New York Signs Landmark Bill Protecting Vulnerable Species

​worldanimalnews.com/breaking-new-york-governor-andrew-cuomo-signs-landmark-bill-into-law-banning-wildlife-trafficking-in-the-state/

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has signed a landmark bill that will ban the sale and ownership of parts from vulnerable species which includes the heavily imperilled giraffe. The bill comes on the heels of two species of giraffe being listed as critically endangered after a sharp 40% decline in their numbers over the past 30 years.

Wildlife trafficking is helping along the extinction of hundreds of species and given that scientists are warning that we are in a position to lose over a million species, drastic measures are required to properly protect them and prevent an extinction epidemic. Although there are many other factors pushing wildlife towards extinction, humans are propelling some of these species to extinction much faster because of the wildlife trade. Elephants, rhinos, giraffes, and lions, are all sought after for trophy hunters as well as poachers who acquire and sell their parts for large sums of money.

When it comes to the best place to start in regards to protecting vulnerable animals, trophy hunting and poaching are the very best places to start. We cannot immediately tackle climate related displacement or habitat loss like we can target and tackle trophy hunting / poaching. I've long said we need to be banning trophy hunting of endangered and vulnerable animals and start using some of that blood money to fund actual efforts to conserve these species. Also, New York is right on the money to ban the sale and ownership of wildlife parts when it comes to these imperilled animals. Without a market for these parts, there's less of a reason to go out and kill them. It's crucial that we put an end to the wildlife trade if we intend to truly protect these animals from going extinct in the wild. Common sense would dictate that the entire planet should be jumping on board with this initiative because it makes absolutely no sense to worry about the extinction of a species while simultaneously allowing them to be imported and traded / sold.

While this is amazing news, there are still 49 other states that need to hop on board this train if we're really going to see wildlife protected. Even further than that, there are several countries across the globe that need to be acting in this manner. As stated, without a market for these parts, there's no reason to continue to kill them. We need to be discouraging wildlife trafficking on a global level if we ever hope to achieve our goals of protecting and helping to support these species from going extinct. Every small step is a step in the right direction but there will always be more work to do until the time comes that we start hearing positive news for these animals.

Congratulations New York on this monumental bill and your commitment to protecting endangered animals.

HAPPY VEG