Carter Roberts, President and CEO of WWF, testifying before the Senate Subcommittee on East Asian and Pacific Affairs in July. Photo © Jay Mallin / WWF.
President Obama has appointed WWF President and CEO Carter Roberts and several others to the Advisory Council on Wildlife Trafficking this month.
The Task Force will be constructing a charter for preventing wildlife trafficking worldwide, with a focus on the supply coming out of Africa, as well as Asia on the demand side.
“President Obama’s establishment of this task force and advisory council makes it clear that stopping wildlife crime is a priority for the United States Government,” Roberts said.
Wildlife trade is the fifth most profitable illegal trade in the world, estimated at up to $10 billion per year. Nearly 30,000 African elephants were poached last year for their ivory, which is then shipped to markets in Asia for nothing more than trinkets and ornaments. Watch this episode from WWF’s new short film series “Stop Wildlife Crime – It’s Dead Serious,” to learn just how gruesome elephant poaching is, and how it is severely threatening the existence of elephants in Africa and Asia. (Warning: The video contains some graphic images.)
We are proud to be the worldwide travel partner of WWF, an organization advising the White House on such a critical global issue.
