This post is going to be a little different to what I usually write about as I am dedicating this to my love for animals and nature.
If you know me, you will know that I love animals. On a recent trip to Malaysia, I got to witness some amazing and powerful animals but I also got to know about illegal wildlife trade happening across the world. Hence, I am writing this article. If you are also an animal lover like me, keep reading through this blog.
Each year, 350 million animals are being illegally bought and sold across the world. This illegal trade is one of the biggest threats to the future of wildlife and destroying. Animals are being killed and traded for use as luxury food, fashion items, medicines and trophies, which makes it the fourth most lucrative trade and international crime after human trafficking, drugs and arms and is worth an estimated $7 to $23 billion annually. International trade laws state that exchanging or selling animals is completely illegal, yet it is growing every year.
These shocking facts made me curious to find who runs it, the most affected animals and if I can help stop this illegal trade. After a little research I found out that Animal Traffickers /Smugglers from around the world have made powerful networks to trade protected animals and plants. The most affected animals are larger mammals such as Elephants, Rhinos, Bears and Tigers. Across the world today, Elephants are killed for their ivory, Bear for their bile, Rhinos for their horns and other animals are transported for the exotic pet market. Pangolins are the most traded mammal, and nearly one million pangolins were traded in the last ten years. They are mercilessly killed for their horns. If these numbers are set to continue it is estimated that African Elephants will become extinct in the next 20 years!
There are only 3200 Tigers left in the wild and others are kept in captivity. Tigers are killed for their meat, bones, teeth, fur, claws and Tiger bone wine; which is most commonly purchased in China and Southeast Asia. To me, the most surprising fact is that South East Asia is a global supermarket of illegal wildlife trade where these endangered animals inhabit. This was really sad to find out.
What can you and I do together to help stop illegal wildlife trade?
Whether in your own country or when you’re travelling, if you witness any illegal wildlife trade activity, you can report it to the relevant authorities. But how can you spot illegal wildlife trade? Any trading of endangered species or animals listed under protected animals’ law, is an illegal trade, however, sometimes it can be difficult to know if the sale of a specific animal is legal or not. Keep an eye to seller’s behaviors: if he/she insists on remaining anonymous or require you to rush payment in cash or a non-regulated payment method, something probably is wrong. Buying animals in open markets or online, with sellers failing to provide any accurate certification or documentation for the animal is also a worrying sign and you should not be purchasing it in the first place.
Even if you are not the one buying, if you witness any of the suspicious activities above you should consider reporting it immediately. Also, you can help spread the word by sharing this article on your Social Media.
Many organizations have come up to protect the flora and fauna before it is too late. Western Union has been an active member to stop such inhuman activities. Western Union is a leading financial company, and they believe that if we can regulate the money flow of this industry, it can be a big step towards breaking the illegal wildlife trade chain. For this step, Western Union maintains a close co-operation with the law enforcing body and supervisors to maintain appropriate gateways for sharing the information. To know more how Western Union is helping to end the illegal global trade in wildlife, you can read more here.
About My Yellow Plate blog:
What difference a… plate made. It was Himanshu’s mother who served her son lunch on a yellow plate. A tableware so rare and special to him and the Indian culture he grew up in, that he decided to take a picture and post it to his Instagram. From that moment on the most yummy journey started to take shape. Himanshu travels India and the world to serve his followers not only fresh local recipes on his yellow plate but also introduce the people and the amazing stories behind them. That’s what Himanshu quit his job for. That’s what already inspires tens of thousands of followers. What a difference a plate made.
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