The G20 must act to end the global wildlife trade

Every day, thousands of wild animals are poached or farmed and sold into the global multi-billion-dollar wild animal trade – for food, for pets, for traditional medicine and for entertainment. The horrific conditions they face cause much suffering for every single animal involved.

Close contact between captive wild animals and people is a dangerous cocktail that can lead to outbreaks of diseases like SARS and COVID-19, a reality we are all living in today. In fact, wild animals are thought to be the source of at least 70% of all emerging zoonotic infectious diseases, meaning the demand for wild animals puts us all at risk.  

With the COVID-19 pandemic sweeping across the globe, we can no longer ignore the dangers of exploiting wild animals.

That's why we're asking you to join World Animal Protection's global campaign calling on Canada and other G20 countries to commit to a ban on the global wildlife trade. The leaders of the world’s 20 largest economies can bring about a collective response and global answers to the COVID-19 pandemic and future pandemics​.

Sign the petition today to call on African Governments to commit to ending the global wildlife trade at the G20 Leaders’ Summit this November.

Pangolins are poached from the wild to be sold into the global wildlife trade

The best available scientific evidence suggests the virus was transferred from bats to pangolins to humans demonstrating that the exploitation of wildlife is fundamentally linked to this global pandemic.

Whether it started with pangolins, bats, snakes or another species, it can all be traced back to how we treat animals.

Wild animals don’t belong to us, they belong in the wild 

We have spent over 50 years fighting to keep wild animals in the wild. The global crisis has exposed the urgent need for what we have advocated for all along.

World Animal Protection has a long history of advising national governments and global bodies like the United Nations, the Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Organization for Animal Health. We focus on sustainable solutions and encourage initiatives that deliver alternative livelihoods.

Join us in seizing this moment to build a better world for all of us.

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We are calling on African Governments to urge the G20 to support an immediate and permanent ban on wildlife markets and to end the global wildlife trade.

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