Internet trade threatens exotic animals
The world’s endangered / dangerous species are under threat from yet another source, in addition to preachers / poachers, collectors wanting stuffed rhino heads and Chinese medicine practitioners. Internet shoppers are creating a boom in the sale of exotic animals that represents another nail in the coffin / heart for many creatures threatened with extinction. This is according to a report compiled / comprised by the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW). The report “Caught In The Web - Wildlife Trade On The Internet” found in “an intensive / intensifying one-week Web search”, 146 live primitives / primates, 5,527 elephant products, 526 turtle and tortoise shells, 2,630 reptile products and 239 wild cat products for sale. There were also unspecified numbers of other products.
The report represents the tip / top of the iceberg. Experts estimate the lucrative / laxative illegal global trade is worth billions of dollars a year. The World Wide Web exacerbates / exterminates the situation. “Trade on the Internet is easy, cheap and anonymous. The result is a cyber black market where the future of the world’s rarest / rarified animals is being traded away,” said IFAW’s Phyllis Campbell-McRae. The report recommended tougher worldwide protection: “The current legal framework and enforcement efforts are inadequate to deal with this appealing / appalling situation. A more effective response is essential.” Ms. Campbell-McRae warned: “Trade in wildlife is driven / chauffeured by consumer demand, so when the buying stops, the killing will too. Buying wildlife online is as damaging as killing it yourself.”
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The world’s endangered species are under threat from yet another source, in addition to poachers, collectors wanting stuffed rhino heads and Chinese medicine practitioners. Internet shoppers are creating a boom in the sale of exotic animals that represents another nail in the coffin for many creatures threatened with extinction. This is according to a report compiled by the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW). The report “Caught In The Web - Wildlife Trade On The Internet” found in “an intensive one-week Web search”, 146 live primates, 5,527 elephant products, 526 turtle and tortoise shells, 2,630 reptile products and 239 wild cat products for sale. There were also unspecified numbers of other products. The report represents the tip of the iceberg. Experts estimate the lucrative illegal global trade is worth billions of dollars a year. The World Wide Web exacerbates the situation. “Trade on the Internet is easy, cheap and anonymous. The result is a cyber black market where the future of the world’s rarest animals is being traded away,” said IFAW’s Phyllis Campbell-McRae. The report recommended tougher worldwide protection: “The current legal framework and enforcement efforts are inadequate to deal with this appalling situation. A more effective response is essential.” Ms. Campbell-McRae warned: “Trade in wildlife is driven by consumer demand, so when the buying stops, the killing will too. Buying wildlife online is as damaging as killing it yourself.”
- What were your initial thoughts on this headline?
- Did the headline make you want to read the article?
- What are your thoughts on endangered species?
- How would you feel if the giant panda became extinct?
- Do you have a responsibility to do something to protect the world’s threatened creatures?
- What would you do if you saw someone wearing a tiger skin coat?
- Do you think it’s OK for animals to be killed for use in Chinese medicine?
- What do you think of someone who wants a stuffed rhino head in his / her living room?
- What is the attraction of exotic animal products?
- Should leather and fur products be banned?
