Stand Up Against Wildlife Crime

We all understand the Darwin concept of “survival of the fittest”. Death is inevitable, that much we understand. Even if animals are left on their own, there is bound to be competition among each other, which ultimately leads to the demise of some. Thus, if wildlife trade was carried out in a sustainable manner where animals are not poached in such an aggressive manner, it might not even cause that much harm to the environment. However, we all know that is not the case.

For the sake of monetary gains, these animals are often wiped out, hunted in large numbers before they have the time to reproduce. Once a forest is drained out of its wildlife population, hunters move on to another, and the cycle just goes on. Poachers do not see animals in the humane light, but only see them for their monetary worth. With such a poaching style, it come as no surprise that many species have been driven to the brink of extinction due to illegal hunting to fuel wildlife trade.

The threat of extinction is not a mere possibility, it is in fact real and simultaneously happening. All 5 remaining species of Rhino are classified under the ICUN Redlist of Critically Endangered Species, and even the Asian Rhino, or otherwise known as the Javen Rhino has been hunted to extinction in Vietnam.

The same fate applies for species such as tigers, sun bears and pangolins but even that alone does not stop illegal wildlife trade. The trade of endangered species are actually banned by CITES but the rule is barely upheld.
Between 1990 to 1992, China still heavily exported 27 million units of tiger medicine to 26 countries despite the cross-national trade of tigers being openly banned.  Regular seizures in Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos still find parts of the Asian Pangolin sold in restaurants and traditional medical shops. Likewise, the sun bear is actually one of the rarest remaining species left in the bear family but even that is not enough to stop rampant poaching. Its population in Sumatra has decreased over 30% and sometimes, the mother bear is even killed in order to capture the cub.

When Asia is depleted of its supply, it does not impede smugglers. Rather, they turn to other areas like Africa to carry on the trade. As a result of that, substantial damage is also incurred to the eco-system in Africa. In fact, the demand of Rhino horns in Vietnam has grown so expotentially such that there has been significant increase in the poaching of rhinos in South Africa just to keep up with the Vietnamese demand.

If poaching continues at this rate in South Africa, even the African Rhino will face extinction in the next decade. The problem is no longer contained within national boundaries and despite a change in continents, the same problem is reflected – man is still exploiting his environment in an appalling way.