Exploited and wiped out: Wild animals as medicine, luxury objects and trophies

Whether for medicine or handbags—wild animals are exploited and killed worldwide. This ruthless use has already wiped out numerous species and threatens many more. The Schomburgk’s deer, the Vietnamese Javan rhinoceros and the Kouprey are just a few examples of animals exterminated by human greed.

Despite international protection measures, the illegal wildlife trade has expanded massively in recent decades. In particular, the growth of online marketplaces and social media has made it easier for smugglers to sell wildlife products and further fuel the black market. The UNODC (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime) estimates that illegal wildlife trade generates up to 23 billion US dollars annually—making it the world’s fourth-largest illegal business after drugs, human trafficking and arms trafficking.

The exploitation of animals, however, goes far beyond modern crime. For centuries, humans have used wild animals for various purposes—from traditional medicine to luxury goods. This demand has led to countless species being hunted and traded over centuries. According to the World Wildlife Crime Report 2024 the illegal trade between 2015 and 2021 involved around 4,000 plant and animal species in 162 countries and territories, especially mammals, reptiles, birds and amphibians. While some species have been saved through conservation measures, many remain on the brink of extinction.

Traditional medicine: Healing at nature’s expense

The use of animal body parts in traditional medicine is one of the most severe forms of wildlife exploitation. Especially in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)¹, bones, horns, scales or organs have been processed for thousands of years into alleged remedies for pain, fever or inflammation. A study from 2010 shows that around 1,500 animal species and more than 5,000 plant species are used for these purposes. Many of these species are now highly threatened or threatened with extinction, especially when they are also affected by habitat loss and poaching.

Although there is no scientific evidence whatsoever for most of these remedies, demand remains high. Products from tigers, rhinoceroses and pangolins are especially sought after and continue to be hunted illegally despite international trade bans. Trade in animal-based “medicines” is one of the main drivers of poaching worldwide. The market for TCM products is worth billions, and alongside legal trade routes there is an equally flourishing black market.

One reason for the persistent demand is the belief that wild animals are “more effective” than captive-bred alternatives. In addition, poaching and illegal trade are often cheaper than regulated breeding programs, which further fuels the black market. Despite stricter controls, effectively curbing this trade remains one of the greatest challenges.

TCM: Examples of affected species

Tiger

Once there were more than 100,000 tigers; today, only around 5,500 remain in the wild. Despite isolated conservation successes, poaching and illegal trade remain the greatest threats to the remaining populations. The black market for tiger products thrives especially in Southeast Asia, China and Russia . Demand comes from two main sectors: TCM and the luxury market.

More than 100 traditional recipes contain tiger parts, especially bones, teeth and claws, which are processed into elixirs. These are claimed to relieve muscle tension and joint pain—but scientific proof of any medical effect is completely absent. Besides TCM, tiger skins are sought after as prestige objects. Carved tiger bones are also considered status symbols, especially among wealthy circles in China. Despite strict trade bans, the illegal market remains active because demand for tiger products is high and law enforcement is often patchy.

Pangolins

Pangolins are protected from natural enemies by their keratin scales, but they are defenseless against humans. When threatened, the animals instinctively roll themselves up—a defense strategy that makes it easier for poachers to collect them. As a result, they have become the most heavily trafficked mammal in the world. In China and Vietnam in particular, their scales are coveted because they are said to have healing powers—although there is no scientific evidence for this. Their meat is also considered a luxury delicacy.

All eight pangolin species are now on the IUCN Red List, and many of them are critically endangered. An estimated up to 2.7 million pangolins are poached every year. The scale of the illegal trade is enormous: in Singapore, twelve tons of scales were seized in a single raid, corresponding to around 36,000 killed animals. Smuggling mainly runs via Nigeria to China and Vietnam, where the scales are sold illegally and further processed. Although international trade has been banned by CITES, the black market continues to flourish.

Musk deer

The glandular secretion of male musk deer was long used as a key ingredient in the perfume industry, although synthetic alternatives now exist. In TCM it is used to treat cramps, cardiovascular problems and as a stimulant. Particularly affected are the Siberian musk deer (Moschus moschiferus), the Alpine musk deer (M. chrysogaster) and the Chinese forest musk deer (M. berezovskii), whose populations have declined sharply. Although the musk secretion can theoretically be obtained from living animals, poachers usually kill the animals in order to remove the entire gland. According to the IUCN, an estimated 25,000 adult male musk deer were killed by shooting and illegal hunting between 1990 and 2001. Because sex and age are often not distinguished, an average of four to five animals die for every musk gland obtained.

Rhinoceroses

Rhinoceroses are hunted for two main reasons: for the black market and as hunting trophies. Poaching focuses mainly on the horns, which in TCM are considered a remedy for fever and cancer—although there is no scientific evidence whatsoever for effectiveness. In Vietnam, rhino horns also serve as a luxury good and status symbol, while in China they are processed into expensive carvings. Although international trade in rhino horn has been banned since 1977, hundreds of rhinos are killed every year to satisfy demand.

