Region: Global

Humane Society International / Global

Arindam Bhattacharya/Alamy Stock Photo An Asian elephant (elephas maximus) eats grass in Kaziranga National Park, Assam, India

Gandhinagar — Representatives from more than 130 nations agreed to vital protections for migratory wild species at what’s being hailed as a landmark wildlife convention in Gandhinagar, India. Delegates agreed to increased or first-time conservation protection status for the endangered Mainland Asian elephant, the critically endangered great Indian bustard and Bengal florican, the jaguar, the oceanic whitetip shark, smooth hammerhead and tope shark.  The circumstances of all of these species, require multi-nation conservation co-operation because their ranges traverse country boundaries.

Sixty percent of Mainland Asian elephants are found in India, and the species has been listed as Endangered in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) since 1986, a victim of habitat loss and increasing human/elephant conflict. The great Indian bustard, whose population has dwindled to around 150 individuals in India, is persecuted by hunting in Pakistan, and the Bengal florican has a population of less than 1000 birds, struggling to survive amidst habitat loss in India and Nepal.

Mark Simmonds OBE, senior marine scientist at Humane Society International, said: “With estimates of up to one million species at risk of extinction right now, nations have a shared responsibility to act, especially in the case of migratory species. Species such as the Asian elephant and hammerhead shark are in desperate need of attention and cooperation from the countries through which they roam, mate, give birth or feed. This truly is proving to be a landmark wildlife convention because we’ve successfully secured increased conservation protection status for many species and we can now set to work on concrete measures to protect them and their habitats.  

The Asian elephant is endangered throughout much of its range, trying to survive in continually shrinking, degraded and fragmented habitat, and increasingly coming into conflict with people. Its protection will be vastly improved if range countries work together to tackle these challenges, and inclusion in CMS Appendix I will significantly aid that.”

Rebecca Regnery, Humane Society International’s deputy director of wildlife, said: “The jaguar, the largest native cat of the Americas, is now absent from more than 77% of its historic range in Central America. Despite protection in all its range states, the jaguar is threatened by illegal killing and trade.  Listing on CMS will formalize range state collaboration on conservation efforts, creating an international legal framework for the first time. This will provide increased incentives and funding opportunities for this work, which is critical for curbing habitat destruction, maintaining key migration corridors and reducing violence and human deaths associated with retaliation and trafficking.”

Lawrence Chlebeck, marine biologist with HSI Australia, said, “This is a fantastic success for international shark conservation efforts. Three of the shark species hardest hit by commercial fishing will, from today, receive brand new international attention and coordination. Sharks are especially susceptible to population decline due to late maturation and low reproductive potential, and they are therefore some of the most threatened animals on our planet. International, cooperative conservation measures, such as those that will result from these listings, are absolutely vital to the ecological viability and survival of these species.”

Summary of key decisions today at CMS CoP 13

  • Mainland Asian elephant/Indian elephant (Elephas maximus indicus) added to Appendix I
  • Great Indian bustard and Bengal florican added to Appendix I
  • The jaguar (Panthera onca) added to Appendices I and II
  • The antipodean albatross (Diomedea antipodensis) added to Appendix I
  • Oceanic whitetip shark (Carcharhinus longimanus) added in Appendix I
  • Smooth hammerhead shark (Sphyrna zygaena) added to Appendix II
  • Tope shark (Galeorhinus galeus) added to Appendix II.

These decisions have been made in the convention’s ‘Meeting in the Whole’ and are subject to formal verification in the closing plenary of the CoP on 22nd February. However, as they have been agreed by consensus, this is now a formality.

ENDS

Media contact: Wendy Higgins whiggins@hsi.org

Humane Society International / China

Donald Trump Jr. was a speaker at the February 5 to 8 convention in Reno

Humane Society International / United States

WASHINGTON — An undercover investigation last week by the Humane Society of the United States and Humane Society International exposed exhibitors peddling wild animal products at the Safari Club International convention in Reno, Nevada. Items found for sale include belts and boots made of elephants, hippos and stingrays, which likely violate Nevada’s wildlife trafficking law.

Among the other items for sale were boots made of giraffe skin ($1,390) and kangaroo skin ($1,080), and trips to hunt Asiatic black bears, giraffes, elephants, lions, hippos and more. One outfitter said hunting a giraffe costs “only” $1,200 because they have “too many giraffes” and need to “get rid of the animals.”

For the second year in a row, the investigator found “canned” lion hunts for sale, where customers pay to shoot a captive-bred lion, violating SCI’s own ban that it implemented in February 2018. In his sales pitch, one vendor bragged that his safari company holds five of the top 10 lions ever recorded in SCI’s Record Book.

Among the featured speakers and entertainers at the convention were Donald Trump Jr. and the Beach Boys. A “dream hunt” with Donald Trump Jr. aboard a luxury yacht in Alaska to kill black-tailed deer and sea ducks was sold to two winners for auction at a total of $340,000. A taxidermy ibex mountain goat that Trump Jr. killed was on display on the convention floor.

Kitty Block, president and CEO of the Humane Society of the United States, said, “This convention does nothing other than celebrate senseless violence towards wildlife. For far too long SCI has chosen profits and bragging rights over conservation, ethics and the law, and has been trying to convince the public that the display of thousands of dead animal trophies, parts and products is somehow beneficial to conservation. The public isn’t falling for it anymore. Wild animals are not commodities to be sold, with their deaths something to celebrate. This needs to end.”

This is not the first time that vendors at SCI’s convention defied local authorities. Last year a dozen vendors were found selling illegal wildlife products in potential violation of the state law. HSUS and HSI have submitted evidence of the violations of state law to local enforcement authorities.

Jeff Flocken, president of Humane Society International, said, “No animals are off limit to trophy hunters. From shooting giraffes, hyenas, zebras, elephants, hippopotamus to primates and lions, the trophy hunting industry reveals its true nature – one that is motivated by the thrill to kill, and not by conservation.”

Hunting trips for sale at the convention included:

  • A $350,000 hunt for a critically endangered black rhino in Namibia.
  • An outfitter advertised its “Trump Special” – a $25,000 hunt for a buffalo, sable, roan and crocodile.
  • Advertised as a “bargain” was a captive-bred lion hunt for $8,000 in South Africa.
  • A $6,000 hunt for any six animals that a customer can choose to kill in South Africa. The offerings were: zebras, wildebeest, warthogs, impalas, hartebeest, gemsbok, nyala and waterbuck.
  • A polar bear hunt in Canada was offered for sale for $35,000.
  • An Asiatic black bear hunt in Russia sold for $15,000.
  • A 15-day Alaska hunt to kill a brown bear, black bear, mountain goat and wolf was sold for $25,000.

The Humane Society of the United States, Humane Society International and the Humane Society Legislative Fund are urging the public to ask the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to deny any import request for the trophy of a rare argali sheep that Trump Jr. killed in Mongolia last year.

“No one is above the law—not these outfitters, not the wealthy elite, and not our agencies. Shooting ESA listed species does not enhance their survival and it’s time we make that irrevocably clear,” said Sara Amundson, president of the Humane Society Legislative Fund. “We are fighting for strong legislation that puts an end to our country’s significant contribution to this inhumane practice based on vanity and colonialist fantasies.”

Additionally the organizations are urging the public to ask their members of U.S. Congress to support H.R. 4804, the Prohibiting Threatened and Endangered Creature Trophies Act (ProTECT Act) and H.R.2245 the Conserving Ecosystems by Ceasing the Importation of Large Animal Trophies Act (CECIL Act), which would significantly withdraw the U.S.’s prominent role in global trophy hunting of imperiled species.

Investigation Report here.

Photos/video for download from the 2020 investigation.  

Soundbites on YouTube. 

B-roll on YouTube.

