

Rebranding as WildAid

In 2000, Galster, Gauntlett, Knights and a colleague of theirs, Steve Trent, teamed up to strengthen GSN, focus it on the environment, and re-brand it as "WildAid". Eventually, WildAid's four co-directors split up and formed four different organizations with different areas of focus: Trent founded the Environmental Justice Foundation in 2001, Gauntlett formed Wildlife Alliance in 2004, Galster founded the Freeland Foundation in 2008 to continue the fight against human trafficking, and Knights maintained directorship of WildAid. Today, WildAid works in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, China, Indonesia, India, and Ecuador with headquarters in San Francisco, California. In 2014 WildAid merged with Shark Savers, a non-profit committed to the conservation of sharks. [7] [ self-published source ]

In 2019, WildAid partnered with the government of Thailand and the United States Agency for International Development to launch "A Good Life is Free of Killing", a campaign to end wildlife trafficking. [8]

Public awareness campaigns

In 2016, Arnold Schwarzenegger collaborated on a campaign, starring in the PSA, "Less Meat, Less Heat," [9] that encourages people to eat less meat as a means of combating climate change. [10]

In 2017, Jackie Chan made a public service announcement called WildAid: Jackie Chan & Pangolins (Kung Fu Pangolin) [11] WildAid's Shark Conservation Program has focused on reducing demand for sharkfin and shark products in China, by enlisting celebrity ambassadors and creating local environmental campaigns. [12] A 2016 survey in China found that 80% of respondents had seen WildAid campaign messages, and 98.8% agreed that the campaigns successfully raised awareness of shark conservation. [1] Michelle Yeoh recorded a public service announcement (PSA) supporting WildAid activities with elephants. [13] [ self-published source ]

WildAid's "Poaching Steals From Us All" campaign focused on raising awareness of the threat poaching posed to animals such as the Rhinoceros, partnering with celebrities such as Danai Gurira, Bryce Dallas Howard, and the filmmakers of Jurassic World . [14] [15] WildAid partnered with Plan B Media in 2019 to promote awareness of shark preservation and discourage the widespread practice of sharkfin soup consumption in Taiwan. [16]

Yao Ming, Leonardo DiCaprio, Harrison Ford, Jane Goodall, Kate Hudson, and Amitabh Bachchan are among their celebrity ambassadors. [17] [ self-published source ] [18] [ self-published source ]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pangolin</span> Mammals of the order Pholidota

Pangolins, sometimes known as scaly anteaters, are mammals of the order Pholidota. The one extant family, the Manidae, has three genera: Manis, Phataginus, and Smutsia. Manis comprises four species found in Asia, while Phataginus and Smutsia include two species each, all found in sub-Saharan Africa. These species range in size from 30 to 100 cm. A number of extinct pangolin species are also known. In September 2023, nine species were reported.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Poaching</span> Illegal hunting of wildlife

Poaching is the illegal hunting or capturing of wild animals, usually associated with land use rights. Poaching was once performed by impoverished peasants for subsistence purposes and to supplement meager diets. It was set against the hunting privileges of nobility and territorial rulers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Environmental issues in Kenya</span>

Environmental issues in Kenya include deforestation, soil erosion, desertification, water shortage and degraded water quality, flooding, poaching, and domestic and industrial pollution.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wildlife Trust of India</span>

The Wildlife Trust of India is an Indian nature conservation organisation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Environmental Investigation Agency</span> Non-governmental environmental organisation

The Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) is an international NGO founded in 1984 in the United Kingdom by environmental activists Dave Currey, Jennifer Lonsdale and Allan Thornton. At present, it has offices in London and Washington, D.C. The EIA covertly investigates and campaigns against environmental crime and abuse.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wildlife trade</span> Worldwide industry dealing in the acquisition and sale of wildlife

Wildlife trade refers to the products that are derived from non-domesticated animals or plants usually extracted from their natural environment or raised under controlled conditions. It can involve the trade of living or dead individuals, tissues such as skins, bones or meat, or other products. Legal wildlife trade is regulated by the United Nations' Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), which currently has 184 member countries called Parties. Illegal wildlife trade is widespread and constitutes one of the major illegal economic activities, comparable to the traffic of drugs and weapons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chinese pangolin</span> Species of mammal

The Chinese pangolin is a pangolin native to the northern Indian subcontinent, northern parts of Southeast Asia and southern China. It has been listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List since 2014, as the wild population is estimated to have declined by more than 80% in three pangolin generations, equal to 21 years. It is threatened by poaching for the illegal wildlife trade.

