Corporate Social Responsibility as It Relates to Animal Welfare
Salma S. Safiedine, Katrina Goodjoint, and Sandra Praxmarer.1
In 2015, American dentist Walter Palmer, a trophy-hunter enthusiast, travelled to
Zimbabwe for an exotic hunting expedition.2 In exchange for approximately $54,000, Palmer
was given the opportunity to work with professional local hunters to lure Cecil, a beloved lion
from Hwange National Park, out of the protected sanctuary.3 Palmer then shot the lion with a
crossbow but did not kill him.4 Instead Palmer and his hunting companions tracked Cecil for
forty hours before shooting him with a gun.5 Cecil was then beheaded and skinned, after which
his corpse was left to rot.6 The landowner did not allocate a lion on his hunting quota for 2015
making the killing of any lion illegal, especially one that was lured from a protected national
park.7 The public outcry on social media sites led Palmer to shut down not only his social media
accounts but also his dental practice in Eden, Minnesota.8
In another incident last year, Jimmy John Liautaud, the founder and CEO of Jimmy
John’s, a national sandwich restaurant chain, became the subject of controversy after photos
emerged showing him on a 2010 safari in Africa where he posed with dead elephants, a
rhinoceros, and a leopard.9 Further investigation revealed that Jimmy John Liautaud had been on
1
Salma S. Safiedine is an attorney with Safiedine Partners Law LLC, a boutique firm that specializes in contract
drafting and negotiation. She serves as the current Chair of the ABA Criminal Justice Section’s Race and Diversity
Committee and as Director of the ABA Racial Justice Improvement Project (RJIP). She is the Editor in Chief of the
ABA White Collar Crime Committee Newsletter and serves on the State Bar of Michigan’s Diversity and Inclusion
Advisory Committee. Katrina Goodjoint and Sandra Praxmarer are third-year law students at Georgetown
University Law Center and The George Washington University Law School, respectively. Katrina Goodjoint
currently interns with the ABA RJIP.
2
See Christina Capecchi & Katie Rogers, Killer of Cecil the Lions Find Out That He Is a Target Now, of Internet
Vigilantism, N.Y. Times (July 29, 2015), http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/30/us/cecil-the-lion-walterpalmer.html?_r=0.
3
See id.
4
See id.
5
See Ben Brumfield, Trial Postpone for Hunter Guide Accused in Cecil the Lion’s Death, CNN (Aug. 5, 2015),
http://www.cnn.com/2015/08/05/africa/zimbabwe-illegal-hunting-america.
5
Id.
7
See id.
8
See Louis Weisberg, Cecil’s Death Spotlights Damage of Trophy Hunting, Wis. Gazette (Aug. 13, 2015),
http://www.wisconsingazette.com/trending/cecils-death-spotlights-damage-of-trophy-hunting.html.
9
See Hayley Peterson, Jimmy John’s CEO Is Under Fire For Photos Showing Him Allegedly Hunting Big-Game
Animals, Business Insider (Aug. 4. 2015), http://www.businessinsider.com/jimmy-johns-ceo-under-fire-for-allegedhunting-photos-2015-8.
1
numerous hunts and had hunted several endangered species.10 Since the photos emerged on
several social media sites, thousands of people have called for a boycott against all Jimmy John
sandwich locations.11 Yet another CEO, Bob Parsons of GoDaddy, faced similar media backlash
when he posted videos of himself hunting in Zimbabwe.12 In response to the videos, PETA
called for a boycott until Parsons stopped his annual hunts.13 When questioned about the media
response, Parsons stated: “The blowback—you’ve got to look at who it’s coming from: a small
but very, very vocal group that moves in unison, inspired by PETA. Very few of them are our
customers.”14 He further added that the publicity will increase his sales as people who never
heard of GoDaddy will now check out the site.15 The Business Insider classified this situation as
the kind that only a wealthy CEO could escape from unscathed.16 However, controversial moves
in public relations are not always smart, especially when validated by the CEO who represents
the face of the company, and whose actions will be highly publicized. The public response to
these incidents, emphasized through social media, sheds light on the crucial need for reform to
wildlife protection and wildlife trade laws, and highlights the major influence of corporate social
responsibility (CSR). Sadly, without effective reform, animal welfare and the illegal wildlife
trade will continue with negative impacts that increase and extend even beyond the corporate
world.17
Palmer, Liautaud, and Parsons are just three out of the thousands of people that engage in
trophy hunting every year. South Africa alone attracts 9,000 trophy hunters a year, mostly from
10
See id.