 

Media contacts:

The Humane Society of the United States/Humane Society Legislative Fund:

Rodi Rosensweig, 203-270-8929, RRosensweig@humanesociety.org

Humane Society International:

Nancy Hwa, 202-676-2337, nhwa@hsi.org

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Founded in 1954, the Humane Society of the United States and its affiliates around the globe fight the big fights to end suffering for all animals. Together with millions of supporters, the HSUS takes on puppy mills, factory farms, trophy hunts, animal testing and other cruel industries, and together with its affiliates, rescues and provides direct care for over 100,000 animals every year. The HSUS works on reforming corporate policy, improving and enforcing laws and elevating public awareness on animal issues. More at humanesociety.org.   Subscribe to Kitty Block’s blog, A Humane World. Follow the HSUS Media Relations department on Twitter. Read the award-winning All Animals magazine. Listen to the Humane Voices Podcast. 

 

Humane Society International and its partner organizations together constitute one of the world’s largest animal protection organizations. For more than 25 years, HSI has been working for the protection of all animals through the use of science, advocacy, education and hands on programs. Celebrating animals and confronting cruelty worldwide – on the Web at hsi.org.

 

The Humane Society Legislative Fund is a social welfare organization incorporated under section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code and formed in 2004 as a separate lobbying affiliate of The Humane Society of the United States. The HSLF works to pass animal protection laws at the state and federal level, to educate the public about animal protection issues, and to support humane candidates for office. Visit us on all our channels: on the web at hslf.org, on our blog at animalsandpolitics.com, on Facebook at facebook.com/humanelegislation and on Twitter at twitter.com/HSLegFund.

Humane Society International / United States

Video screen grabs from an undercover investigation at Safari Club International’s annual hunter’s convention in Las Vegas.

WASHINGTON — Thousands of trophy hunters from around the world will gather next week in Reno, Nevada (February 5 through 8), for Safari Club International’s annual convention, which will feature approximately 870 exhibitors showcasing and selling trophy hunting opportunities and wildlife parts and products – from animal heads to hides. In addition, trophy hunter Donald Trump Jr. is scheduled to speak at the event on February 8.

Kitty Block, president and CEO of the Humane Society of the United States, said, “This annual event is the largest meeting in the world of people who celebrate the senseless killing, buying and selling of dead animals for bragging rights. As our planet suffers an extinction crisis, it is business as usual for the trophy hunting industry and SCI, who continue to revel in spending millions of dollars every year to destroy imperiled wildlife.”

The Humane Society of the United States and Humane Society International have analyzed the products promoted for sale and auctions of trophy hunts by exhibitors attending the upcoming 2020 convention. Among those are more than 300 trophy hunts in the U.S. and abroad whose starting bids range from $1,650 to $100,000 each. These hunts will kill at least 860 animals of over 50 species, including black bears, wolves, leopards and elephants. The auctions are expected to bring in more than $5 million to SCI. One of the hunts up for bid is a black-tailed deer hunt with Donald Trump Jr. in Alaska for $17,000.

Jeff Flocken, president of Humane Society International, said, “The trophy hunting industry’s conservation claim is shattered by SCI’s promotion of and profit from killing rare and imperiled animals. Trophy hunting is unethical, ecologically devastating and inflicts tremendous cruelty on wild animals. It’s time that we move beyond a colonial pastime and celebrate wild animals in their natural environment.”

In addition to Donald Trump Jr. speaking at the event, the Beach Boys and Charlie Daniels are scheduled to perform at the convention. The group REO Speedwagon had been scheduled, but they pulled out of the event and HSUS and HSI applauds their decision.

According to reports, Botswana President Mokgweetsi Masisi is slated to attend this year’s convention to accept an award. Last year, the government of Botswana lifted a ban on elephant hunting in the country, for which he received SCI’s praise, despite local and international backlash and opposition from elephant experts.

The Humane Society of the United States and Humane Society International are urging the public to ask the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to deny any authorization for Trump Jr. to import the trophy of an Argali sheep he killed in Mongolia last year

Photos/video from the 2019 SCI convention.

