While devastating the local ecology of Southeast Asia, illegal wildlife trade is intricately linked with global criminal activities and terrorist groups. As mentioned earlier, SE Asia is not just a supply hub, but also a generator of demand for illegal wildlife trade. The recent exponential increase in demand for products such as Rhino horn and Ivory tusk in Southeast Asia have driven poachers in Africa to be even more ruthless where it comes to hunting down these animals. More than 22000 elephants in Africa are killed a year and the killing of rhinos have increased a whooping 5000% from 2007 to 2013. It is no longer just the numbers that are heart-wrenching but the fact that the profit made from the sales of illegal wildlife products are often used to fund criminal actions.

The International Conservation Caucus Fund (ICCF), an NGO based in Washington D.C has found that “Ivory and rhino horn are gaining popularity as a source of income for some of Africa’s most notorious armed groups, including Somalia’s al-Shabab, the Lord’s Resistance Army (L.R.A.), and Darfur’s janjaweed.” These groups have been responsible for several militant attacks in Africa and have caused substantial civilian damages. If that alone is not enough, recent reports even showed that illegal wildlife trade might be used to fund the actions of ISIS. Even though this mainly happens in Africa, we are unable to detach from the issue for the very fact that a large proportion of poaching occurs in Africa in order to sustain demand generated from SE Asia. With terrorism being a global concern, the uprising of these extremist groups does no one good.

Photo Credits: http://www.onegreenplanet.org/environment/shocking-facts-about-how-the-illegal-wildlife-trade-drives-species-extinction/

Photo Credits: http://www.onegreenplanet.org/environment/shocking-facts-about-how-the-illegal-wildlife-trade-drives-species-extinction/

Furthermore, it is estimated than within the past decade, more than 1000 park rangers, who were employed to protect wildlife reserve parks have been killed by poachers. Their deaths are in vain, and with the situation becoming more ruthless, it further emphasises on the need for change.