See id.
12
See GoDaddy CEO: Elephant Hunts Help the Locals, CBS News (Mar. 31, 2011),
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/godaddy-ceo-elephant-hunts-help-the-locals/.
13
See id.
14
See id.
15
See id.
16
See Nicholas Carlson, GoDaddy CEO Videotapes Himself Killing An Elephant, Business Insider (Mar. 31, 2011),
http://www.businessinsider.com/godaddy-ceo-videotapes-himself-killing-an-elephant-2011-3.
17
See e.g., Orietta C. Estrada, The Devastating Effects of Wildlife Poaching, One Green Planet,
http://www.onegreenplanet.org/animalsandnature/the-devastating-effects-of-wildlife-poaching, (last visited Jan. 9,
2016) (“Wildlife poaching has negative side-effects that affect local communities, wildlife populations, and the
environment”); Katherine Lawson & Alex Vines, Global Impacts of the Illegal Wildlife Trade, Chatham House, ix
(Feb. 2014), https://www.chathamhouse.org/sites/files/chathamhouse/public/Research/Africa/0214Wildlife.pdf
(“[I]illegal wildlife trade erodes state authority and fuels civil conflict…”).
11
2
the United States.18 These numbers are significant since illegal wildlife hunting often feeds into
the illegal wildlife trade.19 Animal heads end up at the hunters’ homes as trophies while their
skin and bones wind up traded on the black market.20 Government corruption in addition to lack
of accountability and enforcement has allowed the illegal wildlife market to flourish into a
multibillion-dollar business and the fourth largest illegal business in the world.21 According to
TRAFFIC, a wildlife trade monitoring network, the value of illegal wildlife trade could be as
high as $40 billion a year.22 Even more shocking is how some animals are valued more than
gold. For instance, a kilo of rhino horns can sell for over $60,00023 and a full, intact horn
between $750,000 and $1 million.24 Because of the high demand for rhino horns, rhinos are one
of the species that has been devastated the most by illegal wildlife trafficking. Rhino poaching in
South Africa increased 7,700% between 2007 and 2013 with over a thousand rhinos being killed
each year in South Africa alone.25 In 2011, the Western black rhino became extinct, and as of
2015, only three northern white rhinos remain.26 It is estimated that both white and black rhinos
will be extinct by 2024.27 Illegal wildlife trade represents the largest direct threat to the future of
the world’s most endangered species.28
Fueled by high profit margins and a low risk of punishment, demand has risen and the
problem of illegal wildlife trade has become a global epidemic. How the world responds to this
issue is a reflection how we want the world to look for future generations. It is also a test in the
18
See Lindsey Bever, The Death of Cecil the Lion and the Big Business of Big Game Trophy Hunting, Wash. Post
(July 29, 2015), https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2015/07/29/how-the-death-of-cecil-thelion-at-the-hands-of-american-walter-palmer-has-shed-light-on-the-big-business-of-big-game.
19
See id.
20
See id.
21
See Preventing Extinction and Empowering Communities: The GEF’s Role in Combating Poaching and Illegal
Wildlife Trade, Global Env’t Facility (July 17, 2014), https://www.thegef.org/gef/node/10698.
22
See Wildlife Trade, TRAFFIC, http://www.traffic.org/trade (last visited Jan, 12, 2016).
