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David Kracke ’90
Environmental Legislative Specialist, WildAid
Right now, animals are dying at an alarming rate due to myriad human-caused factors, possibly heralding the beginning of a sixth mass extinction. One of those factors is poaching—this is where I’ve focused my efforts, propelled by a vision where Earth’s animals are recognized as possessing certain rights, including the right not to go extinct. I strive to achieve protections for animals by addressing the actions of certain humans who would hasten the animals’ extinction through poaching. I coauthored the law banning shark fin soup in Oregon, and drafted a law in 2017 that significantly increased fines for poaching Oregon’s wildlife, specifically targeting the poaching of bears and cougars. I also sit on the International Board of WildAid, an environmental organization dedicated to reducing the demand for endangered species, while envisioning a world that adheres to our motto: “When the buying stops, the killing can, too.”