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THE MAGAZINE FOR PEOPLE WHO CARE ABOUT WILD ANIMALS FALL/WINTER 2020 ANIMAL ISSUES DIGEST BUILD BACK BETTER PAGE 4 COVID-19: ARE U.S. FUR FARMS NEXT? PAGE 12 PLUS A VICTORY FOR NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS! PREVENTING COVID AT THE SANCTUARY Keep Wildlife in the Wild® WELCOME It is hard to comprehend how much Born Free President, Will Travers life around the world has changed OBE, discusses the effects of the over the last several months. In pandemic on conservation and addition to the devastation of the thoughts for how to mitigate such pandemic, we have seen massive disasters moving ahead. Alice wildfires, forceful hurricanes, Stroud, Africa Policy and Capacity and civil unrest around the Building Program Director, further world. How do we find hope? comments on our Global Nature Recovery Investment Initiative. I witness hope all around – in brave medical carers, firefighters, first You will also read about a number continue to take action by signing responders, and people making their of victories for wildlife in the U.S. petitions, contacting their lawmakers, voices heard – in everyone fighting to and Canada. Be sure to read Maggie sharing social media content, and make the change they want to see. the puppy’s heart-warming story lending their voices to this movement. of healing and happiness after being I find hope in Born Free USA. We caught in a trap. On our website, This holiday season, please have not wavered in our commitment you can watch the video of Maggie remember Born Free USA. Your to end cruelty to animals and in her new, loving home. gift is one of hope and peace, and secure the future for wildlife in it makes change possible. Please the wild, where they belong. Hope is all around us at the Born Free be a part of the future of nature USA Primate Sanctuary. Every day, by making a donation today. We are looking to the future and we see formerly abused monkeys the hope we have for wildlife and heal and thrive. Liz Tyson, Programs For the Animals, the entirety of the natural world. It Director, gives an update on the is clearer now than ever before that baboons rescued earlier this year. human health, the economy, and You can be a part of their future life as we know it are inextricably by adopting Marlin, Violet, Presley, Angela Grimes linked to nature. Whatever the or their friends as a gift to yourself Chief Executive Officer “new normal” will be, it must or others this holiday season. include large-scale change. Born Free USA I find great hope in you – our P.S. These times have been difficult, Hope thrives and grows with supporters. It is clear to me that you and we understand many people are action. In this issue, you will read believe in the future and that you struggling just to make ends meet for about our plans to drive want to see a better world for their families. For those of you in a global nature animals. We are experiencing position to make a donation, please recovery. considerable and growing be as generous as possible, and attendance at our new perhaps add a little extra for those webinar series, and who are unable to give. our supporters WILD ANIMALS NEED YOUR HELP NOW As you read through our magazine, we hope you are inspired to take action to protect wildlife in the U.S. and across the globe. If you’re asking yourself what you can do to help, please make a donation, adopt one of the monkeys at our primate sanctuary, or shop our store. Every contribution, every action taken on behalf of wildlife, saves animals’ lives. BUILD BACK BETTER. .4 The COVID-19 pandemic, which has consequences for everyone on the planet, is also having a huge impact on conservation, wildlife, the environment, and nature as a whole. ENDING BUSINESS AS USUAL THROUGH THE GLOBAL NATURE RECOVERY INVESTMENT INITIATIVE ........... 7 Rethinking the way we interact with and steward nature is now an urgent global priority. AN UPDATE ON RESCUED MONKEYS MARLIN, PRESLEY, VIOLET, MRS. WILKIN, AND ANNA! ................... 8 Our newest primate sanctuary residents are settling in beautifully to their new home. PREVENTING COVID AT THE SANCTUARY ................................................................... 9 Learn how Born Free USA is taking action to keep staff and monkeys safe during the pandemic. ADOPT A MONKEY FOR THE HOLIDAYS! ....................................................................10 Monkey adoptions help provide the sanctuary monkeys with food, medical care, enrichment, and more. They also make great gifts! A FEW OF THE FACES YOU HELPED IN 2020 ..................................................................11 You made a big impact for wildlife this year. Please make a donation to help us start off strong in 2021! COVID-19: ARE U.S. FUR FARMS NEXT? .................................................................... 12 Fur farming is cruel and a serious animal welfare crisis. Now, with the pandemic raging, public health is also on the line. HOPE FOR PANGOLIN PROTECTION! ........................................................................14 We are one step closer to federal protections for the world’s most heavily trafficked mammals! BORN FREE LAUNCHES WEBINAR SERIES .................................................................... 