23
See David Fitzpatrick & Drew Griffin, The Government’s Most Macabre Collection, CNN (Aug. 1, 2015),
http://www.cnn.com/2015/07/31/us/illegal-animal-trade.
24
See Klara Glowczewska, Uma Thurman’s Journey to Protect Africa’s Wildlife from Vicious Poachers, Town &
Country, (Sept. 10, 2015), http://www.townandcountrymag.com/leisure/arts-and-culture/news/a3639/uma-thurman.
25
See Illegal Wildlife Trade, World Wide Fund for Nature, https://www.worldwildlife.org/threats/illegal-wildlifetrade (last visited Jan. 12, 2016).
26
See Global Env’t Facility, supra note 21; Brian Clark Howard, Only Three Northern White Rhinos Remain,
National Geographic News (Nov. 23, 2015), http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2015/11/151123-nola-northernwhite-rhino-dies-conservation-animals/.
27
See Glowczewska, supra note 24.
28
See World Wide Fund for Nature, supra note 25.
3
feasibility of international unity to combat other global threats like climate change, poverty, and
human trafficking. To curb the supply and demand of illegal wildlife products and expeditions,
there needs to be large-scale reform and support from the corporate community and key
corporate stakeholders.
Illegal wildlife trade not only threatens the existence of thousands of species of animals,
but also the vitality and stability of the environment, society, and economy. It transcends to other
crimes including money laundering, corruption, fraud, sponsored terrorism, and violent
conflicts.29 This is especially true in Africa where the proceeds from illegal wildlife trafficking
have helped fund its never-ending wars.30 Some of Africa’s most dangerous militant groups,
including the Janjaweed of Sudan, Somalia’s Al-Shabab, and the Lord’s Resistance Army under
rebel leader Joseph Kony, use the illegal wildlife trade to fund their extreme ideologies and
strengthen their armies.31 It also sends ripples throughout society, further strengthening systems
of poverty, robbing society of economic opportunities and development, and weakening
government institutions and legitimate business.32 Like other transnational organized crime, the
continued poaching by armed non-state actors and heavily armed poachers will not end until
there is regional cooperation and partnership to monitor unwatched territory along national
borders.33
A major crime-facilitator in this arena is ineffective governance and political corruption,
which runs rampant throughout Africa.34 Political corruption is especially rampant in Tanzania,
where most illegal ivory originates.35 Armed forces and police in Tanzania are often subject to
corruption and have been known to rent out guns to poachers and escort convoys of illicit
29
See Lawson & Vines, supra note 17, at 6.
See id. at 9–10.
31
See id. See also Keith Somerville, The Ivory Wars: How Poaching in Central Africa Fuels the LRA and
Janjaweed (Jan. 14, 2013), http://africanarguments.org/2013/01/14/the-ivory-wars-how-poaching-in-central-africafuels-the-lra-and-janjaweed-%E2%80%93-by-keith-somerville/.
32
See Global Env’t Facility, supra note 21.
33
See id.
34
See Lawson & Vines, supra note 17, at 9.
35
See Arusha & Dar Es Salaam, Big Game Poachers, The Economist (Nov. 8, 2014),
http://www.economist.com/news/middle-east-and-africa/21631202-claims-links-between-politicians-and-poachersmerit-further-investigation-big.
