Zoological Society of San Diego Addresses Bushmeat Crisis with Event Hosted by
Joan Embery

March 30, 2006

The Zoological Society of San Diego’s Conservation Ambassador Joan Embery kicked off the first-ever “State of Endangered Species” event with a symbolic Tree of Life ceremony. The eight-foot-tall tree displays images, designed as leaves, of some of the world’s most threatened animals. The images of extinct animals were symbolically cut from the tree. These species were recently hunted to extinction.

The event was held at the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Center for Conservation Research at the San Diego Zoo’s Wild Animal Park and focused on what conservationists are calling the greatest calamity to ever confront African and Asian wildlife: the bushmeat crisis. Bushmeat is the illegal slaughter and trafficking of wild animals for food. Some species have already been hunted to extinction and many more are at great risk.

The event was open to the general public and the Park reported record attendance: every seat in the house was filled. Presentations were given by researchers from the Bushmeat Crisis Task Force, CRES, Seafood Watch, WiLDCOAST, and the San Diego Zoo. Topics ranged from the dangerous work of documenting bushmeat markets in Africa to rampant overfishing of North American waters to the black market consumption of sea turtle eggs here in the U.S. and just south of the border.

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State of Endangered Species Event
Here's video of the event.