Wildlife Warriors: The Fight Against Poaching

Texas A&M University MSC Freshman Leadership International (MSC FLI) will host a three-part program featuring a pair of international environmentalists to draw attention to the transnational issue of poaching at 4 p.m. Tuesday, April 23, in Memorial Student Center Bethancourt Ballroom C.

The Wildlife Warriors: The Fight Against Poaching program will include International Union for Conservation of Nature environmental justice expert Tina Lain and Netherlands Institute for the Study of Crime and Law Enforcement researcher Andrew Lemieux.

The event is free and open to the public, but attendees must register in advance.

The three-part program will feature:

• Poaching: A National Security Issue: The epidemic and the consequences of wildlife crimes is the topic of a presentation by Lain and Lemieux who have extensive experience in wildlife conservation and environmental justice issues. Following the presentation, both speakers will sit for a discussion with, Dr. Leslie E. Ruyle, conservation ecologist and assistant director of the Scowcroft Institute at the Bush School of Government & Public Service. During this conversation, the three will discuss the importance of the fight against poaching, as well as address questions asked by audience members beginning at 4 p.m.
• Meet the Warriors Reception: Program participants are invited to enjoy light refreshments and mingle with the featured speakers. Additionally, various wildlife conservation organizations will host informational tables where attendees can learn about the local fight against poaching and how they can help from 5-6 p.m.
• Film Screening of The Last Animals: The documentary will follow the reception. The film, directed by Kate Brooks, follows conservationist groups battling elephant and rhino poachers in Africa, as well as taking an in-depth look at the black markets in Asia and the United States. The screening will be, from 6-7:30 p.m., will be followed by a question and answer session with the speakers from the earlier presentation.

Harsh Mehta, executive director of programming for MSC FLI, hopes his team’s hard work will shine a light on global issues within the Texas A&M community.

“Our MSC FLI team has been working very hard on this campus program to raise awareness within the local community on the issue of illegal wildlife poaching and the threats it poses to both the environment and national security,” Mehta said. “We are excited to have two distinguished international poaching experts – true wildlife warriors, themselves – to be the featured speakers for these important events.”

Wildlife Warriors: The Fight Against Poaching will take place on Tuesday, April 23 in Bethancourt Ballroom C beginning at 4 p.m. Although the event is free, reservations are required as space is limited.

Registration can be found at the.

The program is provided in partnership with the Scowcroft Institute of the Bush School of Government & Public Service. Other sponsors include the International Student Association and the Anthropology Department at Texas A&M.