You are on page 1of 8

The Illegal Wildlife

Trade
By: Allison Hutcheson
INTRODUCTION
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6z79qBXVjZA
According to worldwildlife.org, Rhino poaching in South
Africa increased from 13 to 1,004 between 2007 and
2013. (Illegal Wildlife Trade)
The illegal wildlife trade is a significant and growing
problem all over the world
Illegal animal trade is something that needs to be
further researched and controlled before more animals
become endangered, threatened, and eventually
extinct.
WILDLIFE TRADE VS. DRUG
TRADE
These two illegal activities are comparable because of
the amount of money that they bring in.
According to an article titled Crime Gone Wild The
Dangers of the International Illegal Wildlife Trade,
where tusks can sell for several thousand US dollars per
kilogram. Rhino horns are also heavily demanded in
Asian markets for their supposed medicinal values, as
well as for their use in traditional daggers and other
luxury items. (Xie)
Animal trade is so significant because there is a high
demand for its products, ivory being one of the main
ones.
IMPACTS ON ECOSYSTEMS
Worldwildlife.org states, The presence of African elephants helps
to maintain suitable habitats for many other species. In central
African forests, up to 30% of tree species may require elephants
to help with dispersal and germination. (Illegal Wildlife Trade)
When elephants are threatened and hunted, the surrounding
trees may suffer since they do not have the elephants to
disperse and germinate the seeds for them.
When the humans and these elephants come in contact, the
humans typically shoot the elephants, since they see them as a
threat to their land and safety, thus leading to more deaths of
the animal.
THE AFFECETED COMMUNITIES
AND COUNTRY STABILITY
The actions involved with animal poaching do not only negatively affect the
wildlife, but they also negatively impact the local communities and even the
park rangers in that area.
Illegal wildlife trade is associated with terrorism.
Terrorists use wildlife trade as a way to bring in revenue.
The Crime Gone Wild article states, There have been some reports that major
terrorist groups including Boko Haram in West Africa and the al Shabaab in East
Africa are also involved in the wildlife trade. These groups, aided by poachers,
threaten to destabilize the continent and to exacerbate regional violence and
poverty. (Xie)
When you bring two negative groups together, such as poachers and terrorists,
they can be very destructive to a country.
Despite all of this, law enforcement is working hard to prevent the poaching that
continues to occur.
TOURISM AND EMPLOYMENT
The wildlife is something that makes the environment of
continents like Africa appear rich, and especially inviting for
people from other countries.
The rich wildlife on the continent allows tourism in Africa to
bring in large amounts of revenue for the country.
According to the article Crime Gone Wild, The African tourism
industry is estimated to provide up to 20 million jobs and to
generate US$170 billion in revenue annually. (Xie)
If many of the animals in Africa are killed, the tourism industry
would suffer, which in turn would cause many of the people
who work in this industry to lose their jobs.
EFFORTS TOWARD CHANGE
Efforts have been taken that have slowed down the
illegal wildlife trade, but it is hard to control when it
continues to surge.
According to an article titled, Spaciotemporal Trends of
Ilegal Activities from Ranger-Collected Data in a
Ugandan National Park, Within protected areas,
inefficient law enforcement can result in biodiversity
loss, whereas effective law enforcement can be a crucial
aspect of successful long-term biodiversity
conservation. (Critchlow)
Thailand is an example of a country who has gotten in
trouble since its authorities refuse to attempt to stop
CONCLUSION
It is very obvious that the illegal wildlife trade brings in
significant amounts of revenue, but just because
something brings in money does not make it a positive
thing.
The revenue side of it may be positive, but it is not
worth the animal lives, and sometimes human lives that
are taken as a result.

You might also like