Environmental Writing

2/2/21 Issue of the Week-Illegal Wildlife Trade

By AmandaREO

From the dawn of society, owning wild animals has been seen as a form of power. Throughout history, wild animals have been used as if they were objects, and their existence is something that we can take advantage of. Nowadays, you don't regularly see a cheetah in someone's house or a necklace made out of tiger teeth. But illegal wildlife trade markets are still thriving, and the effects of this practice stretch far beyond animal abuse.

To be clear, I'll define illegal wildlife trade. It's when organized crime networks poach (illegally hunt) rare and exotic animals, like rhinos, elephants, snakes, sea turtles, sharks, monkeys, pangolins, and many more. These crime networks either kidnap these animals or kill them for a certain part of their bodies, and then sell them on black markets for millions of dollars. Illegal wildlife trade also accounts for the poaching of plants, but I'll focus only on animals today.

When animals are poached, they're generally only poached for parts of their bodies. For example, elephants are poached for their tusks, but the rest of their bodies are wasted. Rhinos are the same, and tigers are poached for their skin. Many people in countries like China and Japan believe that rhino horns and tiger skins will protect them from cancer or other sicknesses, but that's been proven untrue. Many times people poach animals, like sharks and pangolins, for meat. I'm sure we can all agree that this slaughter of animals is wasteful and upsetting, but it seems that sometimes people will go to any means to earn money.

Disreputable zoos, canned hunts, private dealers, and unsafe environments buy the live animals, where they are abused. Sometimes exotic animals are imported because, well, someone wants one, and sometimes they're imported for a "canned hunt," which is a hunt in an enclosed area where the animals are trained to trust humans so the hunters are guaranteed an easy kill. Sometimes these animals are imported for "roadside zoos," which are filthy "zoos" on the side of a road with inhumane conditions. I'm sure we can all relate to feeling cramped, but these animals need even more space than we do. They're stripped of all basic needs like the right kind of food and space, one of the most important things that a wild animal needs, and forced into a lifestyle not fit for even the smallest of animals. Importing animals also leads to overpopulation if they escape, which affects ecosystems that they don't belong to.

Even when animals aren't directly hunted, the species around them are impacted by the loss of the animals and plants that are taken away. With the loss of an elephant, the rest of the elephant's herd will not only mourn but also lose their resources. Elephants rely on elder elephants to show them where water and food is, so when elder elephants are killed the herd won't be able to survive. Even if animals live by themselves, they still depend on other animals for food and for showing them where water is. For example, tigers are the apex (biggest) predator in their ecosystems, so they are natural controllers of overpopulation. Without tigers, other animal populations will start growing, which leads to a lack of food, damage to the land and water, diseases, and a broken ecosystem.

With wildlife gone, local communities lose their resources as well. Illegal wildlife trade is destroying animal communities and human communities alike, especially poorer ones. The animals that are poached are necessary to their ecosystems, so when poachers carelessly hunt, humans suffer. Animals provide food, not only in themselves, but because plants depend on animals and we depend on plants. And not only the communities living around the prime poaching spots, but also you and I. Animals slow climate change, keep other species in check, and if their ecosystem is healthy, then so is ours. Poaching is also bringing down cultures and the pure beauty and magic of forests and savannas by stripping the land of the plants and animals that bring it to life, literally.

It's a sick business, but it's incredibly popular. It's globally the fourth biggest crime, making between seven billion and twenty-three billion dollars each year. Thirty-eight million animals are kidnapped from Brazil and 100 million sharks are killed every year, and thousands of animals are killed every day in Africa by poachers. There are only 3,890 tigers in the wild, whilst there used to be 100,000 a century ago, and more than 100,000 African elephants were killed for the ivory industry between 2014 and 2017. Over 4,000 bird species are imported from their original home, and many other species have their environments stripped away because of poaching.

Overall, illegal wildlife trade is an incredibly complex and serious thing. There are so many parts to the business, and so many factors and impacts. It's important for us to know because we can be the ones to shut this business down. For example, if you're thinking about getting a pet, don't get a bird or anything exotic. If you already have a bird, that's alright, just make sure that it has a good life. Pet shops are generally the ones which might get their animals from a dubious source, so I'd advise you to get a pet at a rescue center like the SPCA. It may sound cool to have an exotic animal as a pet, but it's not. These animals belong in the wild or on an animal reserve, not in your home. Another thing you can do is make sure you don't buy crocodile, pangolin, or any leather made with exotic animals' skins. It's important to also not buy ivory or jewelry made from exotic animals, and if your family does have some part of an exotic animal in your home, the best thing to do is to know the suffering it has cost and appreciate it. Luckily, there are many organizations and people working towards diminishing this business, and lots of countries are regulating and working towards ending illegal wildlife trade. In conclusion, one of the most important things to remember is this: from the smallest of insects to the largest of mammals, every animal is necessary for every species to survive. Including us. Illegal wildlife trade destroys this, and that needs to change.