3rd March 2014 was designated by the UN as the first World Wildlife Day, aimed at celebrating and raising awareness of the world's wild fauna and flora. The date is significant, as 3rd March was the date in 1973 when the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) was first adopted. CITES has played an important role in the last 40 years in recognising and counteracting the growing threat posed by international trade to the survival of endangered species.
Our World Wildlife Day gallery celebrates the beauty and variety of the world's fauna and flora, focusing on those species that are in need of protection or have benefited from existing protection measures and conservation initiatives. Find out more about World Wildlife Day by visiting
http://www.un.org/en/events/wildlifeday/.
![Gemsbok [Oryx gazella] two males fighting, Etosha National Park, Namibia, August](http://nplimages.infradoxxs.com/cache/tcache/01308307.jpg "Gemsbok [Oryx gazella] two males fighting, Etosha National Park, Namibia, August")
