Unveiling the Hidden Crisis of Illegal Wildlife Trade

Many of us are increasingly aware of the urgent challenges raised by climate change and biodiversity loss, but one critical issue often flies under the radar: the illegal wildlife trade. It has reached crisis levels and needs quick action from the international community. This wildlife crime can be defined as unlawful activities, specifically capturing, transporting, and selling wildlife. This issue harms the environment and threatens countless species, including humans.

Increasing Demand for Wildlife

The wildlife trade has an established history, tied to status, fashion trends, and religion. Today, many use wildlife to a certain degree in various ways: wild meat, clothes, medicine, construction, or pets. While some of this is legal, it can be tricky to differentiate what is permitted and what is not.

Accessibility and the booming economies have increased the demand for exotic species and related products pushing species to the brink of extinction. Additionally, some consider wildlife a valuable asset: the rarer it is, the higher the market value is. This mindset further fuels the demand and makes the crisis even worse. Vast attention focuses on high-profile and charismatic animals like tigers and elephants, but the illegal wildlife trade can be found in every species category. Lesser-known species such as orchids, hornbills, and the most poached mammals globally, the pangolin, are affected daily. The numbers highlight the urgency, with poachers killing an estimated 117,000 to 234,000 pangolins between 2011 and 2013 alone.

Social media and influencers frequently showcase cute animals like turtles and chimpanzees, misleading viewers to think they are suitable for pets. The reality? They are poached from the wild, and some are sold falsely as captive-bred. To make matters even more tragic, in some cases, such as with orangutans, when the infant is captured from the wild, the mother is often killed. As these baby orangutans grow and become more challenging for humans to manage, they are likely abandoned or surrendered to rescue centers, where they receive care and rehabilitation.

The Ease of Online Wildlife Trade

Yes, the illegal wildlife trade is happening right in front of our eyes. The internet has transformed global access to information, affecting all areas of life, including wildlife trade. With just a few clicks, anyone can purchase exotic pets and wildlife products online, making it crucial to remain vigilant about what to buy. For instance, clownfish (aka Nemo), parrots, or reptile skin products are in high demand, and you can find all these online. However, simply finding an item for sale does not guarantee its legality. 

While there are legal frameworks to ensure endangered species are being protected worldwide, keeping up with the online markets and virtual transactions is challenging. Most wildlife trade still occurs on publicly viewable websites. It has also shifted to the deep web, consisting of private messaging apps and social media. Lastly, the dark web plays an increasing role in this illicit market. The species sold there are often used as drugs. The most traded items in the dark web are plants – fungi, and animals following slightly behind. As the current wildlife trade remains robust on both the open and deep web, more and more species face direct threats.

The Multimillion-Dollar Industry in Illegal Wildlife Trade

The wildlife trade is a complex phenomenon including individuals capturing an endangered spider for a pet to organized international crime engaged in large-scale trafficking. This trade is highly profitable, with substantial rewards and relatively low risks, making it lucrative to criminal networks. Consequently, the illegal wildlife trade is ranked the fourth most profitable global crime just behind drugs, human, and weapons trafficking, generating annual revenues of up to £18.07 billion. These profits might then be used to fund other criminal businesses. Poachers do not care what specific species they target, or how endangered their conservation status is when traded, as long as they are profitable. Even if get caught, they likely continue, as punishments remain largely inefficient. As a result, weak governance and corruption will bring us closer to the core of this complex issue. For instance, restaurant owners can effortlessly offer pangolin meat in some countries if they pay the local officers. 

After poaching, wildlife is often transported from supply countries to demand ones. Depending on the species, a single country can have many roles in the supply chain. Transporting across borders poses risks and challenges intensify among living animals, as their survival is threatened during that phase. Reptiles and snakes are preferred due to their quietness and resilience. The younger the species the better; for this reason, eggs are considered rather easy to transport, as they can be hidden almost anywhere.

Trafficking tactics have ranged from smuggling 100 live snakes in trousers and plants hidden in toys to painted ivory tusks. Fortunately, officers have intercepted these cases, offering small victories for wildlife. Nonetheless, it has not made the problem disappear; traffickers are creating new strategies incessantly to avoid detection.

Evolving Legislation As a Double-Edged Sword in Wildlife Trade

Furthermore, we can also see how, despite tightening legislation – such as the recent ban on ivory sales a few years ago in the UK – traffickers continue finding new, alternative code names online or completely new species to bypass these laws. To show commitment against these laws and elephant poaching, governments have held ivory destruction events publicly, either by burning or crushing them. In a powerful demonstration, Kenya burned over 105 tons of ivory in the world’s largest bonfire to combat elephant poaching, sending a strong message against the illegal ivory trade. Yet, despite such efforts, elephant ivory is still being sold online, often mislabeled as ivory from other species to deceive buyers. After the ban, the hippopotamus became one of the most threatened ivory-bearing species. The hippopotamus is identified as vulnerable to extinction and listed in Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), which serves as the primary regulatory body for international wildlife trade. Appendix II allows trade; however, it is regulated. In contrast, Appendix I bans trade, including species threatened with extinction.

Certain species, such as sharks, are classified into different categories, with some remaining legal for trade while the most endangered ones are forbidden from being traded. This approach creates loopholes since the endangered ones can be intermixed with the legal ones. Monitoring threatened species remains important, as extinction markets are thriving all around the globe. However, it remains to be seen how many species are involved, even though CITES protects over 40 900 species worldwide. 

Far-Reaching Impacts of Illegal Wildlife Trade

Countries and areas with rich biodiversity are especially exposed to poaching and trafficking, creating a human-driven mass extinction event. Wildlife trafficking doesn’t just harm individual species – it tears apart entire ecosystems and destroys their essential services. The damage from wildlife trafficking reaches way beyond the targeted animals. Poaching methods such as snare or pitfall traps destroy nearby habitats and kill other wildlife too. Consequently, missing key species will have a knock-on effect on the whole community, especially in their roles in pollination, seed dispersal, and habitat structure. 

On top of that, cross-border smuggling will impact the economy, local communities, cultures, and human health. Zoonotic diseases, which are infections transmitted from animals to humans, are identifiable threats linked to the illegal wildlife trade, as many widely poached animals carry diseases. Several epidemics and pandemics have been associated with wildlife and after the most recent pandemic COVID-19, concerns around illegal wildlife trade have been brought to our attention. 

Tackling The Illegal Wildlife Trade Together

It is hard even to grasp the scale of the illegal wildlife trade. Indeed, illegal trade ranks as the second-biggest direct risk to wildlife after habitat destruction, posing a significant threat to biodiversity and societies. However, there is hope. Several initiatives are being implemented to combat this urgent issue. These include stricter border controls and laws, demand reduction campaigns, and behavioural changes to international cooperation. Additionally, creating alternative livelihoods for local communities and collaborating with them is essential, as studies show that poverty and unemployment are key drivers of this illegal trade. In some cases, the poachers only have a few options for making a living or are unaware of the consequences of removing wildlife. Therefore, increasing awareness and education are crucial, enabling people across the supply and demand sides to make informed choices. 

Ultimately, true wildlife thrives in its natural habitat, not as tokens of status and tools to attract social media likes. We must take it upon ourselves to ensure these species remain free and flourish in the wild rather than becoming just a memory of what it once was.