World Wildlife Conservation Day

 

December 4th is celebrated every year as World Wildlife Conservation Day. The day is being marked as an important step towards conserving and protecting the decreasing numbers of wildlife species across the globe. Wildlife plays an important role in balancing the environment. This practice of conserving wildlife species along with their natural habitats is called Wildlife Conservation.

Why the need for this day arose?

Every year, innumerable wildlife species are being slaughtered or killed for fulfilling human greed. They are traded illegally to several locations and are kept in unhealthy conditions. Animal products like ivory, skin, horns, nails, etc. fetch enormous profit in the black market. Indiscriminate cutting of forests and clearing of lands causes habitat loss of wildlife species.

The day came into force from the sincere efforts of the then US secretary of state, Ms. Hillary Clinton on 8th November 2012 at ‘The Wildlife Trafficking and Conservation’ event. She quoted, “Wildlife cannot be manufactured. And once it’s gone, it cannot be replenished. Those who profit from it illegally are not just undermining our borders and our economies; they are truly stealing from the next generation”. The main organizations behind the establishment of this day are the US state department and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).