The illegal wildlife trade, or also known as poaching, is the number one pain-in-the-neck of wildlife biologists at the turn of the century. Millions of animals are either killed to become food, accessories, or ingredients in traditional medicine or taken away from their natural habitat to become pets in private collections. Elephants, rhinoceros, and pangolins are the usual image for wildlife conservation in recent years because they are the most rampant victims of poaching. Elephants and rhinos are being killed for their tusks that are made of ivory. These ivories are then being sculpted to trinkets or accessories. Meanwhile, the pangolins are captured for their scales because it is believed they contain opiates.

An Alarming Rate

In a recent study published in Sciencemag, poaching has become a greater threat than previously thought. The study surveyed 30,000 species of mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians and found out that the percentage of the illegally traded animals are 40-60% higher and will continue to rise unless stopped. 

Of course, eradicating poaching is easier said than done. Apparently, poaching is a multibillion-dollar industry in trading animals for their skin, meat, tusks, scales, or become exotic pets. Poaching is the primary reason why animals face extinction.

Luckily, this study can help identify species that are traded because of the help from the database of organizations such as the Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES) and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). 

Birds and Mammals are the Primary Victims of Illegal Trade

Among the identified are a big number of birds and mammals (2,000 and 1,500, respectively) -- it comprised at least 18% of the 31,475 vertebrate species that were analyzed. This is already an alarming number of species since these are land vertebrates alone. Plants and invertebrates will make this rate higher. 

Unfortunately, there is another threat on the way. Species that share the same morphological or behavioral characteristics with the ones in the popular trade are now being hunted and sold as well, passing them as the ones that are in-demand in the market. This is more common in the illegal trade of birds.

To say that poaching has a massive effect would definitely be an understatement. Poaching affects the animal's welfare. Since most of them are wild animals, they are highly adapted to living outside containers: most have specialized diets and need areas to roam around and hunt. It affects people as well -- especially indigenous people -- in ways they protect these animals or how these animals help them in their livelihood. In Africa, the fight against poaching has become some war between the rangers and poachers to the point that at least 600 wildlife defendants are being gunned down by poachers from 2009 to 2016.