30
4
ivory.36 Along with political corruption, the Tanzanian government also fails to investigate and
prosecute high-level offenders.37 Last year, it was discovered that the head of the regional crime
office in Northern Tanzania knew his own deputy and senior officials were directly involved in a
smuggling operation yet none of the individuals were prosecuted.38 When the Tanzanian
government minister and top officials at Tanzania’s Wildlife Department were caught taking
bribes and arranging to have 116 animals flown to Qatar, rather than face criminal penalties, the
officials were simply fired.39 A similar incident occurred in Uganda, when almost 1.5 tons of
ivory worth over $1 million vanished from a government storeroom.40 The incident resulted in
the suspension of five officials of the Uganda Wildlife Authority, one of whom was the
executive director who returned to office just a few months later.41 The failure of the government
to investigate and prosecute high-level officials coupled with the resources of well-organized
criminal organizations has caused illegal wildlife trade to flourish in Africa at the expense of
local communities and wildlife. And these effects are not isolated to Africa but go on to affect
the entire international community. For example, South Africa, home to 80% of the world’s
rhino population, saw 1,000 rhinos poached in 2014 compared to 333 in 2010.42 Rhino horns are
then sold illegally to buyers around the world.43 Just this week, a court in South Africa decided
to allow the sale of rhino horns within the country which the World Wildlife Fund argues will
make it harder to enforce the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES),
an international treaty under which the sale of rhino horns is banned.44
Illegal wildlife has even led to domestic acts of terrorism on United States soil. In recent
events, a group of armed protestors named Citizens for Constitutional Freedom seized a federal
36
See id.
See id.
38
See id.
39
See Oliver Milman, Ranger Corruption ‘Impeding Global Fight Against Poaching’, The Guardian (Mar. 27,
2013), http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2013/mar/27/ranger-corruption-impeding-fight-poaching.
40
See Halima Athumani, Corruption Worsens an Already Devastating Illegal Wildlife Trade in Uganda, PRI (July
23, 2015), http://www.pri.org/stories/2015-07-10/corruption-worsens-already-devastating-illegal-wildlife-tradeuganda.
41
See id.
42
See Sarah McGregor, South Africa Rhino-Horn Ruling to Fuel Illegal Trade, Group Says, Bloomberg Business
(Jan. 20, 2016), http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-01-20/south-africa-rhino-horn-ruling-to-fuel-illegaltrade-group-says.
43
See id.
44
See id.
37
5
building in Oregon at the end of 2015.45 The group said they were occupying the Malheur
National Wildlife Refuge to protest the amount of land controlled by the federal government and
the five-year sentences of Dwight and Steven Hammond.46 The Hammonds received five-year
prison sentences for intentionally starting a fire in 2001, which the Hammonds alleged was to
reduce the growth of invasive plants and prevent wildfires.47 However, federal prosecutors claim
the Hammonds burned 130 acres of public land to hide the poaching of deer on federal
property.48 Ammon Bundy, the leader of the anti-government group, stated they would not leave
until the Hammonds are on their way out of prison.49 After occupying the federal wildlife refuge
headquarters for weeks, Bundy and several other occupiers were arrested on their way to a
community meeting.50 Bundy’s brother was wounded and LaVoy Finicum killed when they
refused to surrender to law enforcement, and eight others including Bundy were arrested under
federal felony charges.51 This form of terrorism disguised as a protest against federal ownership
of lands was sparked by illegal hunting on domestic ground.
The illegal wildlife trade poses a unique problem that transcends borders, demanding a
larger-scale effort to address the issue. Evident in the response by the public to the actions of
Liautaud and Parsons, and the response’s impact on business profitability, public perception and
social responsibility can serve a significant role in curtailing illegal wildlife trade.52 Studies have
shown that 41% of people’s feelings toward a company are based on their perceptions of the
company’s corporate responsibility practices.53 With the development of social media,
information regarding a company’s stance on social responsibility can reach a greater number of
consumers at a faster rate. Companies are becoming increasingly aware of how social media in
45
See Ralph Ellis, Holly Yan & Sara Sidner, Oregon Protest Leader: ‘There is a Time to Go Home’, CNN (Jan. 6,
2016), http://www.cnn.com/2016/01/06/us/oregon-wildlife-refuge-armed-protest/index.html.
46
See id.
47
See id.
48
See id.
49
See id.
50
See Evan Perez & Holly Yan, Ammon Bundy, Other Protestors Arrested in Oregon; LaVoy Finicum Killed, CNN
(Jan. 27, 2016), http://www.cnn.com/2016/01/26/us/oregon-wildlife-refuge-siege-arrests/index.html.
