The links between human trafficking and wildlife trafficking are becoming more and more apparent, they can't be ignored.
I feel fortunate there are people in my life who care about these issues and do something about it, whether it be actually engaged in the field or helping out by contributions. Thank you. If the Brexit decision means a global economic crisis the very people in the article above by Pragati will be affected. To those people who voted to LEAVE, yep, well done for short sighted thinking that has ramifications well beyond your shores. I was kept in touch regarding this child trafficking story yesterday and Pragati's last message late last night simply read "because of poverty".
Everything is connected. In the next day or so we're spending time with families who have lost children killed by leopards. Deadly serious conflict. Marginalized people who don't have the resources to live safely in these circumstances are also taken advantage of by wildife traffickers. They are also taken advantage of by human traffickers. Yes, again, it's all connected, it's all linked.
In a few weeks I give my first talk "Living with Leopards" and it touches on many issues quite apart from my own experience of actually living with a leopard in the jungle. I'm attempting to paint the big picture. It's also a fundraiser, the cost of rewilding the three leopards so far, once all the bills are paid, is pretty damn big, another time consuming aspect.
But worth it in every way not the least because it's shown me who does really care and acts, way beyond just saying they care. Thank you for your courage. We need more of it, all these issues need far more than words, they need the courage to act.
Freedom for a leopard representing the cause of freedom and a fair life for us all.
The world went backwards (again) yesterday because of inward thinking. I wish some of those inward thinkers could come live and work here for a while. Maybe they would develop some courage...
