Running head: Illegal Wildlife Trade Lopez 1

Illegal Wildlife Trade: A Review of Literature

The University of Texas at El Paso
Denisse Lopez
Prof. Sidouane Patcha Lum
RWS 1302
October 27, 2017
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Abstract

Illegal wildlife trade is a big and ambitious business where people exchange or sale wild

animals without the concern of the welfare impacts. Criminologist had been tracking dangerous

international networks that illegally trade endangered wildlife and animal parts for trafficking.

Over hundreds of millions of dollars had been estimated from TRAFFIC, the wildlife trade

monitoring network, that international networks or associated append on wildlife and animal parts,

which makes the world deals with the threats of conservation gains. Illegal wildlife trade had

impacted many habitats of animals and even their lives. Money move hunters to destroy the fauna

ecosystem to the point of endangered species due to overexploitation. As endangered species had

been increasing, illegal wildlife trade had been considered as the second-largest crime in the global

community in the habitat destruction.

Keywords: Illegal wildlife trade, overexploitation, welfare impact, endangered species,

transitional crime, animal abuse, infectious diseases.

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Introduction

According to Warhol, an estimate of $6 billion per year is worth in the black market of

endangered species(Warchol, 2004). Indeed, the major reason of the illegal wildlife trade is for

the collection of animal parts for the peoples ambition, and the production and demand of

animals ivory, horns, or skin. The demand of approaching wildlife is for exotic pets, rare foods,

trophies, and traditional medicine. Criminologist had been interest in the transitional illegal

wildlife crime as their objectives is to track poachers and their methods in order to catch

dangerous international networks and associates involve in the habitat destruction of many

species and wildlife traffickers that kill species in order to get bones, skin, and ivory for goods

and luxury(Baker et al., 2013). Society does not always associate wildlife trade with animal

abuse; animal abuse takes a crucial role in the illegal wildlife trade as many animals are

immigrated from their natural habitats, poachers or traffickers feel free to take control over them

as to physically abuse them by beating them until they kill them. Evidence has shown that

humans are ambitious creatures that do not concerns about the animals feelings and nature

mother. Our vanity to have trophies from animals damage the ecosystem and the cycle of life

because we kill animals for malicious not for survival. For these reasons the rise of extinction

continues, therefore, it deserves the consideration through the review of these questions:

1. What causes and impacts do Illegal Wildlife Trade have on the animal survival?

2. How have illegal wildlife animal trading impacted globally about disease

spreading?

3. What law enforcement is applied to prevent illegal wildlife trade in the U.S and

Africa?
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These questions will narrow the purpose of this literature review by providing the background of

the illegals and sustainable wildlife trade, the involvement of diseases, and the causes and

effects of this conflict on law enforcement.

What causes and impacts do Illegal Wildlife Trade have on the animal survival?

Wildlife and animal parts had been trafficked as illegal drugs and arms such as elephants

or tigers had been overexploited to obtains ivory, skin and bones. As any animals species, who

had been removed from their habitat, there had been an increasing proportion illegal and

unsustainable threatening the survivals of many species (World Wide Fund For Nature, 2017).

Wildlife crime has been one of the biggest business in our society. The incrementation of

unprecedented spike in illegal wildlife trade had overcome to the increase of threating to

conservation gains (WWF, 2016). Since wildlife had been use for varieties of seafoods, leather

goods, timbers, medical ingredients and textiles, society had seen wildlife as valuable barter.

There had been soaring prices in the demand of luxury animal goods such as rhino horns,

elephant ivory and tiger products leading to the incensement of poaching in South Africa,

making rhino horn more valuable than gold. Overexploitation can be done due to overfishing and

overhunting. Researches had claim that overexploitation is a third of the worlds endangered

vertebrates such as passenger pigeons, great auks, and American bison. Todays society does not

realize that all species are important for an ecosystem, if one is loss it may affect all the

ecosystems as the lack of survival of species may be the cause for other species to abstain from

survival. For example, a food chain, if there is lack of python survival an eagle will not have

food as that his primary prey; nevertheless, the eagle will find another species that will substitute

the python, but it may cause that the substitute prey become in the danger of extinction. The

Endangered Species Act and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of
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Fauna and Flora (CITES) had been working on the protection of animals that are in danger from

overexploitation, but many species had not been protected due to illegal trade or

overharvested(Ranger, Ranger, & National Wildlife, 2017). Habitat loss may also disrupt some

behaviors such as mating, although associated data are generally lacking for tropical fauna

(Navjot S. Sodhi, 2007) . Illegal wildlife trade is not just the move of animals, but the treat of

animals. While migrating an animal from different countries that is not his common surrounding

and environment, it may the animal uncomfortable about staying or to control its instinct, so

what happens if the people in-charged to keep control of the animals, they beat them up or have

tactics to deceive the police in airports or ships by abusing the animals physically via tape,

plastics, bags, luggage, backpacks, or even within a persons attire. Animals had been the

number one victims from human abuse, why? Because we try to complete our vanity for money

and luxury by the advantages of animals beauty. We, the people, does not realize that we are

affecting our world, our environment, the Earths nature. Illegal wildlife trade had been

responsible from unimaginable, inexcusable, and unforgivable pain, suffering and death. In an

interview with Clifford Warwick, he said [Illegal trade and animal abuse had been] the aspect of

greed, obsession, ignorance, malice, crime, dishonesty or misinformation(Warwick, 2014).

