Where is animal trafficking most common?

These areas are called “wildlife trade hotspots.” They include China's international borders, trade hubs in East/Southern Africa and Southeast Asia, the eastern borders of the European Union, some markets in Mexico, parts of the Caribbean, parts of Indonesia and New Guinea, and the Solomon Islands.

What country has the most animal trafficking?

Where are animals trafficked from?

Europe, the Middle East, China, and other countries in Southeast Asia are all major hubs and destination markets for wildlife trafficking. The United States and the United Kingdom are “among the largest ivory trading countries in the world,” wrote Deborah Cao in a 2020 article for Animal Sentience.

What are the most commonly trafficked animals?

What two countries have the highest illegal trade of wildlife?

It is a big business, bringing in estimated billions of dollars of illegal revenue. The golden triangle of Laos, Thailand and Myanmar is a global hub for illegal wildlife trade and trafficking. China is the largest importer of illegal wildlife and animal products, driving demands for animals from around the world.

Inside the Global Underground Wildlife Trafficking Market

What animals are trafficked in China?

It's an apt choice: the pangolin, a scaled mammal closely related to the anteater, is the most trafficked mammal in the world, and China is at the center of the demand for pangolin products.

How many animals are trafficked each year?

Accurate data about the illegal trade in animals and plants are hard to come by. Brazil is the Latin American nation with the most comprehensive information; its Institute of Environment and Natural Resources cites estimates that at least 12 million wild animals are poached there each year.

What animals are trafficked in the US?

Pythons are among the most trafficked animals.

Mammals and reptiles were most frequently recorded in the data we analyzed, but birds were also found on a regular basis. Pythons, crocodiles and alligators are very well represented in the illegal trade, mostly for leather products made from their skin.

Why do people buy tiger parts?

Tiger parts have been used in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) for centuries. Tiger bones treat ulcers, typhoid, malaria, dysentery, burns and even rheumatism. Other parts, like its whiskers, are worn as talismans or protective charms or used to sooth toothaches.

Why does animal trafficking happen?

There are many reasons attributed to the growth in illegal wildlife trafficking such as lenient law and order, huge demand in legal markets and huge money-making opportunities.

What is the most trafficked bird?

African Grey Parrots are among the most trafficked birds in the world, and have been bumped up from vunerable to critically endangered by the IUCN. Prized for their ability to imitate human speech, the birds are often lifted from their homes in western African nations and shipped to other continents.

How serious is the wildlife trafficking problem?

Wildlife trafficking threatens security, hinders economic development, and undermines the rule of law. The illicit trade in wildlife is decimating many species worldwide and threatens iconic species such as rhinoceroses, elephants, and tigers with extinction.

Where is poaching most common?

Most of the poaching takes place in Africa. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) reports that 25,000 elephants were killed in Africa in 2012, though other observers say it could be many more.

What animal is the most traded illegally?

Which country is the largest importer of illegal wildlife?

Our study of CITES data revealed that the United Arab Emirates (548 animals), Thailand (424), and the United States (400) were the largest importers of live mammals for zoos, and the bulk of their trade came from South Africa.

Why do people poach in Zimbabwe?

With the damaged soil unable to grow crops, people continue to turn to poaching as a way to eat and earn income. Conservation intervention is critical to ensuring Zimbabwe's natural resources persist for generations to come.

How much is a real tiger skin worth?

A prized pelt could fetch as much as $20,000. Because of this black market trade, tigers are, unfortunately, often worth more dead than alive, and poor people living in the tiger's native range frequently turn to poaching to supplement their income. As a result, tiger numbers have plummeted.

How much is a tiger worth on the black market?

A dead tiger is worth $50,000 to $60,000 on the black market. A tiger's eyes alone can be sold for over $200 to those who think they can help cure epilepsy, as believed in traditional Chinese medicine. In the last 100 years, poaching has led to the decline of 97% of the tiger's wild population.

What is tiger blood used for?

So what is tiger blood, exactly? It's just the blood that happens to run through a tiger's body. Oh, and it's also the name of a brand of anabolic steroids used to build muscle.

How much money is wildlife trafficking?

The annual global legal trade of wildlife has been conservatively estimated to value 119 billion USD of the year 2020 [3]. IWT is the world's fourth-largest illegitimate transnational activity, falling closely behind narcotics, human trafficking, and counterfeit products [4].

What crimes do animal traffickers commit?

Poachers and traffickers have also been tied to murder, intimidation, bribery, organized crime, terrorism and a host of other threats that destabilize families, communities and national security.

How can we stop animal trafficking?

What animals are poached in the United States?

In North America poachers illegally kill large numbers of deer, elk, black bear, turkey, moose, antelope, cougar, big horn sheep, mountain goat, pheasants, as well as various species of fish such as walleye, sturgeon and salmon, and even the ginseng plant.

What happens to the smuggled animals?

Under CITES guidelines, nations must send confiscated animals back to the exporting country, or to a “government-designated rescue center,” or other places deemed “appropriate.” CITES also directs countries to ensure humane treatment of the animals.

Is animal trafficking a thing?

Wildlife trafficking (the illegal poaching, taking, and/or trade of protected or managed species and their parts or products) removes millions of animals and plants from the wild annually. As many people know, this includes elephants and rhinos.