Campaign Week Day #2: Wildife crime

Greetings everybody, 

Day 2 of campaign week and although the deforestation post was pretty awesome, we have an equally pressing topic to tell you about, and this is...

Wildlife Crime

Lets start of with asking the simple question, What is wildlife crime? 

According to the UK National Wildlife Crime Unit, wildlife crime is considered to be... 

"any action which contravenes current legislation governing the protection of the UK's wild animals and plants"

This is not a battle that is solely fought across the seas, the UK national Wildlife Crime Unit battles with Wildlife crime on the home front, these involve.

1. Hare coursing. 

2. Deer poaching

3. Badger persecution (including baiting and even disturbance of setts)

4. Egg theft/collection

5. Bird of prey persecution (poisoning, trapping and disturbance of chicks and/or nests. 

Though the battle is very close to home sadly this does not reduce the fact that wildlife crime is taking place on a global scale. Through the trade in ivory, tortoises, rhino horns, and many other species that are covered by CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species). Not all wildlife crime is animals, it includes wild plants namely the trade of orchids. 

We have compiled a few info graphics, mainly because they are just so amazing  at conveying awesome and hard hitting information, take a look and keep note! 

The ivory trade: 

Probablly one of the most well known aspects of wildlife crime.And causing serious problems... 

How this seed may be the rhinos salvation...

The seed above is causing a storm on the frontline of wildlife crime and now though to be a good weapon to fight the trade of ivory. What you are looking at in the above picture is vegetable ivory, and with the colour and hardness that is strikingly similar to elephant or rhino ivory it is not surprising that you can now find this product in some gorgeous jewellery pieces! 

Leju designs has highlighted just how amazed they are at this new resource and the are very proud to be using a material that is considered to be the only 100% sustainable alternative for ivory. To be honest we are pretty proud of them too!! Not only for using vegetable ivory but also for making such stunning and colourful jewellery pieces!! 

To purchase any of these or to spoil yourself with more designs click here

Not all wildlife crime is so easily avoided...

Be sure to keep up to date with what you can and cannot do, for instance it would be considered a crime against wildlife if you cut your tree back and by doing so you affected the nest of a bird, or you block the access of a bat roost even if this is located in the roof space of a private house you cannot just block it up and if you did you would be... CONVICTED! 

Who to contact if you witness or know of wildlife crime? 

You are able to contact both the SSPCA, RSPCA and even your local authorities. RSPCA  is able to deal with both wildlife crime AND animal welfare issues, it is an awesome animal crime fighting unit. To help them continue on with their work and never-ending fight, find out to donate here. 

Well that is the end of this post! we do hope that you enjoyed it and that you learnt enough about this heavily campaigned topic, for more information on wildlife crime give this website a look

Remember that you can make the change, read up on wildlife crime so that you are able to identify when it is happening on your own doorstep, donate to RSPCA and SSPCA and help their cause, but most importantly do not invest in ivory products when you now know of the alternative. 

Because...

“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot,
Nothing is going to get better. It's not.”
-Dr Seuss, The Lorax.

Thanks Lorax, Biobunch, 
over and out!