Bo Knows All About Wildlife

TORONTO — Wildlife activist and sex symbol Bo Derek visited Queen’s Park yesterday in her quest to educate the public about the importance of protecting animals from illegal trading.

Derek, a special envoy for the U.S. Coalition Against Wildlife Trafficking and a volunteer with WildAid’s Active Conservation Awareness Program, said she’s "conflicted" about using her celebrity but believes in the importance of the cause.

"I love nature. I’ve always been that way," she said.

The worldwide illegal trade of exotic animals as pets, foods, trophies and traditional medicines is estimated at $10 billion-$20 billion annually.

ENDANGERED SPECIES

Derek met with Ontario Natural Resources Minister David Ramsay, who recently ushered in endangered species legislation.

Ramsay said the province frequently lays charges against hunters in Ontario who kill black bears for the purpose of harvesting their gall bladders, which fetch a high price for use in traditional medicine.

Derek said tourists also unwittingly partake in the illegal trade of wildlife parts when they buy souvenirs abroad.

http://ottsun.canoe.ca/News/National/2007/06/05/4234841-sun.html

Bo Derek will be attending Big Cat Rescue’s Fur Ball on October 12, 2007. More here: http://bigcatrescue.org/2007FurBall.htm

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