Stand Up Against Wildlife Crime

As a child, one of the first thing I’ve learnt on the numerous excursions to the zoo is the fact that “Animals are friends”, and I’ve seen that come true in the way I hold my pets dear today. I cannot imagine them being hunted, tortured, killed and sold. Quoting Chief Seattle “What is man without the beasts? If all the beasts were gone, men would die from loneliness of spirit. For whatever happens to the beasts happens to man. All things are connected.”

I strongly believe that that illegal wildlife trade represents a form of cruelty towards animals that should not be condoned. Media coverage given to this topic has been increasing simultaneously with the severity of wildlife crime and it clearly demonstrates how these animals are either hunted in inhumane manners, or kept and tortured in cruel ways. The pictures are heart wrenching to see; it makes us cringe at the thought of such abuse and ideally, we want to reach out and free these animals if we could. We all want this to stop.

There are callings for stricter laws and greater international pressure especially on countries such like China, Thailand and Vietnam to reduce their consumption of wildlife products. Furthermore, more NGOs are stepping up to alleviate the problem. Not only are they going an extra mile to wipe out legal gaps and corruption, they have also done significant work in educating the general public in SE Asia about the dangers of illegal wildlife trade. Surveys done in this region found that some individuals continue consuming or selling wildlife products not just out of cultural habits, but rather, ignorance. Thus, this further illustrates the need for education and how it can serve as an effective platform to help individuals wean their reliance off wildlife products.

The focus of protecting animals is also gradually shifting from charismatic megafaunas (i.e tigers and rhinos) to smaller, less known species. The pangolin is getting more attention and so are the endangered species of marine life that is trade. In the scoresheet shown below, SE Asia counties such as Thailand and Malaysia have also shown admirable progress in fighting wildlife trade, which is an achievement worth mentioning.  There is certainly comfort in knowing that more relevant groups are beginning the view the matter seriously and are proactively working on improving it.

However, I would also like to bring your attention to a bigger picture underlying illegal wildlife trade in Southeast Asia, which is the extent of poverty that is circulating in this region. In a CNN special report,  John D. Sutter interviews individuals living in the villages of Southern Sumatra just to find out that a majority of them who hunt pangolins are only doing it for the extra income. Most of them are rice farmers earning lesser than 2 USD a day and that is definitely not sufficient for them to feed their families. Even if they are well aware that doing so is illegal, who could really blame them for breaking the law when all they are trying to do is survive?

As much as it breaks my heart to see these animals being mistreated, it breaks my heart equally to also know that poverty may just be the underlying curse that exacerbates this trade. Criminal syndicates exploit these poachers for the very fact that they are poor and desperate. This depicts that futile struggle between morals and sustenance, one we might never come to comprehend. Even though all men are equal before the law and ultimately, a crime remains a crime, some individuals do deserve empathy and help more than the others.

Thus, it is also of paramount importance that governments start to help these individuals in Southeast Asia to diverse their livelihoods in order to prevent them from turning to illegal means. One of the initiatives worth mentioning will be the restorative projects carried out by WWF in countries such as Indonesia and Cambodia. Individuals are often given a small sum of money and food in return for planting trees in deforested areas. The additional money given often help to finance their livelihoods and eliminates the need for them to rely on poaching. The possibilities ahead are endless, and this only represents a start.

Even though the magnitude of illegal wildlife trade makes it almost impossible for us to eradicate the problem in months, or even in years, there are gradual improvements made in the recent years that are definitely worth celebrating. In the meantime, we can also start small by starting from ourselves. That beautiful ivory earring you see in Hanoi is probably not worth the death of another elephant and pangolin meat should remain as another exotic dish you do not have to try (or dare your friends to). Share the message with a friend – the littlest things can go a long way.