More on Wildlife Trade

Today is Boxing day, and I would like to dedicate another blog post to illegal wildlife trade.

In this episode by VICE, Patrick Brown leads us down the road of Trading to Extinction. Little do we know, at Thai Burma border tiger paws and bones are casually on display for sale. Trades are being done based on non-sense mythology, including how rhino horn soup possesses the power to allow two to three hours of mating. But the fact is, rhino horns were soaked in viagra - the greed of traders.. 

Let's look at some astonishing facts and figures presented by Lee:
1) Population of tiger decreased over 90% since the beginning of 20th century 
2) Caspian, Blainese and Javan tigers are already extinct 
3) Different body parts of tiger are used to make traditional medicines in Asian countries
4) All five of Asia's bear species are on the verge of extinction 
5) Bear's gall bladder is valued for medicinal qualities, including cure to blood disorders

Sadly, despite the enforcement of law, endangered species were sometimes not recognised. Patrick mentioned how 25-30 crocodiles pass through Heathrow airport everyday, but officers are not reptile experts, they usually fail to identify the endangered ones.

The followings are selection of pictures taken by Mr. Brown's for his 10-year project on Trading to Extinction. Let the pictures speak for themselves.

After being tranquilized, a bear is removed from its cage in the bear farm, in order to have the bile removed from its gall bladder.

A man drags a live crocodile along the floor of a luxury restaurant. The crocodile will be killed and prepared for lunchtime customers.

At Scotland Yard's animal protection unit, a police officer displays a tiger's head seized during a raid in London.

A snake is cut open and removed of its heart, blood and bile in a restaurant in the city. The animal's organs are consumed in the belief that they increase sexual libido.

Speaking from experience, shark fins were one of those famous dishes my family would "enjoy" during Chinese New Year and weddings. Only until recently has there been a raise of awareness of how illegitimate it is to consume shark fins. Similarly, wildlife trade has raised global concern. Ex-poachers now participate to capture poachers. NGOs and governments take measures to stop them. However, as we can see from the powerful photographs, it is still happening at this moment in time. The attractive monetary value attached to wildlife trade has continued to tempt a lot of people. Trading to extinction, indeed.