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Topics

Sourced explainers on the issues behind the rescue work — what drives them, what the evidence says, and what actually helps.

By the WARN Research & Conservation TeamChecked against IUCN Red List & CITES sourcesLast updated

In brief

WARN publishes 11 topic explainers covering wildlife trafficking, street-animal welfare, habitat loss and the ethics of animal tourism — each one sourced, and linked to the rescue work and appeals it relates to.

  • A wildlife veterinarian and ranger removing a snare from a recovered animal

    Animal rescue in Africa

    Animal rescue in Africa is dominated by snare removal, anti-poaching support, orphaned-wildlife rehabilitation and human-wildlife conflict mitigation — concentrated in East Africa, including Kenya and Tanzania.

  • An elephant being treated by a field veterinary team in Southeast Asia

    Animal rescue in Asia

    Animal rescue in Asia spans wildlife trafficking interdiction, street-dog welfare, captive-wildlife rehabilitation and disaster response — concentrated across Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia and Pakistan.

  • Wire snares recovered by an anti-snaring patrol laid out for documentation

    Bushmeat and snares

    Bushmeat refers to wild animals killed for local consumption; snares are the dominant tool used to catch them. Both are major drivers of biodiversity loss in East Africa, and snares regularly catch non-target species as bycatch.

  • A dry water hole in northern Kenya during a multi-year drought, with elephant footprints visible in the cracked earth

    Climate change and wildlife

    Climate change drives wildlife loss through habitat shifts, drought, fire, sea-level rise, ocean warming and disrupted reproductive seasonality; IUCN now identifies climate change as a leading or contributing threat for an increasing share of species reassessments.

  • A pangolin recovered from a trafficking shipment receiving veterinary care

    Illegal wildlife trade

    The illegal wildlife trade is the unlawful capture, transport, sale and possession of wild animals or their parts in violation of national or international (CITES) law, repeatedly identified by UNODC as transnational organised crime.

  • A rescued sea turtle being assessed for plastic ingestion at a coastal rehabilitation centre in Indonesia

    Marine plastic and animals

    Marine plastic kills marine animals through entanglement, ingestion, ghost-net bycatch and habitat degradation; UNEP estimates that 11-19 million tonnes of plastic enter the world's oceans each year, with around 80% from land-based sources.

  • A confiscated parrot in a recovery cage at a tropical bird rehabilitation centre

    Pet trade and exotic pets

    The exotic-pet trade encompasses the international and domestic trade in non-domesticated species kept as companion animals; it includes wild-caught and captive-bred parrots, reptiles, primates, big cats and small carnivores, and is a major driver of wild-population decline for many species.

  • Cats rescued from a meat-trade slaughterhouse receiving veterinary care

    The dog and cat meat trade

    The dog and cat meat trade in Southeast Asia handles an estimated 10-30 million dogs and several million cats per year, most of them stolen or trapped community animals; it is a serious welfare crisis and a public-health risk implicated in rabies transmission.

  • A free-roaming Asian elephant at an ethically-run non-contact sanctuary in Thailand

    Wildlife tourism and welfare

    Wildlife tourism covers everything from ethical safari operations to welfare-compromised performance and contact experiences; the clearest welfare test is whether animals are free to perform natural behaviours without enforced human contact, riding, performing or restraint.

  • A pangolin curled defensively in a rescue facility before release

    Wildlife trafficking

    Wildlife trafficking is the illegal capture, transport and sale of wild animals or their parts for pets, food, medicine, trophies or ornaments — repeatedly identified by UNODC as a transnational organised crime.

  • A working donkey at a mobile veterinary clinic in South Asia

    Working equines: horses, donkeys and mules

    Working equines — horses, donkeys and mules used for transport, agriculture and small-trade haulage — number an estimated 100 million worldwide and are a critical livelihood for low-income households; the most common welfare problems are harness sores, dental disease, parasite burden and lack of access to veterinary care.