Bryan Christy

Gibbit up for Dr. Kerry Kriger and send a few dollars to save the frogs on Save the Frogs Day (Tues April 28).  Frogs are our environment’s coalmine canaries, and nature’s Powerbars, and they are dying at a staggering rate.  Check out the SAVE THE FROGS! website and chirp in.  The soundtrack alone will improve your day.  Bryan

On Saturday I had a chance to spend the day with Fox News’ Claudia Gomez at the Northern Berks Reptile Show in Hamburg, Pennsylvania.   Hamburg is a hot show, one of few left in the United States where dealers sell venomous reptiles along with standard fare.  We had a lot of fun and got good footage of animals and dealers, and Claudia got to talk to the founder of the website NO HR 669, a key effort to block the recent house bill outlawing not only potential invasive species but also many of the most common animals in the pet world.  I had a chance to sign some books at Larry Kenton’s table.

Claudia was pretty up front with me that she didn’t intend to hold any big pythons during her visit (she gave that task to me :-)), but the next thing I knew I turned around and found Claudia holding an alligator.  Crikey!    Claudia’s report airs Monday, May 4 on Fox 29.

Yesterday I had the honor of speaking to TRAFFIC and the World Wildlife Fund in Washington, DC.  I gave a brown bag lunch talk on how the book came to be and what my experiences have been in the animal trafficking world.  It was great to see some familiar faces, such as Michael Zwirn from Wildlife Alliance, and some new faces, such as USFWS’s Bruce Weissgold. 

In Southeast Asia, TRAFFIC is a terribly important check on crime.  Funding for all wildlife NGO’s has plummeted with the global financial crisis.  In many cases, organizations like TRAFFIC, WCS, Wildlife Alliance and others are critical to pressing for positive action in host countries.  I’m grateful to Jill Hepp for coordinating my visit and to Crawford Allen for his generous introduction.  When it comes to crimes against wildlife, there is no one-stop cop out there.  Protection comes when NGOs, the media, individuals, and law enforcement push boundaries.