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Figure 1. Shows the statistics of the African elephants survival within the illegal trading

(Viollaz, 2014).

How have illegal wildlife animal trading impacted globally about disease spreading?

Domestic and wild animal population contribute in the spread of diseases as animal

movement had introduce pathogens to disease-free-areas (Fvre, Bronsvoort, Hamilton, &

Cleaveland, 2006). When animals had been immigration from different countries, they easily

contract disease from the exterior as they are not used to the unfamiliar places they had been

moved; nevertheless, that virus is already in animals inner body in the cells and whenever we get

that animal for consumption or for reproduction, specialist does not realize that animals might be

victim of a deadly virus that may spread. For example, mosquitos bites spread Zika-virus, it had

already been a public health alert during the year 2016. As we all know mosquitos loves blood, as

they extract blood from us, they can also insert any type of disease they had contracted during their

journey of feed; therefore, in the case of zika, mosquitos had been trespassing bloods with zika

virus through people and leading other mosquitos to bite humans that had contracted zika virus via

previous mosquitos. Its like an epidemic, where everything is spread via a human or non-human,

but the results will always be the same. Figure 2. Shows an Chart posted by the Centers for Disease

Control and Prevention data base to present the Zika spread into the United States.
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Figure 2. CDC data base Zika virus spread into the united states .

What law enforcement is applied to prevent illegal wildlife trade in the U.S?

According to Warhol, an estimate of $6 billion per year is worth in the black market of

endangered species(Warchol, 2004). The illegal wildlife trade has become a high-profit enterprise

with low risks because it has been classifying as a crime of low priority. Not surprising, illegal

wildlife trade have shown evidence of heavy involvement of organized crime (Congress, 2008).

Indeed, the major reason of the illegal wildlife trade is for the collection of animal parts for the

peoples ambition, and the production and demand of animals ivory, horns, or skin. The demand

of approaching wildlife is for exotic pets, rare foods, trophies, and traditional medicine.

Criminologist had been interest in the transitional illegal wildlife crime as their objectives is to

track poachers and their methods in order to catch dangerous international networks and associates

involve in the habitat destruction of many species and wildlife traffickers that kill species in order

to get bones, skin, and ivory for goods and luxury(Baker et al., 2013). On March 3, 2017, the U.S

Office of the Spokesperson expressed, The United States government is committed to combating

wildlife trafficking, and works closely with a wide range of public and private partners to

strengthen enforcement, reduce the demand for illegal wildlife and wildlife products, and expand

international cooperation (U.S Office of the Spokesperson, 2017). The Unites States Task Force

had implemented the bipartisan Eliminate, Neutralize, and Disrupt (END) Wildlife Trafficking

Act to give the U.S government additional tools to combat wildlife trafficking and foster

international actions to end this threat to our natural heritage (U.S Office of the Spokesperson,

2017). The U.S government efforts to strengthen enforcement to the Illegal Wildlife trade are:

Operation Cash, U.S Fish & Wildlife Service, International Consortium to Combat Wildlife Crime

(ICCWC), World Customs Organizations (WCO), National Oceanic and Atmospheric

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Administration (NOAA), Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna

and Flora (CITES), and the Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS). All

of these implemented acts and laws, secure the United States to take control of the illegal trading

of wildlife in order to maintain secure its citizens and agriculture, animals and plants. An article

of the National Geographic presents the case of Illegal wildlife trading in the U.S.-Mexico Border.

