New Report Exposes Python Skin Trade

A new report from the International Trade Centre (ITC) sheds light on the worldwide trade in python skins. Entitled “The Trade in South-East Asian Python Skins,” the report highlights that the practices of the trade, which is often illegal, are threatening the survival of several species of python.

Highly valued across the world, python skins are especially profitable in European countries such as Italy, Germany and France, where they are used to make high-end accessories ranging from handbags to belts. Overall, the European fashion industry is said to account for 96 percent of the python skin market, which holds a legal value estimated at over US$1 billion.

Since many illegal skins go undetected, the report’s authors found it difficult to calculate the extent of illegal trade worldwide, although they suspect its value may be as high as the estimate given for legal operations.

Report shows multiple forms of illegal trade

Under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), the trade of pythons and python products is allowed, although under strict control. While the Convention does not condemn the sale of snakes bred in captivity, ITC’s report found that supply chains are frequently convoluted, with quotas often being ignored so that large numbers of illegal skins may be mixed in with shipments of skins obtained legally. Additionally, the report found that exporters often smuggle illegal skins via the common practice of mis-declaration, by which whole skins may be exported in smaller pieces, or else hidden in shipments of unrelated items.

According to Olivier Caillabet, co-author of the report, regardless of whether or not local authorities are willing to enforce the laws against such practices, oftentimes “they don’t have the capacity in terms of money, people or expertise.”

Current practices endanger several species

Aside from the legal issues surrounding the snakeskin market, the report also points out the dire implications for the futures of those species involved. According to the authors, many of the wild pythons being poached are killed at a young age, a practice that has rendered the trade itself unsustainable, as these snakes are often killed before they have reached the reproductive stage.
Nevertheless, Caillabet insists that the profitability of such practices makes “the argument that the snake trade is unsustainable ... a difficult sell,” especially in Asian nations such as Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam where it is most prevalent.

By way of combating the issues raised, Caillabet and his colleagues suggested a “traceability system” by which government officials and consumers alike could determine the legitimacy of a snakeskin product. Additionally, the report calls for “legally binding minimum skin limits to ensure protection of immature snakes.”

ICTSD Reporting; “The Trade in South-East Asian Python Skins,” INTERNATIONAL TRADE CENTRE, 2012; “Python skin trade worth a billion – and often illegal,” BBC NEWS, 28 November 2012; “Europe’s love for snake skin threatening python survival,” TIMES LIVE, 28 November 2012.