Illegal Animal Trade

For decades now, the trade of illegal animals and animal parts has been happening across international borders, mainly in Africa and Asia. Animal trafficking is similar to drug and arms trafficking and can make someone, or a group, very wealthy. A huge part of the animal trafficking business is the trade of ivory. According to World Wild Life, in 2011, 23 metric tons of ivory was seized. Thats equivalent to 2500 elephants. The sad part is, that was only one seize in 2011. There a numerous more people and groups getting away with successfully trading ivory for large profits.

Other illegal animal trafficking involves tigers, cheetahs, monkeys, and turtles to name only a few. People see a value in these animals, whether it be their skin or shells, and want to put them on black market. Endangered species sell especially high just because having part of that endangered species is seen as a sign of wealth.

One of the main ways people transport these exotic animals across borders is by flying. Because London's Heathrow airport is a popular transfer airport in Europe, Marc Owen head of the UK Border Agency Operations at Heathrow, says each endangered animal that is transported through Heathrow should have a special marking, like a microchip. This microchip makes it easy to track the animal and helps prevent illegal selling and trading of the animal. Isaac (below), a cheetah from South Africa was being transported to Russia but was seized in Heathrow because he had a missing microchip. Isaac is being kept at a UK wildlife park while his investigation continues.  

The cruel treatment and death of these beautiful animals for either their tusks or skins or just money is hard to accept. Nothing should ever be treated like some organizations treat these helpless animals. "The planet's most majestic species are being massacred for nothing nobler than vacation trinkets, hangover remedies and false promises of miracle cancer cures," said Carter Roberts, President and CEO of WWF-US. 

On a brighter note, there are measures being taken to try and get rid of animal trafficking. Recently Thailand's Prime Minister announced Thailand would end their sales of ivory. With Thailand being a country with a huge exotic animal population, this is a huge step towards getting rid of animal crime. President Obama was recently in Africa and has vowed to help stop animal trafficking, presenting $10 million for the necessary training to combat African wildlife trafficking. "Poaching and trafficking is threatening Africa's wildlife" said Obama during his visit to Tanzania. With the involvement of Obama and the United States, this is yet another huge step to stopping or reducing illegal animal trafficking. The best way to help end animal crime across international borders is to spread the world and keep people educated on the subject. With more people involved around the world, supporting the end of animal trafficking, there is hope that these beautiful animals will never have to be killed just for someone to make a profit.