From BornFree: You Helped So Many Animals in 2019
An Animal Rights Article from All-Creatures.org

FROM BornFreeUSA.org
December 2019

Just a few of the important wins for wildlife in 2019...

Your commitment to animals had an enormous impact in 2019! Because of you, the movement to protect wildlife around the world is gaining momentum. That is why I want to honor the victories that you made possible.

Wildlife crime, trophy hunting, the fur trade, climate change, and the current political environment are daunting, but you, our dedicated community of animal advocates, took action, spoke out, and donated generously throughout the year! Below are just a few of the important wins for wildlife in 2019. Please take a moment to celebrate these victories before we continue our crusade to protect both species and individual animals.

Looking ahead to 2020, we are filled with hope and determination because of YOU. With your support and dedication to the animals, we will continue our ambitious plans to protect wildlife in 2020 and beyond!

California Becomes the First State to Ban Trapping and Fur Sales

It was a big year for wildlife in California! In September, California passed A.B. 273, which prohibits the trapping of any furbearing or nongame mammal for purposes of recreation or commerce in fur. The state also passed A.B. 44, which prohibits the sale, display, trade, distribution, or manufacturing of fur. To help achieve these victories, we advised the Water, Parks, and Wildlife Committee to support the bill and mobilized our network of supporters to take action!

Giraffes and Other Species get International Protections

This year, Born Free USA attended the 18th Conference of the Parties for the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). There, we fought for and won greater restrictions on the trade of dozens of species, including giraffes and small-clawed otters. Another win was tighter restrictions on the trade in wild baby elephants captured in Zimbabwe and Botswana and sent to foreign captive facilities.

Launched Trainings to Combat Wildlife Crime in West Africa

This October, we held a five-day workshop in Ivory Coast, which had attendants from eight West African countries (Benin, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Guinea, Mali, Niger, Senegal, and Togo). The workshop aimed to increase the ability of judges and prosecutors to address wildlife crime in their countries. This was the first judicial training in our work to combat wildlife crime in West Africa.

New Warm Houses at our Primate Sanctuary

Texas has scorching summers, but temperatures in winter drop significantly. This year, we began an ambitious project to have "warm houses" built for all of our open-top enclosures at our primate sanctuary. We finished five houses with heating systems for the most vulnerable and elderly monkeys and we plan to build seven more in the coming year!

Banning the Shark Fin Trade in Canada

The shark fin trade is hideously cruel, with fins often cut from live sharks who are then dumped overboard to die. In June 2019, Canada passed a bill that Born Free USA has worked on for years, which banned the shark fin trade throughout all of Canada! 

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