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North America
The United States ranks second in consumption of endangered species, much of it in live-animal trade from South America and elsewhere, but U.S. government agencies, including the Fish and Wildlife Service, the FBI and the U.S. State Department, are fighting the trade. In March 2008, Congress held oversight hearings on the effect of the illegal wildlife trade on national security.
Live animals are abused and many die in transit. Dead or alive, they may transmit diseases, such as avian influenza, SARS, Ebola virus and tuberculosis.
See Combating Global Illegal Wildlife Trade a U.S. Priority and Canada Joins Coalition Against Wildlife Trafficking.
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South and Central America
South American river turtles, lizards, snakes, exotic birds such as the colorful toucan and small cats such as the ocelot are endangered because of trafficking. Even some legally traded species are becoming vulnerable because they are shipped in unsustainable quantities, according to the World Wildlife Fund’s monitoring arm, TRAFFIC. Legal shipments of some animals or animal products have been found to conceal illegal drugs.
Latin America and the Caribbean shelter unique ecosystems in rain forests, plains and coastal areas, but overfishing and the souvenir trade, which harvests coral and turtle shells, contribute to the demise of species.
See Preserving the Environment, Changing Lives in Panama
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The Seas
Marine species: mammals, reptiles and amphibians, are endangered all over the world. Fisheries have collapsed from poor management, overfishing and vast nets that trap endangered bycatch. Sharks are trafficked to the Chinese market for their fins, considered a delicacy, and several species of tuna are threatened.
Coral reefs are endangered by reckless fishing, global warming and overharvesting for the curio and aquarium trade. Several species of turtles are endangered by fishing
See United States Creates World’s Largest Marine Protected Area and International Dolphin-Protection Pact Reaches 10-Year Mark. -
Africa
Africa’s abundant wildlife in jungles, mountains, plateaus and plains includes African elephants, rhinoceri, great apes -- mountain and lowland gorillas, bonobos and chimpanzees – and pangolins, whose chief predators are humans. Poachers kill these animals to traffic them for ornamentation and bushmeat. There is trade in live animals.
Sophisticated crime syndicates are taking over operations in some areas, and militias like the Janjaweed poach wildlife to fund their violence.
Related articles: U.S. Wildlife Agency Helps International Conservation and Fight Against Illegal Wildlife Trade To Dominate CITES Meeting.
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South Asia
Tens of thousands of tigers once roamed freely through Burma, India, Nepal, and Pakistan, but trafficking and habitat degradation have brought their numbers down to a few thousand and tigers now teeter on the edge of extinction. China is the chief market for tiger products, which command a high price for use as traditional medicines.
The Asian elephant, most highly prized in Japan and China for the hardness of its ivory for ornaments, is likewise endangered in its remaining habitats in Asia, from Indonesia and Thailand to Sri Lanka and India. The small population of Asiatic lions in India’s Gir Forest soon may become extinct. The lions once ranged from India to Turkey.
See Trafficking in Elephant Ivory Rising Alarmingly and Experts Seek Strategies To Save India’s Tigers from Extinction. -
East Asia
The orangutan, the only Asian ape, is fast losing its last habitat in Indonesia and Malaysia as rain forests in Sumatra and Borneo are destroyed. Likewise threatened are three species of the termite-eating pangolin in Indonesia. Superstitions about their magical qualities, their use in Chinese medicine and as a culinary delicacy make pangolins targets for traffickers.
China leads in the market demanding endangered animal contraband. Japan values elephant ivory. There tigers, rhinos, bears, musk deer, elephants and other species are used for medicines, food and ornaments. The Tibetan Antelope, or chiru, is endangered for fashion: its feather-light throat hairs are used for shahtoosh shawls.
See Combating Global Illegal Wildlife Trade a U.S. Priority and Fight Against Illegal Wildlife Trade To Dominate CITES Meeting.
