Today’s passion blog post is going to be a
continuation of this week’s Civic Issues blog (Do You Want to Pet My Tiger?) concerning
the exotic animal trade.
This
week, I learned just how extensive and underappreciated the exotic animal trade
on the black market really is. There is so much to say and so much more to
learn about what really goes on in in this kind of trade. Although I talked
about a lot in my post for my civic issues blog, I have a lot left to say, and
I want to share some more personal feelings.
| Photo courtesy of One Green Planet. |
Before
doing my research, I already knew that the exotic animal trade existed and was
hurting wildlife around the world. But I didn’t really know the details. The
topic made me sad, but now it makes me angry as well.
Clench-my-fists-and-wish-I-went-into-conservation-and-law-enforcement kind of
angry. This trade involves so much greed, cruelty, and assumptions on the part of
humans. It makes me sick that it’s worth somewhere around $20 billion.
And
the worst part is, in my opinion, the lack of people who really care,
especially in government. The consequences of illegal wildlife trade is extinction. It’s irreversible. It’s
forever. Once a species is gone from this Earth, there is no way (save a time
machine, maybe) to get them back. So why does the Drug Enforcement Agency have
about 11,000 employees, while the Fish and Wildlife Services has about a third
of their man-power?
The
opportunity to make a lot of money with little personal consequences is
probably the biggest lure people have to start smuggling wildlife. While
someone caught smuggling drugs is faced with certain jail time and is considered
a felon, someone caught smuggling animals equal in monetary value is let off
with barely a slap on the wrist. Sure, the animals are confiscated, but the
smuggler is set free with a fine and maybe
a night in jail. Repeat offenders aren’t any more likely to be severely
punished, either.
 |
| Tiger cubs confiscated from smugglers. Photo Courtesty of BBC News Asia. |
Therefore,
they have no reason to stop. Why stop, when you’re making big bucks and can
practically laugh in the face of law enforcement, knowing they can’t really do
anything to keep you from continuing to profit?
But
who really buys these animals, and why? The people who buy these animals
(online, from breeders, at auctions) can be seen as collectors of a sort. And
of course, the more valuable the piece – in this case, the rarer and thus more
endangered – the better! Endangered animals fetch prices of up to tens of
thousands of dollars, dead or alive. But people also want certain animals for
food, or for “medicinal” purposes.
 |
| A man tried to smuggle snakes on a plane. Photo courtesy of ABC News |
Methods
of smuggling the animals, whether it be tigers, turtles, or butterflies, to
wherever they are wanted is horrible. They will be tied up, cramped into
whatever space necessary, stuffed in pants or suitcases, strapped to legs, and
more. Smugglers will do whatever it takes, and animals dying along the way is
no reason to stop. The animals who are confiscated from traffickers, however,
do not usually have a happy fate. Some are “lucky” to be placed in sanctuaries
where they find companionship and at least a semblance of the lives they were
yanked from, but they usually cannot return to the wild. So what is the difference
between killing an animal and taking it out of the wild? It does nothing to
conserve species living the way they were meant to, before human want got the
best of them.
 |
| Photo courtesy of One Green Planet. |
So
I’m pretty angry. Why? Because I realized the improbability of this stopping.
Human want is a constant throughout all of time, and it seems like too many
people want an animal that is in danger of becoming extinct. I don’t really care
what the reason is, it’s wrong. Wildlife should be protected, not by
individuals who think buying an animal is a way to save them from the dangers
of their natural habitat, but by people as a whole. More effort should go into
uncovering all of the mysteries that drive the exotic animal trade and make it
so successful. We, as humanity, need to work on putting a stop to it because
our desires are destroying the diversity of our world slowly but surely.
My
eyes have been opened. Have yours?
I definitely agree that departments of government are heavily disproportionate. Also, the fact that we, as the public, can only do so much as preventative measures is truly something I wish we could change. Finally, "clench-my-fists-and-wish-I-went-into-conservation-and-law-enforcement kind of angry," is easily the best sentence I've read today.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree that departments of government are heavily disproportionate. Also, the fact that we, as the public, can only do so much as preventative measures is truly something I wish we could change. Finally, "clench-my-fists-and-wish-I-went-into-conservation-and-law-enforcement kind of angry," is easily the best sentence I've read today.
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