Cecil the Lion: Help Save Our Endangered Wildlife

Take Action, Make a Difference, and Help Shape a Better World

We must join forces through collective action to ensure that Cecil the Lion roars in the afterlife and courageously educates communities around the world on the tragic and destructive fate of our endangered wildlife. Cecil the Lion was not the only endangered animal poached recently; in the last 24 hours alone across Africa and other regions, scores of other species were similarly butchered for their parts and sold in black markets.

Lions, Rhinos, Elephants, Gorillas, Orangutans, Pangolins, and other iconic animals and endangered species are all facing extinction.

Due to the cowardice and criminal acts of some wealthy thrill-seeking big-game "hunters", corrupt actors and criminal traffickers who are undertaking these poachings and killings, and habitats destroyed by rapacious developers, the love and respect that people around the world, especially our children, have for these beautiful animals is being desecrated.

It is a fact that the total population of lions in Africa is currently estimated at about 28,000-34,000, down by at least 50 percent from three decades ago.

More than 35,000 elephants are killed every year so that their tusks can be carved into ivory trinkets and/or other luxury products.

A rhino is slaughtered just for its horn once every 9-11 hours for ill-founded uses in black markets including aphrodisiacs and hang-over cures.

At these staggering rates of poaching, the elephant and rhino species face possible extinction in 7-12 years.

There are less than 3,000 tigers globally, down from 100,000 in 1900.

There are fewer than 900 mountain gorillas left in the wild.

Pangolins, orangutans and other iconic wildlife are similarly under attack and at the jaws of extinction.

Please sign the petition to demand justice for Cecil! Tell Zimbabwe to stop issuing hunting permits to kill endangered animals!

Find Petition at: 

https://www.thepetitionsite.com/821/738/351/demand-justice-for-cecil-the-lion-in-zimbambwe/

Also help support to shut down the illicit markets for illegal wildlife trade and help support the conservation efforts of many noble organizations such as the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF),  International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), other NGOs, and the international community who are all fighting every day to save our endangered wildlife.

We must also get tougher on poachers and traffickers including making it a serious crime for hunters and/or traffickers in the United States, and other jurisdictions, who travel abroad and engage in the poaching of endangered wildlife or cross-border trafficking of wildlife parts. 

We need to prosecute this fight more robustly and secure high-profile convictions that lead to real deterrence against complicit criminals and corrupt facilitators and send a message that enough is enough. The whole world is watching, and it is up to us to safeguard our endangered species -- and bring our humanity and planet back into balance.

U.S. National Strategy for Combating Wildlife Trafficking

"Like other forms of illicit trade, wildlife trafficking undermines security across nations. Well-armed, well-equipped, and well-organized networks of criminals and corrupt officials exploit porous borders and weak institutions to profit from trading in poached wildlife. Record high demand for wildlife products, coupled with inadequate preventative measures and weak institutions has resulted in an explosion of illicit trade in wildlife in recent years. That trade is decimating iconic animal populations. Today, because of the actions of poachers, species like elephants and rhinoceroses face the risk of significant decline or even extinction. But it does not have to be that way. We can take action to stop these illicit networks and ensure that our children have the chance to grow up in a world with and experience for themselves the wildlife we know and love." President Barack Obama

David M. Luna is a globally-recognized strategic leader. A disruptive innovator for social good, he is a visionary, thought leader, and a leading voice internationally on the full spectrum application of convergence strategies and net-centric approaches across today's global threat landscapes and markets. Mr. Luna, CEO & President, Luna Global Networks & Convergence Strategies LLC, is the Chair (Departing) of the OECD Task Force on Countering Illicit Trade. He is the former Senior Director for National Security and Diplomacy, Anti-Crime Programs, Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement (INL) Affairs, U.S. Department of State. He actively partners with inter-governmental, international organizations, and civil society groups on combating transnational threats and security risks. Follow Luna Global Networks & Convergence Strategies LLC at: https://lunaglobalnetworks.com/ .

Luna Global Networks & Convergence Strategies LLC shares a commitment to social responsibility and ethical governance approaches across diverse communities that have a positive, lasting impact in the world by doing business with the highest level of integrity, promoting sustainable development strategies that benefit our global community, protect our people and planet, and for all future generations.