BILLION TRADE DESTROYING OUR PLANET On September 22, 2021, nearly 2500 rhino horns were set on fire by the Assam government in a mass burning of rhino horns that were seized in the illegal wildlife trade since 1969. Despite a strong national law and a global agreement, trade and wildlife continue at an alarming rate. Seizure reports over the years have demonstrated a massive scale of illegal wildlife trade in India. Data over the last two years suggest that an average of 12 wildlife seizures were reported every week; these seizures included a diverse range of endangered species ranging from rhinos to butterflies. India, despite having a strong and legal policy framework to regulate and restrict the wildlife trade of over 1800 species of wild animals, plants, and their derivatives under the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972, is still one of the world's largest illegal traders of wildlife. Wildlife is trafficked for various reasons, and these reasons differ from species to species. For example, elephants and rhinos are killed for their body parts, which fetch a really high price in the international market. Pet turtles and oils are also trafficked, and even species like geckos are traded for their meat. Species like owls are traded for their value in black magic and superstition. Butterflies and beetles are collected by collectors, thus driving their demand. The diversity of the trade, combined with its covert nature, makes illegal wildlife trade highly dynamic and extremely unpredictable, whether it is cash earnings for local residents or high profit margins for international dealers. This $23 billion a year business fuels itself because of its high returns and low trade risks.
The accelerating decline in wildlife populations will have long-term negative impacts on local communities as it robs communities of their natural capital and livelihoods ($70 billion per year is lost due to crimes affecting natural resources), deepens poverty and inequality, and threatens national security by causing instability and fuelling conflicts. Rural households are dependent on wildlife for their subsistence purposes and Income generation and when illegal trade is carried out it effects their income and means of livelihood as the natural resource base is destroyed in many developing countries, wildlife is a driver for tourism revenues, job creation, and sustainable development. Wildlife also brings significant ecological and cultural benefits to regions around the world. Illegal wildlife trade harms biodiversity in ways that we cannot comprehend. In the past, India has seen the extinction of tigers in protected areas due to illegal hunting, and pangolins are the most highly threatened species in the world due to illegal trade as it is very easy for the poachers to catch them. In recent years, it has become more difficult to combat illegal wildlife trade because of the ways it is evolving online. It is fuelled by private messaging apps and even publicly accessible websites, which has created a whole new set of challenges for the surveillance, detection, and prevention of illegal trade. There is also an overlap between the illegal trade of arms and wildlife, especially near the international borders. Illegal wildlife trade also acts as a gateway to zoonotic infectious diseases.
Since the outbreak of COVID-19, the illegal wildlife trade has caught a lot of attention and is said to be the primary cause. Predecessors of COVID-19 can be traced back to the Spanish flu (1918–1920), Asian flu (1957–1958), HIV/AIDS (1981–to date), H1N1 swine flu (2009– 2010), Ebola (2014–to date), and Zika (2015–to date). One common theme that emerges among pandemics and epidemics is their spread through wild animals. Despite the world trade decreasing by two digits in 2013, we saw an increase in illegal wildlife trade and poaching activities. Poaching of ungulates for meat increased from roughly eight out of 35 (22%) pre-lockdown cases to 39 out of 88 (44%). Hares, porcupines, pangolins, giant squirrels, civets, monkeys, and smaller wild cats were the second group to rise in poaching. Most hunting during the lockdown was likely done for meat or local trade, even if some have always been in high demand and pre-lockdown cases increased from 6 (17%) to 22 (25%). While we perceive poachers to be purely evil, it is critical to understand why humans kill their fellow species. Most poachers rely solely on poaching to support their families; countries such as China drive up the price, leading to an increase in poaching activities, for example. Between 2010 and 2014, the price of ivory in China skyrocketed from $750 to $2,100 per pound. Underlying all this is a lack of education and a high demand for animal products for various reasons. International wildlife trafficking into and out of India mainly occurs through two routes: one, through the long international border along the Northeast, and the other, through airports. The 2018 TRAFFIC report notes that trafficking in rhino horns, tiger parts, and pangolin scales is especially rampant along the Indo-Nepal and Indo-Myanmar-China borders, with Northeast Indian cities such as Dimapur, Guwahati, and Imphal being used as transit sites. Trafficking of birds and reptiles along the India- Bangladesh border is also rampant. Most recently, the Dooars region in northern West Bengal, specifically the town of Jalpaiguri, made news as an emerging transit point for trafficking in exotic animals and birds. The trafficking of reptiles, specifically turtles and tortoises, into and out of India is especially rampant, with Chennai and Mumbai airports being major hubs for this activity. The Indian star tortoise, which is the most trafficked reptile in the world, is supplied from trade hubs in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, and Tamil Nadu to Thailand, Singapore, and Malaysia, primarily by air. Seizure data shows that more than 54% of the trafficked animals were in checked-in luggage and about 11% were in air cargo. After arms, drugs, and human trafficking, the illegal wildlife trade is the world's fourth largest illegal trade. Rigorous efforts need to be made to stop this inhumane activity, and long-term community engagement can help reduce pressure on illegally traded species in key habitats because with awareness comes appreciation for these species and our biodiversity. This needs to be backed up by alternate livelihood options, socio-political will, and international cooperation.