51
See id.
52
See Nicole Fallon Taylor, What is Corporate Social Responsibility?, Business News Daily (June 19, 2015),
http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/4679-corporate-social-responsibility.html.
53
Jacquelyn Smith, The Companies With the Best CSR Reputations, Forbes (Oct. 2, 2013),
http://www.forbes.com/sites/jacquelynsmith/2013/10/02/the-companies-with-the-best-csr-reputations-2/.
6
particular can shed light on a company’s CSR (or oftentimes the lack of it) and how it can affect
their brand perception, brand loyalty, and investor and employee sentiment.54
Major airlines have caught onto to the effects of CSR, and the importance of public
perception. In response to the Cecil outcry, Delta Airlines spearheaded an effort to curb the
transport of animal trophies.55 Delta Airlines was soon followed by United Airlines, American
Airlines, and seventeen other major airlines to ban the transport of all lion, leopard, elephant,
rhinoceros, and buffalo trophies worldwide.56 Around the world, Lufthansa, Emirates, and South
African Airways have also stopped transporting exotic hunting trophies.57 Although most
trophies are sent by ship, the efforts of major cargo airlines are symbolic for the impact that
corporate partnerships can have on illegal wildlife trade. On an international scale, the
commitment of major organizations especially those in the logistics industry, can go a long way
in curbing illegal wildlife trade. Through the use of social media to raise consumer awareness,
major companies and organizations can be persuaded to increase their CSR and engage in efforts
to stop illegal wildlife trade in order to maintain their bottom line.
The recent controversy involving SeaWorld demonstrates the power of public perception
and social responsibility. Blackfish was a 2012 documentary released during the U.S.
Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s investigation into yet
another fatal death of a SeaWorld trainer by the same orca named Tilikum.58 Tilikum, arguably
SeaWorld’s most famous orca, has remained a central attraction at SeaWorld even after killing
one of his trainers in 1991, 1999, and another in 2010.59 For twenty-one years, Tilikum has been
54
See Thomas Metcalf & Demand Media, Does Social Responsibility Affect the Bottom Line?, Chron.com,
http://smallbusiness.chron.com/social-responsibility-affect-bottom-line-75134.html (last visited Jan. 12, 2016).
55
See Suzannah Gonzales & Jeffrey Dastin, Major U.S. Airlines End Trophy Hunter Shipments After Cecil Outcry,
Reuters (Aug. 4, 2015), http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/08/04/us-zimbabwe-wildlife-airlinesidUSKCN0Q90KT20150804.
56
See id.
57
See id.
58
See David Kirby, BREAKING: U.S. Government Hits SeaWorld With Safety Violation-Again, TakePart (June 10,
2013), http://www.takepart.com/article/2013/06/10/osha-hits-seaworld-fine-and-safety-violation-again.
59
See Over 30 Years and Three Deaths: Tilikum’s Tragic Story, SeaWorld of Hurt,
http://www.seaworldofhurt.com/features/30-years-three-deaths-tilikums-tragic-story (last visited Jan. 24, 2016).
7
confined to a small tank analogous to a human being imprisoned in a bathtub for years.60 Like
many other orcas in captivity, Tilikum’s dorsal fin has collapsed, which is a sign of both poor
living conditions and stress.61 Tilikum lives in a tank in solitude since he had brutal fights and
was bullied by the other orcas. These living conditions are unusual as orcas in the wild are very
social and familial animals accustomed to living in the same familial groups for their entire lives.
