What about Southeast Asia?

Southeast Asia is widely recognized as a hotspot for wildlife crime. Not only does it have a wide range of flora and fauna that makes it a large supplier, its unique cultural diversity also makes it one of the largest consumers of wildlife. This is because due to widespread cultural beliefs, many rely on Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) as a form of primary treatment which uses over thousands of different plants and animals.

Furthermore, its strategic geographical location also makes it an ideal transit hub for trafficking syndicates to smuggle wildlife and/or their product derivatives from source countries such as Africa to consumer markets in other parts of Asia like China, Japan and Korea or even to countries such as Europe.

Below is a map that highlights some of the common smuggling routes of rhino horns that is illegally traded from Africa to Asia.

 

What about Singapore?

Despite its appearance, Singapore ranks among the world’s top 10 hubs for illegal wildlife trade. This is because it is located right in the heart of Southeast Asia and similarly, with extensive trade links and efficient ports, it forms an ideal transshipment point for these wildlife and their by-products or derivatives.

Furthermore, in a more liberalized trading environment with free trade agreements between neighboring countries, exemption of tax facilitates the trafficking of illegal wildlife.

Do you know? According to the Word Wildlife Fund For Nature (WWF) Singapore, the world’s 2nd largest ivory seizure was actually made here in 2002! In fact, since 2013, several large scale seizures of ivory also took place here, making it “one of the world’s premier ivory smuggling hubs for organised crime” and of “primary concern”.

Not only that, Singapore is also an affluent consumer country that contributes to the illegal trade of wildlife as well. Every year, caged birds and endangered tortoises are smuggled in to become pets while animal parts like the Saiga Antelope horns are used in cooling water in TCM.