Bridges Trade BioRes • Volume 5 • Number 15 • 2nd September 2005
Study Points to Growing Internet Trade in Endangered Animals
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The Internet is becoming the key market for illegal poachers of endangered wildlife species around the world, according to a recently released study by the International Fund for Animal Welfare UK (IFAW). In the report, “Caught in the Web: Wildlife Trade on the Internet“, IFAW found 146 live primates and nearly 9000 wildlife products up for grabs, after months of monitoring the nature and scale of wildlife trade on the Internet. It also found that most of the products come from protected species, and that trade in some of them is outlawed internationally. IFAW’s UK director Phyllis Campbell-McRae recognises that reducing demand through increased education would be key to addressing this problem, saying “trade in wildlife is driven by consumer demand, so when the buying stops, the killing will too”. In addition to education, environmentalists claim that stricter penalties and better enforcement by both national and international authorities are necessary for the fight against illegal wildlife trade. At the international level, enforcement-related measures to address illegal trade in endangered species are provided by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
“Internet trade in exotic animals threatens endangered species,” E-MAGAZINE, 23 August 2005; “Shopping maul: lions for sale on the Internet,” TERRA.WIRE, 16 August 2005; “Extinction online? Report cites wildlife on Web,” MSNBC.COM, 16 August 2005.
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