Top 7 Most Trafficked Animals In The World

Humans, animals, plants, and marine life share the same life on this planet. Unfortunately, due to greed and impatience, mankind's doings have resulted in much destruction on this Earth giving a huge impact not only on ourselves but also on other animals.

For many years, research has shown various species being declared extinct from the face of the earth. In fact, many other animals like tigers, turtles, and pangolins are on the brink of extinction.

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The rising demand for exotic animals is due to numerous factors with some it being ridiculous beliefs that these animals are capable of treating them, giving energy, immortality, and many more. But there is not a single piece of scientific evidence proving such claims.

Not just that but these animals are also being used by humans for fashion design and other artworks. Here we would like to share with you the top 7 trafficked animals in the world that are mostly sold in the black market.

7. Snow Leopard

Compared to the Malayan tiger, the number of snow leopard that exists in this world is far much lesser. This made them so expensive and became the primary target for poachers.

Around the world, it is estimated that only 4,000 snow leopards are left in the wild and most of them can be found in Asia. This animal is hunted for their skin to make into clothes aside from its bone being used as medicine.

6. Eagle

It is quite ironic seeing an eagle which is known as king of birds to be included on this list. This animal is caught and trafficked for their expertise to hunt down other animals. The hunters will usually take the baby birds from the nest itself.

The International Association for Falconry & Conservation of Birds of Prey stated that these smugglers love to traffic rare species of eagles like Bonelli's Eagle due to their high price. Their population is alarmingly low and under the threat of extinction.

5. Hawksbill Turtle

Most turtles are currently endangered as the majority of them are trafficked on top of the pollution of plastic in the ocean. There are even places in Asia where their eggs are sold in the open market.

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However the Hawksbill Turtle, this creature is being hunted for its unique shell patterns and it is usually gifted to special persons. The attempts of hunting these poachers have been proven difficult as these turtles like to be on the quiet ground and away from the existence of humans.

4. Shark

Despite sharks being the most fearsome creature in the ocean, they are currently under the threat of extinction. Several species of sharks are being hunted and trafficked for their fins which will be made into soups. Other parts of the sharks are also made into unique exotic dishes.

Based on the statistics, around 73 million sharks are hunted each year just for their fins alone. What is more scarier is that the fins are cut while the shark is still alive and later the sharks are thrown back into the ocean to die as it can no longer swim.

3. Rhinoceros

Rhinoceros are one of the animals that are nearly extinct. It is not impossible for all their species to cease to exist on this earth if the necessary steps are not taken. Rhinos are being hunted for their horns as it is believed to have medicinal properties and is also made into jewelry called Elixir.

In South Africa alone, between 2017 and 2019, we witnessed 2,000 rhinos being taken down at the hands of poachers. Some of the ways that are done to avoid killing the rhinos will be to place poison on their horn and cut off the horn directly.

2. Tiger

Its unique pattern as well as other nonsense belief has made tigers being hunted for their skin. Their claws and blood are also not spared as they are believed to provide health benefits to consumers.

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Tigers can be found in several countries including Russia, India, Malaysia, China, Nepal, and Bangladesh as well as other Asian nations. Tigers are mostly trafficked to Asian countries due to high demands aside from poor regulations.

1. Pangolin

Pangolin is indeed a unique creature and easily identified by its hard scaly shape. There are 8 species of pangolins of which 4 of them are native to Africa while the rest are in Asia. Pangolins are used as a traditional medicine and are considered an exotic food in Southeast Asia.

Their shell is used to make jewelry, clothes, and decorations. Based on the data from WildAid, around 100,000 pangolins are trafficked each year. WildAid is an organization that actively protects endangered species with full support from famous celebrities like Jackie Chan and Angelababy from Hong Kong.

Source:

• Phys.org

• Wild Aid

• Reuters

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