 

Media contacts:

The Humane Society of the United States:

Rodi Rosensweig, 203-270-8929, RRosensweig@humanesociety.org

 

Humane Society International:

Nancy Hwa, 202-676-2337, nhwa@hsi.org

Humane Society International / Canada

Humane Society International / China

Humane Society International helps build temporary shelters to house animal patients

Humane Society International / Global

Three koalas rescued on Kangaroo Island sitting in laundry baskets eat eucalyptus branches and wait for assessment and treatment.
Jo-Anna Robinson/AP Images for HSI

Kangaroo Island, South Australia–As the search-and-rescue mission for wildlife survivors of Australia’s Kangaroo Island bushfires continues, animal charity Humane Society International says the number of animals needing to be taken into care is increasing as starvation and dehydration start to hit.

Humane Society International took the heart-wrenching image of a traumatised koala sitting by the water beside another, deceased, koala. Although some media reports mistook the koala’s hunched posture as mourning, HSI experts say it’s the fact that they’re seeing koalas all over the island curled up and “shut down” like this on the ground instead of in the trees, which indicates a lack of food and water is taking its toll. Animal carcasses, like that of the dead koala in the water, litter the ground across the decimated bushland on the island.

“Sadly, this is the reality on the ground on Kangaroo Island. The survivors have little to no energy reserves left and we are finding them sitting on the ground totally shut down – all too often with other corpses nearby. We did manage to rescue this particular koala and she is doing well in the emergency rehab at the Kangaroo Island Wildlife Park,” said Kelly Donithan, Humane Society International’s disaster response specialist.

Although casualty numbers fluctuate day by day, Kangaroo Island Wildlife Park is also seeing an upturn in wildlife casualties being brought to its emergency triage centre. Although it’s always ideal to leave uninjured surviving koalas high in the trees in their natural habitat, the near total fire damage means that their natural food sources have been turned to ash, and increasing numbers of surviving koalas are now being found on the ground and dehydrated.

Ms Donithan continued: “Over recent days it’s been quite a bit cooler, so perhaps some animals are starting to move more than they did before in a desperate search for food and water, and that’s why we’re seeing an increase. As the days go by, these animals are weakening more and more to a point where they require intervention because there’s virtually nothing left for them out here.”

The Humane Society International team has been building water stations in remote areas where koalas have been seen perching in inaccessibly high trees, and photographs from camera traps set by the charity show that koalas are climbing down to drink. HSI has also delivered building materials to the island to allow for the construction of new temporary shelters at the wildlife park triage centre to help accommodate the growing number of animals needing veterinary and longer term care.

Erica Martin, CEO of HSI/Australia explains: “For so many of these animals, their natural habitat is gone, there simply isn’t anything to sustain them. So although the hope is that in time once the land recovers they will be able to be released back to the wild, that’s not likely to happen for some time yet. So for the meantime, we need to build these little guys a new, temporary home, and thanks to the donations we’re receiving, we’re able to get to work.”

Watch:

Australia Fires: Helping animals in crisis,Australia Fires: Helping koalas in need, Australia Fires: Rescuing animals in need and Facebook Live updates from our rescuers in the field.

Read a recent blog entry by HSUS President & CEO Kitty Block.

Donate to our Animal Rescue Fund at hsi.org/aid.

For more information about our response, see our Australia fires faqs.

Media:

Download photos and video of animal rescue here.

For interviews with HSI’s rescue team on Kangaroo Island, please call

“Every time we find an animal alive, it feels like a miracle,” say HSI rescuers

Humane Society International / Global

Humane Society International

Note: See ENDS at bottom for the latest videos and updates on our rescue efforts.

Kangaroo Island, South Australia – Animal charity Humane Society International has deployed a disaster response team to Kangaroo Island on a search and rescue mission for wildlife survivors of the bushfires that have scorched over one third of the island. As HSI surveys the devastation first hand, the charity welcomed today’s announcement by the Australian government, pledging aid for species and habitat recovery.

HSI/Australia CEO Erica Martin said: “The land we’re searching is utterly scorched with charred animal bodies everywhere. It is very confronting to see the extent of the loss of wildlife. At one area, which was badly burned a week ago, the scenes were nothing short of apocalyptic. There we only found one living koala amongst thousands of bodies of koalas, kangaroos, wallabies and birds. So as we prepare to set out again to search for surviving animals, we warmly welcome this $50 million pledge. A substantial elevation of funds to the environment will need to be sustained for the long term.”

