The illegal wildlife crisis is driven by many factors including unbridled crime and corruption, armed insurgents, trophy hunting, the pet trade, the bush meat trade and an insatiable consumer demand for natural resources. Since human beings are dependent on nature when we work to save it, we are really working to save ourselves. Since human survival hangs in balance, we must decide whether we see ourselves as superior, as custodians, as entitled consumers or as a part of a delicate ecosystem.