In captivity, they are forced to live with orcas from artificial familial pods, whom they are not
compatible with, causing anxiety, tension and fights among the orcas, which sometimes results in
forced solitude, like in Tilikum’s case.62 The living conditions in captivity undoubtedly change
the animal’s temperament and stress and leaves dangerous conditions for all involved. Blackfish
shed light on the fact that orcas in nature are rarely aggressive toward humans and each other,
but the stressful environment of SeaWorld’s small tanks has changed the orcas’ inherent
characteristics, causing them to threaten each other and their human trainers.63 Of the 150 orcas
taken into captivity since 1961, 127 have died.64 Orcas in captivity have an average life
expectancy of just thirteen years compared to those in the wild that live an average of thirty to
fifty years.65
With the release of Blackfish, SeaWorld’s profits plummeted.66 SeaWorld’s third-quarter
earnings for 2014 fell 28% from the same period a year prior, and its shares dropped 31% for the
year.67 After significant drops in attendance and stock prices, the CEO stepped down in 2014.68
60
See Patrick Barkham, Blackfish, SeaWorld and the Backlash Against Killer Whale Theme Park Shows, The
Guardian (Dec. 11, 2013), http://www.theguardian.com/film/2013/dec/11/blackfish-seaworld-backlash-killerwhales.
61
See SeaWorld of Hurt, supra note 59.
62
See 8 Reasons Orcas Don’t Belong at SeaWorld, SeaWorld of Hurt, http://www.seaworldofhurt.com/features/8reasons-orcas-dont-belong-seaworld (last visited Jan. 24, 2016).
63
See id.
64
See The Fate of Captive Orcas, Whale and Dolphin Conservation, http://us.whales.org/wdc-in-action/fate-ofcaptive-orcas (last visited Jan. 24, 2016).
65
See SeaWorld of Hurt, supra note 59.
66
See Melissa Cronin, SeaWorld Loses 1 Million Visitors As It Clings To Orca Captivity, The Dodo (Feb. 26, 2015),
https://www.thedodo.com/seaworld-stock-quarter-four-1012275533.html.
67
See Eyder Peralta, SeaWorld CEO Steps Down Amid Controversy, Drop in Attendance, NPR (Dec. 12, 2014),
http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2014/12/12/370324298/seaworld-ceo-steps-down-amid-controversy-dropin-attendance.
68
See id.
8
In 2015 the company’s stock was only at 50% of its all-time high.69 The release of Blackfish also
caused media to call for the boycott of all SeaWorld locations, leading to the decline of one
million of its visitors, a 6% decline in revenue in 2014 compared to 2013.70
To combat public backlash and the unusual deaths of many orcas held captive by
SeaWorld, SeaWorld began to emphasize its “Rescue Team” which works to rescue and
rehabilitate animals who are orphaned, ill or injured and then return them to the wild.71 The
President of SeaWorld recently announced plans to create SeaWorld Rescue-themed roller
coasters based on the company’s Emmy-nominated TV show, Sea Rescue, which highlights
animal rescue efforts.72 SeaWorld points to their rescue efforts to help foster better public
relations and demonstrate social responsibility, to increase attendance at their parks and combat
their negative publicity. However, a look into SeaWorld’s rescue efforts has demonstrated that
the majority of missions are not paid through SeaWorld’s private sector profits.73 Most, if not all,
of SeaWorld’s rescue efforts are funded through state and federal grants, grants that could have
otherwise gone to non-profit rescue missions that have one sole objective: to rescue for the sake
of animal welfare. Moreover, since 2009, SeaWorld has allegedly taken $556 million worth of
tax credits, ensuring the multibillion-dollar company will not have to pay any significant amount
in income taxes for years to come.74
SeaWorld has learned that time does not make consumers forget the importance of CSR.
In March 2015, the company launched an ad campaign in TV and print advertisements inviting
the public to ask the company questions via Twitter.75 The campaign, called Ask SeaWorld,
69
See Katie Lobosco, ‘Ask Seaworld’ Marketing Campaign Backfires, CNN Money (Mar. 27, 2015),
http://money.cnn.com/2015/03/27/news/companies/ask-seaworld-twitter/index.html.
See also Cronin, supra note 66.
