Born Free USA United with API

Born Free USA raised public awareness on the public health and safety, animal welfare, conservation, and biodiversity issues associated with keeping wild animals in captivity and worked to increase legislative support to further restrict the private keeping of exotic wildlife to reduce instances of human injury and death, zoonotic disease transfer, invasive species, and the loss of threatened wildlife. The organization prioritized industries that pose a particular threat to human public health following COVID-19, including the wildlife trade, fur farming, and the use of wild animals in entertainment. The organization used social media, mainstream media, and educational outreach materials to advance its charitable purposes, with resources including scientific reports, webinars, podcast interviews, and first-hand investigations. It maintains an interactive database of deadly and dangerous captive wild animal incidents to shed light on the magnitude of the issue of captive exotic animals, along with a database of trap-related injuries and deaths to make the public aware of the dangers of traps to wildlife, pets, and humans on public and private lands.

Born Free USA facilitated adoption of ensured the adoption of the West Africa Strategy on Combating Wildlife Crime (WASCWC) and delivered a comprehensive program of training and capacity building to wildlife law enforcement officials in eleven West African countries, including judges, prosecutors, customs officers, wildlife authorities, police, INTERPOL and fisheries authorities (a total of 177 individuals received training over 41 training days). In addition, Born Free USA supported countries with the development of National Wildlife Crime Strategies and Wildlife Law Enforcement Task Forces, which are a requirement under the WASCWC. Born Free USA additionally helped West African countries strengthen their legal framework by providing targeted recommendations and drafting assistance to strengthen legislation. Born Free USA carried out a capacity assessment and made recommendations for nine ECOWAS countries (the Gambia, Guinea, Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria, Benin, Cte dIvoire, Niger and Togo) regarding the disposal of confiscated specimens. Born Free USA conducted educational outreach activities that promoted efforts to combat wildlife crime.