The illegal wildlife trade is a major conservation problem and one of the biggest threats to the world’s most endangered species. An extremely large number of wild flora and fauna are plucked away from their habitats each year to be sold as pets, food, ornamental plants, leather, medicine and trinkets for tourists. Some of this trade is legal and does not harm the wild population, but most of it is illegal and, according to the WWF, “with overexploitation being the second-largest direct threat to many species after habitat loss, WWF addresses illegal and unsustainable wildlife trade as a priority issue”.
Driving the trade is the end-consumer who has a need or desire for these wildlife products. This is where we come in. By buying such products, the individual consumer is feeding the wildlife trade cycle by increasing the demand for these products. On the other hand, by simply not purchasing exotic animals or their parts, we can help slow this cruel trade and, maybe, bring it to an end.
I was inspired to write this article by something I saw on sale which really disturbed me. Last week I was on holiday with my family in Italy, Milan to be exact, and we visited a very nice and vast shopping arcade called ’La Rinascente’ close to the city centre. On one particular floor which sells various items from home decor to books and electronics, I came across five iPhone 6 covers which cost approximately 160 to 200 euros each and were all made of different reptile skins, namely crocodile and lizard. Shocking as it may sound, we are killing these wild animals, not to mention the horrible ways they are killed, and taking their skins to make iPhone covers and purses.
I am writing this article to allow the readers to see the bigger picture behind what may seem like a small harmless trinket. By buying such items, the consumer is fuelling the wildlife trade and, in turn, allowing and supporting the following to happen.
- As a cause of human activity, nearly all species of sea turtles are classified as endangered. These species are slaughtered for their eggs, meat, skin and shells. They are poached and over-exploited as well as face habitat destruction and accidental capture in fishing gear. Despite their decline in numbers, approximately 28,300 freshwater turtles are traded each day and used for medicine, food and pets.
- The demand for products made from elephant tasks keeps rising. Between 35,000 and 50,000 African elephants are poached a year. Ivory in China has risen from €4 to around €2,000.The African elephant population is quickly declining, making the price of ivory rise. Poaching elephants for ivory is now carried out by organised teams that can devestate entire populations. Raids in 2006 and 2012 killed thousands of elephans with rocket-propelled grenades and AK-47s.
- An average of 3 rhinos are poached everyday. A 2014 study found that around 1,200 rhinos were taken from South Africa by poachers in 2014. WWF launched a campaign against this type of illegal wildlife trade: “Kill the trade that kills the rhino”, which emphasises the importance of reducing demand of such products.
- The WWF estimates there are 5,000 tigers being kept in U.S. backyards whilst there are only around 3,000 left in the wild. The illegal wildlife trade also fuels the exotic pet trade. The Bengal tiger, specifically, is classified as endangered in the IUCN Red List. Despite the small figure of the remaining tigers in the wild, this species is continuously poached and sold for traditional medicines as well as for making tiger bone wine, which is believed to increase strength.
- All 23 species of large crocodile and alligator have been overexploited and are now in varying degrees of threat. Their skin is fashioned into shoes, handbags, suitcases and other accessories. In the 1950s and 1960s, 6 to 8 million skins were traded per year, causing 85% of the world’s crocodilians to become endangered and causing the near extinction of the American Alligator. Because of this, trading was restricted and allowed some species to recover. However, trading still occurred by hiding skins in shipping crates or transhipping from other countries. Poaching these large numbers of crocodiles comes from the high demand of crocodile skin used for the luxury trade. Crocodile handbags sell for as much as €2,500 and briefcases can cost €9,000 or more.
- More than 1,000,000 pangolins have been traded in the past 10 years, making it the “most trafficked mammal you’ve ever head of”. This species is largely poached for their scales and blood which are used in medicine, as well as their meat which is considered a delicacy.
- In an effort to protect wildlife species, over 1,000 rangers have been killed in the past 10 years. Given the high monetary sums for the sale of wildlife parts, poachers will go to great lengths to kill wildlife, even if it means killing humans.
- The illegal wildlife trade generates between 3 and 15 billion euros per year. The species who are part of this illegal trading quickly decline in numbers and become endangered. As the supply of these animals drops, the price tags for their trading rises.
- According to United for Wildlife, the illegal wildlife trade ranks as the 4th most money-making trade in the world, right after drugs, human trafficking and the arms trade.
The idea behind this article is to create awareness as to what we can do to help end the wildlife trade. First and foremost, the best way to help is to stop purchasing wild animal products. It might sound implausible, but by buying a decorative ivory statue or a fashionable crocodile skin handbag you are contributing to the illegal wildlife trade and the pouching of these threatened species. By informing others and raising awareness, we can help save some of these species… while we still can!
The following 14 species of animals were hunted to extinction: Dodo bird, Tasmanian tiger, passenger pigeon, great auk, quagga, falkland island wolf, Zanzibar leopard, Caribbean monk seal, Carolina parakeet, Atlas bear, toolache wallaby, sea mink, Bubal hartebeest and stellar’s sea cow.