TRAFFIC, the Wildlife Trade Monitoring Network, is a global non-governmental organization monitoring the trade in wild plants and animals. TRAFFIC focuses on preserving biodiversity and sustainable legal wildlife trade while working against unsustainable illegal wildlife trade. It was originally created in 1976 as a specialist group of the Species Survival Commission of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and evolved into a strategic alliance of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and the IUCN.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wildlife Alliance</span>

Wildlife Alliance is an international non-profit forest and wildlife conservation organization with current programs in Cambodia. It is headquartered in New York City, with offices in Phnom Penh. The logo of the organization is the Asian elephant, an emblematic species and the namesake for the Southwest Elephant Corridor that Wildlife Alliance saved when it was under intense threat of poaching and habitat destruction in 2001. It is today one of the last remaining unfragmented elephant corridors in Asia. Due to Government rangers' and Wildlife Alliance's intensive anti-poaching efforts, there have been zero elephant killings since 2006. Dr. Suwanna Gauntlett is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Wildlife Alliance, and one of the original founders of WildAid. The organization is governed by a board of directors and an international advisory board that provides guidance on strategy, fundraising, and outreach.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wildlife smuggling</span> Illegal gathering, transport and distribution of wild animals

Wildlife smuggling or wildlife trafficking concerns the illegal gathering and trade of endangered species and protected wildlife, including plants and byproducts or products utilizing a species. Research on wildlife smuggling has increased, however, knowledge of the illicit trade remains limited. The differences between international policies and tendencies likely contribute to the extensive estimated range of wildlife smuggling, anywhere from $5-$23 billion, with an additional $67-$193 billion when timber and fish are included. The prolific growth of wildlife smuggling makes it the fourth-largest criminal enterprise globally after drug, firearm, and human trafficking. Products demanded by the trade include but are not limited to ivory, bushmeat, traditional medicine, and exotic pets. China and the United States are the largest buyers in the illegal wildlife trade. It often involves other illegal activities such as tranquilizing animals without proper authorization.

The Freeland Foundation is an international NGO headquartered in Bangkok which works in Asia on environmental conservation and on human rights. The organization intends to stop wildlife and human trafficking.

The Wildlife Conservation Network (WCN) is a United States-based 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that protects endangered wildlife by supporting conservationists in the field who promote coexistence between wildlife and people. WCN does this by providing its partners with capital, strategic capacity-building services, training, and operational support. WCN has been given a top rating amongst wildlife conservation charities, with a four star rating on Charity Navigator.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SanWild Wildlife Sanctuary</span>

The SanWild Wildlife Sanctuary is a 5,000 ha (50 km2) wildlife rehabilitation center and reserve in South Africa's Limpopo Province, located a few kilometers south of Leydsdorp, and near the western boundary of the Kruger National Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">World Elephant Day</span> Annual event on August 12 dedicated to the preservation and protection of the worlds elephants

World Elephant Day is an international annual event on August 12, dedicated to the preservation and protection of the world's elephants. Conceived in 2011 by Canadian filmmakers Patricia Sims and Michael Clark of Canazwest Pictures, and Sivaporn Dardarananda, Secretary-General of the Elephant Reintroduction Foundation in Thailand, it was officially founded, supported and launched by Patricia Sims and the Elephant Reintroduction Foundation on August 12, 2012. Since that time, Patricia Sims continues to lead, support and direct World Elephant Day, which is now recognized and celebrated by over 100 wildlife organizations and many individuals in countries across the globe.

