When Trevor Wheeler, Project Director of The World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA), embarked on a mission to investigate illegal animal trade in Iran, he rented a Mobal Iridium satellite phone in case of emergencies — it proved to be a smart move as an emergency presented itself in the form of an earthquake, measuring 6.3 on the Richter Scale.
Tehran trembled
An earthquake of between 6 and 7 on the Richter Scale has the ability to cause damage within 100km of the epicenter — as the Iranian capital Tehran trembled, the communications infrastructure was one of the casualties.
Trevor Wheeler said, “There the satellite phone certainly came into its own. It was the only method of communicating back home to let the office and my family know I was safe”.
Golden eagle
While in back streets of Tehran, the WSPA managed to interject in the illegal trading of birds of prey, such as the eagle owl and golden eagle, and also wolf and fox cubs. The trading of such animals is regulated by CITES (Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species of wild fauna and flora). This convention lists what level of protection different species need in accordance with how endangered they are.
Extreme cases
When WSPA members are investigating cases, they themselves are bound by the CITES regulations. This means that in most cases, including this time in Iran, they have to administer to the animals needs in their immediate environment.
Trevor Wheeler added, “this particular situation involving the illegal trade in wildlife is extremely difficult and all we can do short-term is to report this to the relevant government offices”. In some situations, if further treatment is needed, the WSPA are able to take animals to a suitable facility within the same country, but only in a very few extreme cases do they get the authority to take animals out of the country altogether.
Learn more
If you would like to learn more about the WSPA and their work, visit their website at www.wspa.org.uk.
Worse case scenario
Taking an Iridium satellite phone with you may sometimes seem like an extra extravagance, especially if you are taking it only for worse case scenarios, but if that worse case scenario happens, you may be glad that you made the effort.
