WCS Video Advises Department of Defense on Threats of Illegal Wildlife Trade

Wildlife Conservation Society

“The Wildlife Conservation Society has announced the release of “Caught in the Crosshairs: Combating the Illegal Wildlife Trade in Iraq and Afghanistan”—a new video aimed at informing U.S. military personnel about the consequences of buying illegal wildlife products when deployed or stationed overseas.

The video is the latest outreach tool in an ongoing initiative supported by the Department of Defense (DoD) Legacy Program that began in 2007 when WCS staff first noticed illegal items for sale on military bases near Kabul, Afghanistan. A subsequent survey of 395 soldiers at Fort Drum in June 2008 revealed that more than 40 percent of those surveyed had purchased or seen someone else in the military purchase products made from wildlife while stationed overseas.

Snow Leopard Mother and Cub in Afghanistan

The Huffington Post

“The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) has released a rare photograph of a mother snow leopard and her cub in the wild in Afghanistan.

The image, which was captured using remote cameras, is the first one the WCS has taken of a mother and cub together since the organization began its conservation efforts in Afghanistan in 2006. The WCS says getting a picture of a mother and cub snow leopard together is “nearly impossible.”

Nurturing Wildlife in War-Torn Afghanistan

The New York Times (Rachel Nuwer)

“When Wildlife Conservation Society scientists talk about their work in Afghanistan, they typically draw puzzled reactions. “Wildlife conservation in Afghanistan?”

Given the enormity of the country’s human needs, protecting animals does not seem like an obvious priority to some people. But because of its place in the world — at the nexus of three distinct biogeographic regions — Afghanistan is a biological crossroads boasting an unusually diverse array of rare and unique animals. And as I report in Friday’s edition of Timescast, scientists suggest that conservation projects can contribute to stabilizing the country.

Snow Leopards Rebounding in Afghanistan

National Geographic

“A snow leopard recently photographed prowling the mountains of Afghanistan has plenty of company, as revealed by the first camera-trap pictures of the big cats in the war-torn country.

The pictures, taken by a team led by the Wildlife Conservation Society, show that a surprisingly robust population of possibly a hundred animals is prowling the remote Wakhan Corridor.