When the buying stops, the killing can, too

In the following Public Service Announcements, world renowned primatologist and conservationist Jane Goodall urges the public to prevent illegal trafficking of endangered animals by reducing demand for products made from illegally hunted wildlife.  Wildlife trafficking is a soaring black market worth an estimated $10 billion a year.

In “Don’t Buy It,” Goodall urges travelers overseas not to be duped by sellers who claim that certain animals are not “really” endangered.  “One Family” highlights the necessity of sharing the planet and its resources with other species as well as our responsibility to protect vulnerable creatures.   Both announcements emphasize the power of consumers and consumer activism to influence this urgent cause.

The U.S. State Department issued these Public Service Announcements jointly with WildAid, a non-profit headquartered in San Francisco whose aim is to end the illegal trade of wildlife in our lifetimes and increase public support for wildlife conservation. These announcements, which are featured by more than 30 U.S. Embassies in all regions of the world, and reach an audience of up to 1 billion viewers per week continue the State Department-WildAid  partnership that began last summer with a highly successful PSA campaign featuring Harrison Ford. The videos were released on June 5, 2009, in commemoration of World Environment Day.