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What to Know and Do About Wildlife Trafficking

Where can I find more information?
• CITES (Convention on International Trade
in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna
and Flora) This international treaty provides
protection for 34,310 plant and 6,610 animal
species and is signed by 184 parties, including
the United States. To find out if a plant
or animal species is protected by CITES,
go to https://Checklist.CITES.org/#/en.
• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS)
and National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA) These federal agen-
cies implement CITES in the United States.
They administer the Endangered Species Act
and the Marine Mammal Protection Act.
“Facts about Federal Wildlife Laws” and “Buyer
Beware” are found on the USFWS website.
Lists of federally designated threatened and
endangered species and subspecies can be
found at FWS.gov/endangered.
• Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA)
This nonprofit organization represents more
than 235 facilities in the U.S. and across the
world. AZA and its members, including
Brookfield Zoo, are working to reduce and
eliminate the illegal trade of wildlife and
wildlife products. The Wildlife Trafficking
Alliance is a coalition of more than 90 AZA-
accredited zoos and aquariums, nonprofit
organizations, and leading companies. Not a
Pet was founded by AZA and the International
Fund for Animal Welfare to inform the public
about the illegal trade in living animals.
“What You Can Do” can be found at AZA.org.

Top, right: A USFWS inspector and wildlife-detector dog search
for illegally smuggled wildlife. Credit: USFWS
Bottom, right: This piece of rhino horn was confiscated by USFWS.

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