Group Wants Crackdown on Online Trade in Endangered Species
Some of the world’s most endangered species—as well
as products made from those species—are being sold illegally
over the Internet, according to a new report from the International
Fund for Animal Welfare (Yarmouth Port, Mass.).
According to “Caught in the Web: Wildlife Trade on
the Internet,” 9,000 live wild animals, including Amazon
parrots, chimpanzees, serval cats, a gorilla and a Siberian
tiger, or animal-based products were offered for sale online
in a one-week period. Almost 70 percent of the species and
products that were offered for sale are protected by international
law, according to IFAW.
Because its three-month investigation was limited to five
categories of animals, the findings represent only a fraction
of the total trade, the organization said.
Many wild animals are targeted by poachers specifically to
meet the demands of wealthy consumers in foreign countries
or to be sold as pets, said IFAW. The Internet opens new international
markets to wildlife traffickers, and the unchecked trade is
putting additional pressure on endangered species, it said.
The report calls for greater international cooperation between
governments, including sufficient enforcement capacity and
greater monitoring of the illegal online trade.
The international trade in endangered species is regulated
by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species.
CITES prohibits commercial trade in species listed on Appendix
I (those most endangered) and regulates trade in species listed
on Appendix II (those potentially at risk from trade).
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