HSI’s team — led by Kelly Donithan, who is a global expert in disaster response — is building water and food stations to sustain uninjured wild animals in the area, as well as rescuing survivors suffering from burns, injuries, smoke inhalation and other physical or mental trauma.

The first reports from Kangaroo Island are harrowing to read; however, despite the devastation, the team has found and provided aid to koalas, kangaroos and possum survivors. Local groups on the ground with whom HSI is working are battling around the clock, especially Kangaroo Island Wildlife Park, which is taking in and caring for burned and injured animals.

HSI’s senior specialist in disaster response, Kelly Donithan, said: “These are some of the toughest scenes I’ve ever witnessed as an animal rescuer: the bodies of charred animals as far as the eye can see. But as we set out each day on search and rescue, we’re still finding animals alive, injured, dazed or traumatised, and it’s such a relief to be able to give them immediate life-saving assistance. We’ve seen kangaroos with devastating burn injuries and dehydrated koalas gasping for water. Amidst all this death, every time we find an animal alive it feels like a miracle. The local sanctuaries here are working around the clock, so we’re bringing in every animal we find in need of veterinary care and then heading straight back out to save more.” 

HSI’s team is assessing every animal survivor they find to decide if they can be left in-situ or taken into care. If animals are uninjured and have access to a reasonable food source, it is far less stressful for them to be left with a water station so that the team can check back on them later.

Ms. Donithan explained: “Obviously, the goal is to keep animals in the wild as much as possible. Unfortunately, the landscapes are so decimated that for many this hasn’t been an option because there is nothing left for them to eat or drink, so they need to be taken in for care. Sadly some animals are so badly burned that euthanasia is the only option. We found one kangaroo so burned her feet and tail were nothing but exposed bones. She was in a terrible state and must have endured such suffering, so I’m grateful at least that she didn’t have to die out there alone and in pain.” 

Despite the best efforts of firefighters, rescuers are seeing new fires continuing to spring up, with animals fleeing with burns. One possum was rescued by the team after emerging from flames as the team was stopped waiting to see if the road ahead would become passable or whether they needed to find an alternate route.

Humane Society International/Australia manages a network of 600 wildlife sanctuaries across the country as part of its Wildlife Land Trust. Many of these sanctuaries have been devastated by the fires or are experiencing an influx of patients to care for. With assistance from Humane Society International, HSI/Australia will provide funds, supplies and support to Wildlife Land Trust sanctuaries and other wildlife carers across fire zones.

Evan Quartermain, HSI/Australia’s head of programs who manages the WLT, said: “It is extremely emotional. I can barely describe it. In some places you can’t walk 10 metres without coming across another carcass. Humane Society International/Australia’s bushfire fund is paying for emergency truckloads of water and supplementary feed for rescued wombats, kangaroos and flying foxes in care impacted by fire and severe drought across the country. We have been able to fund the building of additional rehabilitation enclosures for koalas and other wildlife and with generous donations from around the world we are letting wildlife carers know we are here to support them for the long haul.”

ENDS

Watch:

Australia Fires: Helping animals in crisis,Australia Fires: Helping koalas in need, Australia Fires: Rescuing animals in need and Facebook Live updates from our rescuers in the field.

Read a recent blog entry by HSUS President & CEO Kitty Block.

Donate to our Animal Rescue Fund at hsi.org/aid.

For more information about our response, see our Australia fires faqs.

Download images and b-roll of animal rescue here.

For interviews with HSI’s rescue team on Kangaroo Island, please call Rhiannon Cunningham in Sydney on 0449 803 492 or (02) 9973 1728 and email rhiannon@hsi.org.au, or Wendy Higgins in London, UK on +44 (0)7989 972 423 whiggins@hsi.org.

In the U.S., contact Nancy Hwa, nhwa@hsi.org, 202-676-2337 (direct), 202-596-0808 (cell).

Humane Society International / Global

Humane Society International / Australia

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