The illegal wildlife trade

This is second only to the drug trade as the largest illegal business in the world, according to the US State Department the illegal trade in endangered species is worth $5 billion every year. Wherever trading is regulated by bans and prohibitations there is an opportunity for illegal trade. There are high rewards - 800% profits and low risks for detection and punishment. Not all wildlife trade is fuelled by profit, Orangutans are a status symbol in Indonesia. However the financial and environmental consequences are huge and effect the conservation of endangered species and biodiversity.

Listen to this BBC podcast on 'The Wildlife Smugglers', focusing on the illegal wildlife trade in Australia.

Anson Wong was a notorious wildlife criminal, here is an expose of the 'Kingpin' published in National Geographic Magazine January 2010.

The illegal wildlife trade uses smuggling techniques and is also linked to drug trafficking. Here existing networks and smuggling routes are used such as small arms trafficking, human trafficking and drug trafficking. More than one third of cocaine seized in the US was associated with wildlife imports and 40% of all illegal drug shipments in Brazil were combined with wildlife. Legal shipments of wildlife are also used to conceal drugs such as in snail shells and shipments of snakes which can be used as 'guards' for the drugs. Drugs have also been exchanged for wildlife such as Australia to Bangkok.

Here are some examples:

Rare tortoises seized at Manchester Airport

Endangered species seized from Chinese Medicine shop in London

More Operation Charm seizures

This illegal wildlife trade is highly organised and criminals are motivated by power or profit. Organised collaboration is required for the key stages of illegal trading such as identifying the animal, capturing the animal, packaging, transport and marketing. The use of discipline and control can be violent and there have been deaths associated with caviar, tiger and Shatoosh trafficking. This major organised crime can involve the Chinese Triad, Columbian Drug Cartels and the Red Mafia from the former Soviet Union with anti-poaching teams regularly being the targets of assasinations as were the last 2 leaders of the chinese anti-poaching team in Tibet.

This organised crime involves at least 3 people and the criminal activity is prolonged or indefinite. It can start with small networks consisting of collectors/enthusiasts or family members through personal networks and the internet. These people know many tricks of the trade such as concealment, permit fraud and misdeclaration. Traditional Alternative Medicines along with skins, furs and fleeces often have similar patterns of collection, processing and distribution.

TRAFFIC have seized many illegal animal consignments found in their 'A Compilation of Seizures and Prosecutions reported in the TRAFFIC Bulletin 1997 - 2009'

Interpol deal with crimes such as tracing fugitives, trafficking, terrorism and hi-tech cyber crime. It is the worlds largest police organisation with an aim of combatting international crime through cross-border police co-operation. This expertise is used to help catch criminals and gangs that specialise in wildlife crimes such as poaching, trafficking and fraud through the INTERPOL Wildlife Crime Working Group.

Here is an INTERPOL newsletter.

Other wildlife crime topics covered in my degree:

Species at Risk: Bats

The Illegal Wildlife Trade

Bees

Biodiversity Action Plans (BAPS)

The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (WCA81)

Twelve Fish Protected Under WCA81

Breeding and/or Catching Animals for fur: Debate

Traditional Alternative Medicines (TAMs)

Seals

Environmental Ethics and Ecopsychology

The Climate Change Conference 2009

Biological Diversity

Conservation Strategies

Conventions, Legislation and Contributing Bodies

Example Papers of Forensic Analysis used in Wildlife Crimes

Researching Wildlife Crime - My Research Idea

Climate Change Affecting Wildlife

Coral Reefs