The move into dealing with timber species was welcomed by Will Travers from the Born Free Foundation.

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"We are deeply concerned that these sales will open the floodgates to additional illegal trade, " said Will Travers, CEO of the Born Free Foundation.

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An inaugural symposium was organized in 2010 by the Born Free Foundation and the Wildlife Conservation Research Unit (WildCRU) of the University of Oxford and to date there have been three further international meetings in the UK, China, and Australia.

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"A huge log that took four people to lift has been put in the pen for scratching and clambering over, a buoy has been suspended on a chain from a metal chain and there is an old tyre to attack, " said a spokesperson for the Born Free Foundation.

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After five years of study in that case, I gained invaluable information from world class experts, like Dr. Joyce Poole from Norway (the foremost elephant researcher in the world), Dr. Phil Ensley, a top veterinarian with specialized training regarding elephants, Dr. Jenny Conrad, a groundbreaking wildlife veterinarian, Mr. Will Travers, CEO of the Born Free Foundation in London, an extremely knowledgeable conservationist, and Pat Derby and Ed Stewart, founders of the PAWS Sanctuary in Northern California.

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