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The commercial wildlife trade is pushing endangered species towards extinction and increasing the risk of global pandemics.
Endangered species are being poached and smuggled on an unprecedented scale across the globe to feed an organized and lucrative trade in their parts and products. The global wildlife trade is a multi-billion dollar business, often involving corrupt and sophisticated international crime syndicates. OPS investigations continue to expose this transnational trade that is rivaled only by the trafficking in guns and drugs. During the course of our investigations, we are sometimes able to intervene and actually assist local authorities in bringing wildlife traders to justice or confiscate and liberate wildlife.
Watch OPS undercover footage of the wildlife markets
Watch our campaign video about the pandemic-wildlife trade connection
The illegal wildlife trade is pushing some species to the brink of extinction and impacts global health.
Your consumer choices can impact how wildlife species are captured, confined, traded, and even killed.
Learn about OPS campaigns to end the wildlife trade and take action now!
Deforestation and habitat destruction
Our consumer demand for animal products fuels the devastating commercial trade in wildlife, but deforestation and land-conversion for industrial agriculture exposes wildlife to poachers, collectors, and traders in animal parts and products.
Learn MoreRacing Extinction
Racing Extinction reveals a major threat to endangered species, the illegal wildlife trade. Captured, hunted, and traded to supply consumer demand for medicinal cures, tonics, and curios, creatures that have survived for millennia are being pushed to the brink.
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Through our collaborations with partners, policy makers, and front-line defenders, we champion a more humane and sustainable future.
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