Founders of Wildlife SOS India – Mr. Kartick Satyanarayan and Mrs. Geeta Seshamani were invited to address the European Parliament in Brussels, Belgium and deliver a presentation on illegal wildlife trafficking that plagues India and South Asia.
Wildlife SOS India works in partnership with Born Free Foundation UK who also hosted an exhibition on illegal wildlife trafficking at the European Parliament in brussels and invited speakers from conservation organizations and enforcement agencies from India, Africa, Ireland, UK and Switzerland to deliberate on various aspects of illegal wildlife trafficking.
The South Asian perspective was presented by Wildlife SOS India of how illegal wildlife trafficking and how poaching and wildlife crime are often intertwined with narcotics and illegal weapon smuggling that inturn strengthens terror networks.
“One of the key issues is that the EU has to recognize the resources of nature are finite and there is no such thing as sustainable trade in wildlife articles or by products. The depletion of wildlife species plants timber and biodiversity has to be urgently recognized and action taken now in terms of stringent penalties and much stricter punishments” – said Geeta Seshamani, co-founder ,Wildlife SOS.
Kartick Satyanarayan Founder Chairman said, “ It’s a challenge to police the poaching of wildlife in India and to track the movement of wildlife contraband across continents. The European Union can help India and South Asia protect and retain their wildlife by increasing penalties and enforcing more stringent punishments for wildlife trafficking. We are losing species like sloth bears and tigers for body parts, pangolins for scales & bush meat, elephants for ivory at a rapid scale. The damage if not controlled will be soon irreversible”
Will Travers, President of Born Free Foundation said “ The EU can contribute powerfully to the troubling global issue of wildlife crime by strengthening enforcement and ensuring greater visibility to the fact that demand from the EU is one of the drivers of this trade.”
Catherine Bearder (MEP) Member of the European Parliament and MEPs for Wildlife said “This is a serious matter and requires urgent attention from the European Parliament and the European commission”