70
See Jason Bittel, Social Media Slaughter, onEarth (Mar. 2015), http://www.onearth.org/earthwire/social-mediaillegal-wildlife-trade.
71
See SeaWorld Cares, http://seaworldcares.com/rescues/call-247 (last visited Jan. 8, 2016).
72
See Surya Fernandez, SeaWorld Announces New Attractions Based on “Sea Rescue” TV Show, SeaWorld Orlando
(Nov. 9, 2015), http://www.onegreenplanet.org/animalsandnature/seaworld-does-conservation-justify-captivity.
73
See Jason Farcia, SeaWorld Won’t Pay Income Taxes for Years, Orlando Sentinel (Apr. 25, 2013),
http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2013-04-25/business/os-seaworld-avoids-income-tax-20130425_1_tax-codecorporate-tax-breaks-income.
74
See id.
75
See Lobosco, supra note 69
9
backfired when it largely drew questions from activists and animal lovers on social media.76 In
addition, the incidents at SeaWorld have led to a handful of states introducing legislation that
would ban orca captivity, which will lead to a further drop in SeaWorld’s stock, revenue, and
loss of more corporate partners.77 CSR can have a long-term impact on a business, diminishing
profit margins and public perception for years. The power of consumer perception and social
responsibility is evident in other venues such as the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus
which announced the retirement of all their elephants to sanctuaries by 2018.78
Just as companies with low levels of CSR or identified lack of social responsibility can
suffer, companies with high levels of CSR prosper from the public’s favorable perception.
Studies show 60% of consumers’ willingness to buy is based on their perception of the company
rather than their perception of the products or services it sells.79 One company that is highly
regarded among consumers is Walt Disney Company, which has one of the best CSR reputations
in the world.80 When surveyed, approximately 50% of consumers viewed Walt Disney as a good
corporate citizen that supports good causes and protects the environment.81 For instance, the
Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund (DWCF) has contributed more than $20 million to
conservation efforts around the world since its inception in 1995.82 Some of the DWCF’s many
accomplishments include: planting nearly 3 million trees, protecting more than 40,000 acres of
coral reef and 65,000 acres of savanna, and establishing protected areas for chimpanzees.83 The
Walt Disney Company also matches all guest contributions to the DWCF and covers all
overhead costs of the Fund making sure that every dollar goes directly to conservation efforts.84
In addition to funding global efforts, Disney has also designed nearly one-third of its Walt
76
See id.
See Cronin, supra note 66.
78
See id.
79
See id.
80
See id.
81
See id.
82
Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund, The Walt Disney Company,
https://thewaltdisneycompany.com/citizenship/act-responsibly/environmental-stewardship/disney-worldwideconservation-fund (last visited Aug. 21, 2015).
83
See id.
84
See id.
77
10
Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida as a wildlife conservation area.85 Disney’s Animal
Kingdom has been the home of the successful reproduction of many endangered animals
including African elephants, rhinos, gorillas, and more while Disney’s Epcot Theme Park
features a rehabilitation site for rescued manatees and sea turtles until they can be returned to
their natural habitat.86
Illegal wildlife trade can be addressed with more accountability on the part of consumers,
company agents, and other major stakeholders involved. The public outrage about Cecil the lion
and SeaWorld demonstrate that with social awareness, consumers can hold businesses
accountable when their CSR does not comport with societal views. Businesses will see a
negative impact on their profitability if they do not reform their business CSR policies and
practices. As illegal wildlife trade continues to threaten the stability and vitality of the
environment, society, and economy, public awareness and mobilization will hold businesses
accountable. Reforming CSR policies and practices not only makes good business sense but
furthers the fight against illegal wildlife trade and the white collar crimes it spawns.
85
See Suzannah Mitchell, Just How “Green” Is Walt Disney World?, Zannaland (Apr. 1, 2010),
http://zannaland.com/just-how-green-is-walt-disney-world.
86
See id.
11