The Last Animals
For many Americans, wildlife trafficking can seem faraway and vague. It’s something that happens in Africa, China, and parts of southeast Asia, and only rarely might it touch our everyday lives. Of all the problems we face as a society today, the illegal wildlife trade might seem like one that the average concerned citizen would be least likely to impact.
But as nine states have already recognized, it is an issue that can hit unfortunately close to home, and it’s one that deserves attention from state governments, local businesses, and consumers everywhere. Because while the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service focuses most of its law enforcement power on items entering the country, for goods that are smuggled in, there’s an urgent need for state and local law enforcement to turn their attention to intrastate trade.
In 2017, New Mexico came close to adding its name to this list of (then six) states that had passed their own trafficking bans. Whereas many of these state-level bans have focused on just elephants or rhinoceros or a handful of other high-profile species, New Mexico’s ban cast a much wider net.
The Convention for International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) was established in 1975 through international treaty aimed at protecting imperiled plants and animals across the globe. The body continues to meet every three years and maintains three lists (or appendices) of species across the globe. Appendix 1 is reserved for the most imperiled species, and New Mexico’s ban would afford protections to the 1,200 species currently on that list.
And as much as any state, New Mexico has an important role to play. According to a study that Defenders conducted in 2015, from 2004–2014 El Paso, Texas and Nogales, Arizona were two of busiest ports of entry for illegally trafficked wildlife goods. Unfortunately, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service does not have any agents posted at New Mexico’s two ports of entry, essentially making our state a blank spot on the map for traffickers and necessitating that New Mexico’s law enforcement help fill this gap.
However, the bill was pocket-vetoed by then-Governor Susanna Martinez after passing both the Senate and the House. However, a nearly identical bill has been reintroduced this year as SB 38 and in late January, will begin navigating its way through New Mexico’s legislature once again.
With a new governor in office, the bill’s supporters are confident about its chances in 2019, but we also aren’t taking anything for granted. We know there are many environmental issues that both advocates and legislators will be working on, and it’s important that supporters of the bill make their voices heard to ensure it remains a priority.
To this end, Defenders hosted two film screenings in Santa Fe and Albuquerque of The Last Animals, the award-winning documentary by photojournalist and director, Kate Brooks, which documents how the trafficking crisis is driving the extinction of elephants and rhinoceros. Since 2001, Brooks has worked in Pakistan, Iraq, and Lebanon documenting those ongoing wars, and she brings the gritty aesthetic those experiences instilled in her to this film.
At times the film can be difficult to watch, but it provides an honest and raw depiction of the dire situation facing these iconic species. From the front lines embedded with a unit of park rangers in the Democratic Republic of Congo to the streets of Vietnam to zoos and reserves from the Czech Republic to San Diego, Brooks’ film provides an honest look at the many fronts on which conservationists, researchers, and scientists are working diligently to preserve these species.
Unfortunately, as good as they can be, documentaries on topics like climate change, poaching, trafficking, or many other environmental subjects can often leave audiences feeling hopeless and depressed. But for us, one of the best parts of hosting these screenings was the ability to help turn our activists’ despair into action.
At each screening, in addition to providing information about the bill, Brooks, who has remained dedicated to the issue despite completing the film more than a year ago, set-up a web portal that allows New Mexicans to send a message directly to their state senator and representative requesting their support for SB 38, the Wildlife Trafficking Act!
Additionally, those who were interested, signed-up to receive updates on the bill as well as information about other events and campaigns.
This Wednesday, SB 38 was read into New Mexico’s Senate and referred to its first two committees. Buoyed by a couple years of experience, a group of dedicated activists, our inspired sponsor, Senator Mimi Stewart, and a new governor, we’re hopeful that this is our year!
