Dear friend,
We are excited to share the news that we have a new Whale Heritage Site. Algoa Bay in South Africa has been awarded Whale Heritage Site status, making South Africa the only country in the world with two accredited sites.
Photo of Algoa Bay Whale Heritage Site by Raggy Charters
Whale Heritage Sites provide tourists with an easy way to select responsible whale and dolphin watching destinations; places where people can experience these magnificent animals in their natural habitat and in an authentic and respectful way.
Laure Boissat, who built our Animal Protection Index, led a study showing that the documentary contributed to SeaWorld’s decision to end its orca breeding program, hopefully paving the way for more marine parks to follow suit.
World Animal Protection is disappointed in the Canadian government’s response to our House of Commons petition, which called upon the Prime Minister to support and encourage the closure of wildlife markets globally that could become sources for future pandemics and to commit to end the international and domestic trade in wild animals and their products that could aid in the spread of zoonotic diseases.
Our petition and supporting arguments were very clear. Yet, Canada’s Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Jonathan Wilkinson, signed off on a response which essentially ignored the strong Canadian support and scientific evidence for government action.
Animal welfare is a critical part of the solution
While we welcome the government’s acknowledgement of the critical importance of multi-sectoral, collaborative approaches across human, animal, and environmental health – animal welfare is a missing yet critical part of the solution.
Canada plays a significant role in the supply and demand that facilities the global commercial trade in wild animals and derivatives that could carry zoonotic disease risks and threaten biodiversity. The science is clear, the commercial trade in wild animals drives pandemic risk and Canadians want their government to take action to end this. How long will our government continue to ignore scientific and public opinion?
Tell your MP to take action
Use the House of Commons website to find your MPs contact information. Write them or give them a call to let them know that this is a priority issue for their constituents.
Find your MP: https://www.ourcommons.ca/members/en
You can also use our advocacy tool to quickly contact your MP with an e-letter:
