Over a million plants, live and dead animals, animal parts, and medicines produced from endangered species were seized in the United Kingdom during a 12-month period.
Author: havocscope
World's Largest Market for Animals is China
China is the biggest market in the world for tiger bone, leopard cat, rhino horn, and sea horse, and imports up to fifteen tons of ivory each year.
Internal tiger trade ban costs China $4 billion
Officials in China has stated that the ban on the internal trade in tiger parts has cost the country $4 billion.
Between 26 million and 73 million shark fins are sold every year in Hong Kong
Source: Mark Henderson, “Taste for fins puts shark on danger list,” Times (UK), February 18, 2008.
50 percent of wildlife crime offenders have previous convictions
In the United Kingdom, the Guardian Newspaper has reported that 50 percent of those prosecuted for wildlife crimes have previous convictions for serious offenses such as drugs and guns.
In 2006, 163,000 illegal wildlife items were seized by UK customs
Source: BBC News, “Warning over wildlife souvenirs,” BBC News, August 16, 2007. (accessed: August 16, 2007).
Illegal elephant ivory trade sources
The Democratic Republic of the Congo, Cameroon and Nigeria are considered to be key sources of the elephant ivory trade.
3 ivory seizures a day worldwide
According to a report by TRAFFIC, “Worldwide, the number of ivory seizures averages 92 cases a month – or three per day.”
Hammerhead shark population fell by 98 percent due to poaching
Between 1970 and 2005, the number of hammerhead sharks in the Atlantic Ocean fell by 98 percent due to fisherman killing the shark for its fins.
Impact of poaching on tigers in Asia
Due to poaching, there are an estimated 3,500 tigers left in Asia. Back in 1997, 5,000 tigers were in the wild.