15 Born Free USA has launched a webinar series featuring experts in wildlife conservation and animal protection! A VICTORY FOR NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS! ................................................................. 16 The Migratory Bird Treaty Act seeks to protect rare bird species by also protecting their habitats. POLAR BEARS: TROPHY HUNTING’S UNSEEN TARGETS .......................................................17 Trophy hunting is happening right in our own backyard! A CONVERSATION WITH TONY SAXTON .................................................................... 18 A conversation with Tony Saxton, Born Free USA Honorary Council Member and CEO of Terra Group Holdings Animal Issues Digest is published twice per year by We work to ensure that all wild animals, whether living Art, Production & Editorial: Born Free USA to inform and educate our readers in captivity or in the wild, are treated with compassion Arlene Harting-Josue, Graphic Designer about major wildlife issues. Copyright © 2020 by and respect and are able to live their lives according Karen Lauria, Communications Director Born Free USA. Complimentary copy available on request. to their needs. Sasha Perry, Communications Intern For reprints, and all editorial correspondence, please write to Animal Issues Digest editor at We seek to have a positive impact on animals in Writers & Contributors: [email protected]. To get the latest information the wild and protect their ecosystems in perpetuity, Suzanne Emerson, Angela Grimes; Karen Lauria; Barry Kent on wildlife issues and what you can do to help for their own intrinsic value and for the critical MacKay; Alice Stroud; Melissa Tomlinson; Will Travers OBE; imperiled wild animals, sign up for our online roles they play within the natural world. Dr. Liz Tyson. eAlerts at bornfreeusa.org/newsletters. P.O. Box 32160, Washington, DC 20007 (301) 448-1407 | [email protected] | bornfreeusa.org FALL/WINTER 2020 3 Photo: flowcomm BUILD BACK BETTER he global crisis, which has consequences for everyone on the planet, is also having a huge impact on conservation, wildlife, the environment, and T nature as a whole. Based on my 36 years in the field of conservation and wild animal welfare, I have been thinking about what the future might hold. Until recently, the skies were virtually devoid of planes; the highways were free of crawling traffic; birdsong was making a comeback; and the air was fresh and clear. On a good day in Kathmandu you could see Mount Everest – maybe. The ongoing and unfolding tragedy of COVID-19 has been desperately painful, and as Professor John Bell of Oxford University said recently, it’s not going away anytime soon. In fact, the likely reality is that we will have to learn to manage our lives with an ever-present virus and add it to the list of diseases that will never be eliminated. At the time of writing, in late September, billions of lives have been disrupted; there have been more than 33 million cases and counting; and approaching 1 million fatalities (at least). These are staggering numbers. But, beyond the direct human tragedy, the outstanding dedication of our first responders, and the largely confused, piecemeal, and patchwork reaction of governments around the world to the pandemic – what about nature? Theories abound, but it seems clear that the most likely source of COVID-19 was from bats, via pangolins, to humans, either in China or in Vietnam. That is not to say that wildlife is to blame. We are the ones who exploit wild animals in brutal, cruel, and thoughtless ways, massively increasing the likelihood of pathogens leaping from one species to another and ultimately to humans. Bill Maher, the talk-show host, writer, and social commentator suggested when humans contract an infectious disease we apply strict measures to prevent it spreading: we socially distance; impose 4 BORN FREE USA MY HOPE IS THAT IN THE SHORT-TERM WE WILL SOMEHOW MAKE THE NECESSARY COMMITMENTS TO BOLSTER PROTECTION FOR HIGH-RISK SPECIES LIKE ELEPHANTS, RHINOS, LIONS, TIGERS, PANGOLINS, AND MORE. THERE ARE THOSE WHO RUN SOME OF THE WEALTHIEST COMPANIES IN THE WORLD...WHO HAVE THE RESOURCES TO, AT LEAST TEMPORARILY, SAVE THE NATURAL WORLD – SHOULD THEY SO WISH. rigorous hygiene standards; and dramatically reduce Developing countries, already massively stretched person-to-person contact and the sharing of bodily fluids. trying to find the resources to pay for surging public health costs, have little ability to find yet further funds Yet, we do exactly the opposite to animals traded in to support beleaguered conservation and wildlife wildlife markets. protection agencies. The Kenyan President recently allocated $10 million to help pay 5,000 community These animals are either caught from the wild (where we scouts protecting wildlife on conservancies and group have no knowledge of their health status) or bred in largely ranches.