Education for Nature Vietnam (ENV) was set up in 2000 and according to their website is Vietnam's "first local non-governmental organization to focus on wildlife protection."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pangolin trade</span> Illegal poaching, sale and trafficking

The pangolin trade is the illegal poaching, trafficking, and sale of pangolins, parts of pangolins, or pangolin-derived products on the black market. Pangolins are believed to be the world's most trafficked mammal, accounting for as much as 20% of all illegal wildlife trade. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), more than a million pangolins were poached in the decade prior to 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael C. Mitchell</span>

Michael C. Mitchell is an American planner, designer, lecturer and environmentalist. He works on rural development.

Steven R. Galster is an American environmental and human rights investigator and counter-trafficking program designer. Since 1987, he has planned and participated in investigations and remedial programs to stop wildlife and human trafficking and to mitigate corruption and build governance in Asia, Africa, Russia, South America, and the USA.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wildlife smuggling in southern Africa</span>

The wildlife trafficking network in southern Africa involves the illicit extraction, transportation and transaction of wildlife within and across the nations of Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa and Eswatini. Involvement in the illegal trading network can be divided into three general roles: poachers, traffickers and intermediaries, and consumers. There are a wide range of motives depending on an individual's role in the network. Some motivations include profit, sustenance, and reducing human-wildlife conflict.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wendy Benchley</span> American environmental conservationist

Winifred "Wendy" Benchley is a marine and environmental conservation advocate and former councilwoman from New Jersey. She is known for co-founding various environmental organizations and for being the wife of author Peter Benchley.

References

  1. 1 2 Group, SEEC Media. "WildAid: 'When the buying stops, the killing can too'". www.timeoutbeijing.com. Retrieved 2019-11-07.
  2. ↑ For the Packard Foundation, see "Breaking the back of the shark fin trade". www.speakingchange.org. Retrieved 2019-11-07.
  3. ↑ "Charity Navigator - Historical Ratings for WildAid". Charity Navigator. Retrieved 2019-12-18.
  4. ↑ Caldwell, Gillian, Author, "Crime & Servitude: An Exposé of the Traffic in Women for Prostitution from the Newly Independent States," Publisher, Global Survival Network (1997), ASIN: B0006QTIII
  5. ↑ GSN (Global Survival Network) footage for "Bought & Sold: An Investigative Documentary about the International Trade in Women," 1995-1998, Texas Archival Resources Online
  6. ↑ University of Texas Libraries, The Riche Media Collection, 3209 B01550, latest revision as of 14:55, 14 February 2013
  7. ↑ "Shark Savers Joins WildAid". WildAid. 2014-03-10. Retrieved 2019-10-18.
  8. ↑ "New joint bid to end wildlife trafficking". bangkokpost.com. Retrieved 2019-10-18.
  9. ↑ "'Less Meat Less Heat' starring Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger". WildAid . 2016. Retrieved 2023-11-26.
  10. ↑ Shoard, Catherine (2016-06-23). "Arnold Schwarzenegger and James Cameron urge people to eat less meat". The Guardian . Retrieved 2023-11-26.
  11. ↑ "Jackie Chan fights for pangolins". China Daily. 2017-08-23. Retrieved 2019-03-17.
  12. ↑ Jeffreys, Elaine (2016-11-01). "Translocal celebrity activism: shark-protection campaigns in mainland China". Environmental Communication. 10 (6): 763–776. Bibcode:2016Ecomm..10..763J. doi:10.1080/17524032.2016.1198822. hdl: 10453/49843 . ISSN   1752-4032.
  13. ↑ "WildAid PSA - Michelle Yeoh". WildAid. Retrieved 2023-03-17.
  14. ↑ "Black Panther and The Walking Dead's Danai Gurira Warns 'We Are Losing Our Rhinos'". PEOPLE.com. Retrieved 2019-10-18.
  15. ↑ "WildAid And Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom Join To Help Save Endangered Rhinoceros". Look to the Stars. 2018-06-28. Retrieved 2019-10-18.
  16. ↑ "WildAid:Shark Fin is Always the "Worst ..." Taiwan News. Retrieved 2019-10-18.
  17. ↑ "Celebrity Ambassadors". WildAid. Retrieved 2 November 2014.
  18. ↑ "Michelle Yeoh". WildAid. Retrieved 2023-03-17.
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