Our "Wild" Partners in Thailand

---

After visiting the Khao Khew Open Zoo, Karen, Wendy and I headed back to Bangkok and met with our friends at WildAid one last time. They showed us some of the fantastic PSAs they're airing alerting people to the impacts of the wildlife trade. One of the biggest efforts they're making in that area focuses on China and the Olympics, so they have many celebrities and Olympians who have participated in their ads.

Since we had to leave for the airport at 2:30 am, we just decided to stay up all night. We wandered around an evening market and snacked our way through the booths. We spent most of our remaining baht and then headed off for the airport.

I am eager to see what kinds of partnerships will come of this trip. We've certainly met many talented, smart and committed conservationists on this trip who are doing everything they can to protect and preserve wildlife with the resources they have available. While we're needed at home (we are, right? or can we stay?? just kidding...), by teaming up with people in the field who are researching wildlife, protecting wildlife, training customs officials, raising awareness about the wildlife trade, responsibly breeding endangered animals and doing a vast range of challenging and needed work, I am encouraged about the emerging and expanding roles of zoos and aquariums in North America and worldwide.

I've always believed this, but now more than ever I feel it is our moral imperative to do all we can to protect wildlife in its natural state. If we build nice enclosures and exhibit endangered species, feed them restaurant-grade food and offer them enrichment, we are caring for the animals in our collection. That is good, and that is our minimum obligation.

But if we sit on the sidelines as these animals become extinct in the wild, we aren't much more than a sophisticated side show. I say this from my own personal perspective, not officially representing my employer or my industry, but I feel comfortable saying this knowing that I am not alone in this opinion. This is a conversation we have regularly and one that drives many of us in this field. I want zoos and aquariums to exist to make people care about wildife half a world away -- animals few will ever get to see in the wild, but animals that need our collective protection now more than ever.

---