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Tackling the Illegal Wildlife Trade

Preventing Animal Suffering & Threats to Human Health
Indonesia
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Project Summary

Indonesia’s illegal wildlife trade is one of the largest in the world, fuelled by demand for exotic pets, meat, and ingredients used in traditional medicine. This devastating trade inflicts widespread animal suffering, pushes endangered species closer to extinction, and increases the risk of global pandemics. Our partners, YIARI, are confronting this crisis head-on.  

Through a unified One Health approach, YIARI are working to dismantle illegal markets, strengthen legal protections, educate local communities, and reduce the spread of diseases that can pass from animals to humans. 

Local Partner: YIARI

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Project Aims and Impact: 

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The Full Story

A Crisis for Wildlife and Human Health 
From birds and reptiles to primates like macaques and slow lorises, Indonesia’s wildlife is being captured and sold in often horrific conditions. Many animals are kept in overcrowded cages without food, water, or sanitation. These environments are breeding grounds for disease, putting both animals and people at risk. 

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Strategic Action 
YIARI is leading efforts to reform wildlife trade policy and market regulation. They conduct undercover investigations, expose illegal operations, and collaborate with local authorities to shut down markets and prosecute offenders. At the same time, they help improve the systems that govern legal wildlife trade by advocating for higher welfare standards and better enforcement. 

Community and Government Engagement 
Education is key. YIARI runs workshops for government officials, traders, and market staff to improve awareness and compliance. They also engage with forest-edge communities to reduce reliance on wildlife hunting and offer more sustainable, wildlife-friendly alternatives. 

A Safer Future for All 
By addressing the trade at every level, from poachers to policymakers, YIARI’s work is reducing cruelty, conserving biodiversity, and protecting public health. This is conservation that saves lives.  

Help us end the illegal wildlife trade for the sake of animals, people, and the planet.