Do You Know What You’re Buying?
Broken into pieces
Coral
reefs are beautiful underwater landscapes made up of thousands of
individual coral – tiny living organisms that, in massive numbers, make up the
reefs we’re familiar with. Our study revealed that coral is frequently found in
illegal trade entering the United States from Latin America. Coral is most often
used for jewelry and as decoration in aquariums. In some regions coral is also
used as a building material or for its medicinal properties. Coral is a good
example of wildlife that cannot reproduce at the same rate it is being traded –
some coral species only grow one-tenth of one inch every year! Our research into
this one area of the trade alone found 3,802 pounds of coral, and 2,226 items
made from coral pieces. Imagine how many years it will take to naturally replace
all that! If you purchase coral products abroad, you may need a permit to bring
them back to the United States as a souvenir because many species of coral are
protected under CITES. For coral products available here in the United States,
always ask what species of coral it is, whether it is protected, and if the
seller can show proof that it was harvested and brought into the country
legally.
Brought into captivity
The pet trade continues to be a driver of illegal wildlife
trafficking. Our study found more than 3,000 live animals in the illegal trade
from Latin America to the United States. Some shipments contained hundreds of
individual animals and were clearly destined for commercial venues, including
shipments of seahorses, poison-arrow frogs, and tegus – a lizard native to
Central and South America that is coveted as a pet. Smaller shipments included
live tortoises, parrots, snakes (including boa constrictors and
mussuranas), and kinkajous (a rainforest mammal similar to raccoons). Many of
these animals were taken from the wild illegally – remember, poaching and
trafficking doesn’t always mean killing. Capturing imperiled animals for the pet
trade can be just as devastating to the populations in the wild. On top of that,
in the data we reviewed, one in five of the animals died during transit. That
means that for every animal that did survive to be sold in the U.S., many others
were killed. If you’re considering buying a pet, do some research first. Find
out whether the species you want is protected under national or international
laws, like the Endangered Species Act or CITES. Just because a live animal is for sale at a
commercial venue, like a pet store or a website, it doesn’t necessarily mean
that the animal was acquired legally or is being sold legally. As a consumer,
you can always ask the seller if the animal was acquired legally, and if they
have documentation.
Sacrificed for style
The fashion industry also fuels demand for illegal wildlife products. Shoes, boots, wallets and belts are just some of the items smuggled into the U.S. from Latin America, often made from the skins of imperiled species. Of the 5,760 individual shoes and boots seized in the data used for our study, many were made from the skins of crocodiles, caimans and sea turtles. While those were the most common, they were by no means the only species turned into accessories. We also discovered shoes and boots made from the leather of elephants, eels and even pangolins. A wide variety of clothing was also seized, including garments made from vicuna (similar to a llama), jaguar, margay and lynx. For some of these items, you can easily tell what species went into its creation. You would know, for instance, that a cheetah fur coat probably cost a cheetah its life. But for some products, the true cost may be very well hidden. Were those shoes once an alligator? Was that handbag once an endangered crocodile? Even shoes and clothing sold at retail stores in the United States can be made from imperiled species. Always check the tags to identify what the product is made of and where it was manufactured. If it was manufactured abroad, ask for proof of legal importation. If it is made from an imperiled species, consider foregoing the purchase and avoid any risk of contributing to wildlife trafficking.
In addition to these more commonly known products, our
research also discovered unusual items in the illegal trade – things like turtle
cartilage used for soup, oil made from tiger, hippopotamus teeth and monkey
skulls. Remember, wildlife trafficking comes in all shapes and sizes! It is not
always easy to identify illegal wildlife products, which makes it hard for both
law enforcement officials and consumers to spot them. As a consumer, you always
have the power to ask questions about the source and legality of your purchase.
And when in doubt – rule it out!
The post Do You Know What You’re Buying? appeared first on Defenders of Wildlife Blog.
