Wildlife Trade

Poaching

Poaching is big business. This activity, fueled by the multi-billion-dollar wildlife trade industry, increasingly involves organized crime groups, who see wildlife and wildlife parts as low risk, high-value commodities. Poaching for the wildlife trade is systematically destroying the world’s natural heritage and the future survival of many species is at stake – from the more charismatic elephants, rhinos, tigers, and pangolins, to the less recognized but countless reptiles, amphibians, and fish.

Every year, millions of wild animals are brutally shot, trapped, poisoned, and mutilated, or kept in appalling conditions and traded by criminal networks that often rely on connections to political, military, border point, and other facilitating networks to get their ‘product’ from source to market.

Wildlife crime is organized crime.

Learn more about poaching for the ivory and rhino horn trades below.

Legal Trade in Ivory Encourages and Fuels the Illegal Trade

Born Free believes that the regulatory approach permitting a controlled legal trade in ivory has failed elephants. For example, weakening of the international ban on commercial ivory trade led to ‘one off’ sales of large volumes of ivory to consumer nations in 1999 and 2008, under the premise that this would satisfy consumer demand, provide funds for elephant conservation, and reduce poaching. However, these ‘experimental’ sales have only stimulated demand in a poorly regulated marketplace, which is subject to weak and inconsistent law enforcement. Furthermore, scant evidence exists to prove that any of the funds generated have been effectively deployed to support elephant conservation in the field.

Some countries have attempted to restrict commercial domestic trade to older ivory items (variously described as ‘antiques’ or ‘relics’ and, depending on jurisdiction, predating 1974, 1947, or being over 100 years old). However, policy-makers have failed to recognize the difficulty in authenticating older ivory, and the ease with which such loosely-interpreted and often poorly enforced regulation serves as a convenient loophole for ivory traffickers.

Born Free USA Supports Comprehensive Bans on the Trade in Ivory

Born Free therefore opposes trade in any ivory product, and works with governments, wildlife law-enforcement agencies, conservation bodies, industry representatives, the media, and the wider public to promote the adoption of comprehensive bans on domestic and international commercial trade in raw and worked ivory. Born Free also actively publicizes the risk posed by any commercial trade in products containing ivory from other ivory-bearing species such as hippo, walrus, narwhal, and the extinct mammoth.

A Deadly Trade

The poaching of rhinos to supply rhino horn into illegal markets principally in parts of Asia where it is used in traditional medicines and tonics, and as a high-end gift and investment, is a major factor in the decline of rhinos. Between 2008-2017, more than 7,000 rhino were killed by poachers in South Africa alone. The poachers do not care about the welfare of the animals, and many rhinos are left to suffer and die after their horns have been hacked off. Baby rhinos are also killed for their tiny horn stubs, or left to starve.

Despite the fact that rhino horn consists largely of keratin like human finger nails, the huge prices being paid for rhino horn in Asian markets has led to the smuggling of horns under the guise of trophy hunting in South Africa, and the theft of horns from museums, galleries, and even zoos in the UK and across Europe. It has also resulted in increased interest in ‘antique’ items made from or containing rhino horn, particularly among Asian buyers.

The criminal networks and corrupt officials involved in rhino horn trafficking not only jeopardize the very future of these ancient and noble animals, but also deprive communities of social, economic, and political security.

If demand for rhino horn continues, more rhino populations and species will disappear altogether in the coming years.

Working to End Supply and Demand

Born Free works hard to protect rhinos on the ground, improve law enforcement in source, transit and destination countries, reduce demand through consumer education, and persuade governments to take action to enforce trade bans. Ultimately, rhinos will only have a long term future if we can end the demand for rhino horn. Ending the commercial trade in all items made from or containing rhino horn, from any source and forever, is one step towards achieving that objective.