According to a 2012 report by the WWF, the illegal wildlife trade is worth $19 Billion a year.
The WWF previously estimated that animal and wildlife trafficking to be worth between $15 billion and $25 billion a year.
$19 Billion Source: Matt McGarth, “Wildlife crime profound threat to nations, says report,” BBC News, December 12, 2012.
$20 Billion sources:
Adrian Levy and Cathy Scott-Clark, “Poaching for Bin Laden,” Guardian, May 5, 2007, (accessed: May 7, 2007).
In addition, an editorial in Voice of America News, which provides the “views of the US Government,” states that wildlife trafficking is a $20 Billion market. Voice of America News, “Fighting Wildlife Trafficking,” Editorial, September 15, 2009.