Despite the efforts of organizations around the world, human beings continue to hunt animals into extinction. Whether it be for simple vanity, supposed medical benefits, or the desire for an exotic pet, the illegal animal trade is alive and well. It seems to have forever been in our nature to pillage nature, and those we share the world with have suffered much abuse as a result. Amazingly, more than 13 million live animals and over 30 million animal parts were illegally exported from Southeast Asia over the last decade. The top five exporting countries are Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam and Thailand, and have been for years.

And where is the greatest market demand for such products? The United States, Japan, Italy, Mexico and Singapore make up the top five importers, but the USA’s market demand dwarfs all others.  America’s appetite for exotic animals, dead and alive, makes up a staggering 80% of what the top five countries import and is 10 times more than the entire planet combined.  

Tigers, elephant tusks, stony corals, monitor Lizards, pythons, crocodiles and a wide variety of birds and butterflies are amongst the top traded animals. Female orangutans are shot dead and their young are taken to sell as pets, thousands of Vietnamese Black Bears have been killed for Chinese medicine demands and are now nearly extinct, and the list goes on from here.

An insatiable appetite for traditional medicines, exotic pets, and even culinary delicacies drive the multi-billion dollar business – legal and illegal – is slowly emptying our forests, fields, jungles and oceans. If patterns remian unchanged, dozens of animals will become exitinct.

Tigers are especially valuable on the black market. Wealthy collectors display their heads, outlandish restaurants sell their meat, and the Chinese covet their bones for health cures, including tiger bone wine. Reptiles are also a booming sector of the market. Recently 14 tons of turtles, Monitor Lizards and Pangolins were found in a boat off the coast of China. The thirst for such products is strong and there are those out there are doing their very best to quench it. 

One cause for hope may be the establishment of a regional organization, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Wildlife Enforcement Network (ASEAN-WEN). The organization brings together custom agents, wildlife officers, prosecutors, and police from ten countries in the region. Aussies, Americans and Kiwis are also taking part, with much of the funding coming from the United States.

In the end, the best way to combat the illegal trade of animals is to reach out to the consumers who drive up the demands of the market. The only reason poachers are so willing to track down and kill wildlife is that there is great payment for their effort. People around the world need to stop buying these products, most especially those in North America.

Less demand equals less animals tortured, killed and hunted into extinction. It seems the least we can do.

From David Anthony Hohol…