Suitcase for Survival

After loss of habitat, the greatest threat to many of the species that live in our zoos and aquariums is overhunting, especially for skins, horns, tusks, and other body parts.  Sometimes these body parts have purported (but unproven) medicinal value.  Sometimes they are considered fashionable.  Sometimes they are simply curiosities that people like to collect.  Regardless of what they are for, their harvesting can place severe stress on wild animal populations.  Key examples of species threatened by trade in their body parts include elephants (tusks), rhinos (horns), and pangolins (scales).

This illegal harvest of wildlife often ends up confiscated by governments, who are then faced with a choice - what do you do with it?  One option has always been to destroy it (like the elephant tusks destroyed by WCS here).  Some parties would advocate selling it - legally - to raise funds for conservation, though many conservationists fear that this will just drive up demand for those same wild products in an illegal capacity, leading to more poaching.  Another option is to use them for educational purposes.

The Suitcase for Survival is a toolkit used by the World Wildlife Fund, and historically many zoos, to educate people about the wildlife trade.  It features a suitcase that is stuffed with animal "souvenirs" that an unscrupulous (or, to be kind, perhaps informed) tourist may have bought on a trip abroad and tried bringing back home with them, only for them to be confiscated.  These demonstrations do have the potential to upset visitors - I mean, look at the picture above.  The animal's head is clearly attached to the purse.  

They should only be aimed towards audiences that are ready to process the deaths of endangered animals; small children should be allowed to foster a sense of wonder and appreciation for wildlife before getting exposed to more doom and gloom topics as they get older.  For older audiences, though (especially adults, who are the ones who actually make most buying decisions), Suitcase for Survival can hammer home the real implications of the illegal wildlife trade and help drive down demand.  It's especially daunting when you consider that, for every suitcase that does get stopped with illegal wildlife products inside, an untold number make it through unchecked.

Explore World Wildlife Fund's interactive Suitcase for Survival here