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International coalition urges countries to #EndWildlifeCrime
Wildlife crime threatens the conservation of species and poses serious risks to human and animal health.

Calls for new protocols to tackle illegal trade

Multiple conservation groups, government representatives and academics have come together to put out a global call to action to end wildlife crime, as part of UN World Wildlife Day 2020.

The groups form the International Coalition to End Wildlife Crime, which was established in 2018 in order to develop plans and strategies to disrupt the crimes that impact endangered species, such as poaching, logging and illegal trade.

Representatives from the coalition attended a special event – held on Tuesday 3 March in the House of Lords and sponsored by Born Free and the ADM Capital Foundation – to discuss measures to help combat crimes which threaten animal welfare.

“Today, prominent members of the wildlife protection community are launching a proposal to end wildlife crime before it’s too late,” said Lord Randall of Uxbridge. “We urgently need transformative action to stop one million species from going extinct and all the disastrous ecological consequences that would ensue.”

The coalition is calling for an international agreement to end the illegal wildlife trade, in the form of a new protocol under the UN Convention against Transnational Organised Crime (UNCTOC) specifically covering wildlife crime.

“While we have made some significant gains over the past decade in tackling wildlife crime, these gains are fragile and serious environment-related crimes are slipping through the net. Recent evidence of the scale of the impacts on ecosystems, economies and public health, reflect the need for a comprehensive legally binding regime to tackle wildlife crime, embedded within the framework of international criminal law,” said John Scanlon AO, former secretary general of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).

According to the coalition’s statement, governments have largely relied on CITES for their legal framework on the wildlife trade. As an international agreement, CITES obliges countries to put in place mechanisms to limit and monitor international trade in listed species. However, it does not oblige countries to criminalise illegal wildlife trade.

The coalition feels that a new agreement under UNCTOC would provide better protection for endangered species, as it has adopted protocols including clear definitions for multiple serious transnational organised crimes.

Will Travers OBE, executive president of the Born Free Foundation, said: “On UN World Wildlife Day, #EndWildlifeCrime urges the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) to bring wildlife crime within the legal framework of the UNCTOC, thereby reflecting the clear resolve of the global community to treat such crimes as serious crimes.”

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Vets to run marathon for World Animal Protection

News Story 1
 Two recently graduated veterinary surgeons will be running the London Marathon in April to raise money for the charity World Animal Protection.

Alex Bartlett and Maeve O'Neill plan to run the race together if they are given the same start times.

Dr O'Neill said: "You're always limited in what you can do to help animals, so it is nice to raise money for a charity that helps animals around the world."

Dr Bartlett added: "I have never run a marathon before and am excited to run my first one for such a good cause!"

Both Dr Bartlett and Dr O'Neill have fundraising pages online. 

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News Shorts
BSAVA releases new Guide to Procedures

The British Small Animal Veterinary Association (BSAVA) has published a new edition of its Guide to Procedures for Small Animal Practice.

It has added four new procedures; cystostomy tube placement, endotracheal intubation, point-of-care ultrasound and wet-to-dry dressings.

BSAVA says that it is an essential step-by-step guide to diagnostic and therapeutic procedures performed in practice. The textbook includes new images and illustrations, as well as high-definition videos for use prior to procedures.

Nick Bexfield and Julia Riggs, editors of the new edition, said: "We have built upon the success of the previous editions by responding to the feedback received from the BSAVA readership, and hope this new guide helps to further increase the confidence and accuracy with which these procedures are performed."

Print copies are available in the BSAVA store, with a digital version in the BSAVA library.