When you ask the average person what illegal wildlife products look like,
they will probably describe things like animal skin rugs or ivory carvings. But
illegal wildlife comes in many forms, from raw materials to manufactured goods,
from food to jewelry, from pets to clothing. We recently published a report on the illegal wildlife trade from Latin America
to the United States, looking at data from shipments seized at U.S. ports of
entry over a ten-year period. In our study, we found 56 different types of
wildlife parts and products entering the United States from Latin America, from
a total of 356 different species. Here is just a handful of the products that
are smuggled into the United States and the species that were sacrificed for
them.
Broken into pieces
Coral
reefs are beautiful underwater landscapes made up of thousands of
individual coral – tiny living organisms that, in massive numbers, make up the
reefs we’re familiar with. Our study revealed that coral is frequently found in
illegal trade entering the United States from Latin America. Coral is most often
used for jewelry and as decoration in aquariums. In some regions coral is also
used as a building material or for its medicinal properties. Coral is a good
example of wildlife that cannot reproduce at the same rate it is being traded –
some coral species only grow one-tenth of one inch every year! Our research into
this one area of the trade alone found 3,802 pounds of coral, and 2,226 items
made from coral pieces. Imagine how many years it will take to naturally replace
all that! If you purchase coral products abroad, you may need a permit to bring
them back to the United States as a souvenir because many species of coral are
protected under CITES. For coral products available here in the United States,
always ask what species of coral it is, whether it is protected, and if the
seller can show proof that it was harvested and brought into the country
legally.Brought into captivity
The pet trade continues to be a driver of illegal wildlife
trafficking. Our study found more than 3,000 live animals in the illegal trade
from Latin America to the United States. Some shipments contained hundreds of
individual animals and were clearly destined for commercial venues, including
shipments of seahorses, poison-arrow frogs, and tegus – a lizard native to
Central and South America that is coveted as a pet. Smaller shipments included
live tortoises, parrots, snakes (including boa constrictors and
mussuranas), and kinkajous (a rainforest mammal similar to raccoons). Many of
these animals were taken from the wild illegally – remember, poaching and
trafficking doesn’t always mean killing. Capturing imperiled animals for the pet
trade can be just as devastating to the populations in the wild. On top of that,
in the data we reviewed, one in five of the animals died during transit. That
means that for every animal that did survive to be sold in the U.S., many others
were killed. If you’re considering buying a pet, do some research first. Find
out whether the species you want is protected under national or international
laws, like the Endangered Species Act or CITES. Just because a live animal is for sale at a
commercial venue, like a pet store or a website, it doesn’t necessarily mean
that the animal was acquired legally or is being sold legally. As a consumer,
you can always ask the seller if the animal was acquired legally, and if they
have documentation.Sacrificed for style
The fashion industry also fuels demand for illegal wildlife products. Shoes, boots, wallets and belts are just some of the items smuggled into the U.S. from Latin America, often made from the skins of imperiled species. Of the 5,760 individual shoes and boots seized in the data used for our study, many were made from the skins of crocodiles, caimans and sea turtles. While those were the most common, they were by no means the only species turned into accessories. We also discovered shoes and boots made from the leather of elephants, eels and even pangolins. A wide variety of clothing was also seized, including garments made from vicuna (similar to a llama), jaguar, margay and lynx. For some of these items, you can easily tell what species went into its creation. You would know, for instance, that a cheetah fur coat probably cost a cheetah its life. But for some products, the true cost may be very well hidden. Were those shoes once an alligator? Was that handbag once an endangered crocodile? Even shoes and clothing sold at retail stores in the United States can be made from imperiled species. Always check the tags to identify what the product is made of and where it was manufactured. If it was manufactured abroad, ask for proof of legal importation. If it is made from an imperiled species, consider foregoing the purchase and avoid any risk of contributing to wildlife trafficking.
In addition to these more commonly known products, our
research also discovered unusual items in the illegal trade – things like turtle
cartilage used for soup, oil made from tiger, hippopotamus teeth and monkey
skulls. Remember, wildlife trafficking comes in all shapes and sizes! It is not
always easy to identify illegal wildlife products, which makes it hard for both
law enforcement officials and consumers to spot them. As a consumer, you always
have the power to ask questions about the source and legality of your purchase.
And when in doubt – rule it out!The post Do You Know What You’re Buying? appeared first on Defenders of Wildlife Blog.