The author, Tina Deines, wrote, The southern border of the U.S. is a hot zone for wildlife

smuggling, and while President Trump has vowed to stop illegal immigration from Mexico, its

unclear what he intends to do to thwart the flow of illicit wildlife (Deines, 2017). According

to Deines article, the popular animals and wildlife items such as parrots, the caiman shoes, and

the crocodile boots, coming legally into the United States, require a permit from the country of

export to ensure the animal population remains sustainable (Deines, 2017). Based on her

knowledge, Ms. Schlichte claim, Illegal wildlife trade is bad, but we cannot judge as family or

community to kill animals for survival, while groups or organizations kill animals for luxury or

economical satisfaction. We need to keep in mind that there could be involvement of political or

government corruption, as there is a lot of money involved (J. Schlichte, Personal communication,

October 26,2017). In the interview with Ms. Schlichte, she openly explains that many of the

animals rescued in the border of El Paso-Juarez, the CBP officers release the wildlife and wildlife

products to the installation of UTEP Biological Department and El Paso Zoo in order to maintain

the animals proper care and nutrition. Ms. Schlichte claim, Recently in the summer 2017, the

UTEP Biological department had received the welcome of an tortoise brought from Mexico, the

CBS contacted the research department chair were I was participating, and we received the tortoise

as research equipment for us to show in El Paso Zoo and exposition at UTEP for kids (J. Schlichte,

Personal communication, October 26,2017).

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Figure 3. Shown the statistics of illegal wildlife trade in poaching (Wildlife Trade Infographic:

Humane Society International, n.d.) .

Discussion/Results

Animals had been the number one victims from the malicious of humans. They had been

the victims of abuse and habitat destruction. Although there are organizations or law

enforcements that give rights to animals, poachers and traffickers had been able to deceive the

laws to damage our ecosystems. Humans does not realize that animal immigration spread

infectious disease such as zika and common rabies. This report will inform the society that illegal

wildlife trade affects our global community and simply the fauna ecosystem and habitats. Since

humans populate the world, animal had been vanished from their habitat to make our homes in

their territories. We always had been ahead from animals as we had never respect them. People

will say its the life cycle, the bigger the predator, the stronger creature will eat the small

creatures, but we had been the big boys bullying the little kids. My recommendations will be
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that humans should be humbler to the animals as they are within our life cycle and we should

care them. Most of our food is provided by them, they have die to feed us, and we are just killing

them for vanity. For us to have trophies to show up. Animals are essential in our world. Please

take care of them.

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References

Baker, S. E., Cain, R., van Kesteren, F., Zommers, Z. A., DCruze, N., & MacDonald, D. W.

(2013). Rough trade: animal welfare in the global wildlife trade. BioScience, 63(12), 928

938. https://doi.org/10.1525/bio.2013.63.12.6

Deines, T. (2017). Illegal Wildlife Trade Booming Across U.S.-Mexico Border. Retrieved

November 24, 2017, from https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2017/03/wildlife-watch-

wildlife-trafficking-reptiles-mexico-united-states/

Denisse Lopez and J. Schlichte (2017) Personal communication: Biologist Response.

El Paso.

Ranger, R., Ranger, R. J., & National Wildlife. (2017). Overexploitation - National Wildlife

Federation. Retrieved March 5, 2017, from http://www.nwf.org/Wildlife/Threats-to-

Wildlife/Overexploitation.aspx

U.S Office of the Spokesperson. (2017). U.S. Task Force on Wildlife Trafficking: Efforts to

Combat Wildlife Trafficking | U.S. Embassy & Consulates in Brazil. Retrieved

November 24, 2017, from https://br.usembassy.gov/u-s-task-force-wildlife-trafficking-

efforts-combat-wildlife-trafficking/

Viollaz, A. (2014). UN Security Council Cracking Down On Ivory Poaching And Illegal

Wildlife Trading - Business Insider. Retrieved November 25, 2017, from

http://www.businessinsider.com/un-security-council-cracking-down-on-ivory-poaching-

and-illegal-wildlife-trading-2014-2

Warchol, G. L. (2004). The Transnational Illegal Wildlife Trade. Criminal Justice Studies, 17(1),

5773. https://doi.org/10.1080/08884310420001679334

Warwick, C. (2014). The Morality of the Reptile Pet Trade. Journal of Animal Ethics, 4(1),
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7494. https://doi.org/10.5406/janimalethics.4.1.0074

Wildlife Trade Infographic: Humane Society International. (n.d.). Retrieved November 25,

2017, from

http://www.hsi.org/issues/wildlife_trade/wildlife_trade_infographic.html?utm_source=sh_p

n_ig030513?referrer=https://www.pinterest.co.uk/

World Wide Fund For Nature. (2017). Unsustainable and illegal wildlife trade | WWF. Retrieved

March 5, 2017, from http://wwf.panda.org/about_our_earth/species/problems/illegal_trade/

WWF. (2016). Illegal wildlife trade. Illegal Wildlife Trade - Overview. Retrieved from

https://www.worldwildlife.org/threats/illegal-wildlife-trade

Congress, U. (2008). Proaching American Security: Impacts of Illegal Wildlife Trade. Oversight

Hearing Before the Committee on Natural Resources.

Navjot S. Sodhi, B. W. (2007). Tropical Conservation Biology. Malden: Blackwell Publishing.