Three of the five surviving rhinoceros species—the black rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis), the Javan rhinoceros (Rhinoceros sondaicus) and the Sumatran rhinoceros (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis)—are, according to the IUCN, critically endangered. Particularly dramatic was the 98% decline of the Black Rhinoceros population between 1960 and 1995, mainly because of poaching. The Javan rhinoceros and the Sumatran rhinoceros are on the verge of complete disappearance with only 18 and 30 reproductive individuals respectively. The northern Sumatran rhinoceros was exterminated in the mid-20th century, and the Northern White Rhinoceros now exists only in the form of two non-reproductive females—it is therefore considered functionally extinct.

The horns of rhinoceroses are not fused to the skull bone, but grow directly out of the skin, so they can regrow after injuries, albeit very slowly (3-7 cm per year). When poachers remove horns, however, this is done with brutal methods: they often hack the horn off very close to the root or deep into the tissue, severely injuring the animal. They frequently even cut into the skull bone in order to get as much horn as possible. As a result, many rhinos bleed out or develop infections and die in agony. 

Bears

The gallbladder is removed from the Asian black bear (Ursus thibetanus) and the Malayan sun bear (Helarctos malayanus) because the bile fluid it contains is supposedly able to relieve febrile convulsions and eye inflammations. Despite synthetic alternatives, real bear bile is regarded as more valuable. In China, Vietnam, South Korea, Laos and Myanmar, bears are kept in captivity or poached from the wild. Brown bears (Ursus arctos) in Russia, North Korea and Japan are also affected.

Worldwide, an estimated more than 10,000 bears are kept on farms—around 6,000 of them in China alone. Their bile is repeatedly extracted via catheters, metal tubes or open wounds, which leads to severe infections, inflammation and chronic pain. The bears often spend decades in tiny cages. Although most bears are kept on farms, bile from poached wild bears is regarded as “more effective”, which is why poachers continue to remove bears from nature. Illegal trade in bear bile and other bear products is flourishing. There is particularly high demand in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and South Korea, even though bear bile is officially regulated there. In addition to bile, bear paws for bear soup are also highly sought after—a delicacy that is regarded as a status symbol especially in China.

Saiga antelope

The horns of male Saiga antelopes (Saiga tatarica) are traded in China as a substitute for rhino horn. They are supposed to lower fever, relieve inflammation and regulate blood pressure—but there is no medical basis for this. After the international ban on rhino horn trade, demand for Saiga horns rose dramatically. In the 1990s, the population collapsed by 95%

Uncontrolled hunting for horns and meat had already caused a first massive population decline in the early 20th century. Particularly devastating was the increase in poaching after the collapse of the Soviet Union in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The selective hunting of male animals led to a massive imbalance in sex ratios and severely impaired reproduction. Thanks to conservation measures, the Saiga population has partly recovered according to the IUCN; around 1.3 million animals were counted in 2023.

Seahorses

In TCM, they are considered remedies for impotence, respiratory diseases, inflammation and circulatory problems. More than 150 million seahorses are caught every year, mainly for the Chinese market. Dried seahorses are sold as powder or as whole animals in pharmacies . Unchecked demand has drastically decimated populations in many regions. In addition, seahorses are traded in Asia, Latin America and Africa as decorative objects and keyrings .

The international aquarium trade is also a threat, because seahorses survive poorly in captivity due to their delicate nature and most wild-caught individuals do not survive transport. Particularly affected are the spiny seahorse (Hippocampus histrix) and the yellow seahorse (H. kuda).

The scales of pangolins and the horns of rhinoceroses consist entirely of keratin, the same protein that also makes up human hair and fingernails. The alleged healing effect in TCM is a myth that has not been scientifically proven. Anyone who believes in the effect of rhino horn and pangolin scales could theoretically chew on fingernails or hair and achieve the same (nonexistent) effect.

Luxury goods: Fashion, fur, leather and ivory

For centuries, owning exotic animal products has been considered a sign of wealth and prestige. Fine leather, soft furs and the radiant white of ivory are symbols of wealth that are highly valued in many cultures. But behind these luxury goods lies a brutal reality: every year, millions of wild animals are killed or bred under cruel conditions to satisfy demand for exclusive materials for fashion, jewelry and collectors’ items. While international protection measures have regulated some forms of trade, the black market remains a booming business that contributes to the decimation of threatened species.

Fur and leather: Luxury at the expense of wild animals

Despite growing social rejection, the fur and leather industry continues to play a significant role in the global trade in wildlife products. Mink, foxes and raccoon dogs in particular are kept under conditions that violate animal welfare on fur farms or hunted in the wild. According to an estimate by the Fur Free Alliance (2022), more than 100 million animals are killed worldwide every year for fur production, around 90% of them on breeding farms.

Europe, alongside China, is one of the largest producers of mink fur, especially countries such as Poland, Finland and Greece. In Denmark, once the world leader in mink farming, the industry was largely shut down in 2020. Nevertheless, legal fur farms still exist in Europe, where animals are kept in narrow wire cages without opportunities for natural behavior. Animals caught in the wild are often killed with traps that cause agonizing suffering, for example by crushing limbs or suffocation.

The fashion industry processes countless skins of wild animals every year into handbags, shoes, belts and accessories. Crocodile, snake and lizard skins are especially coveted, and are mainly processed for luxury brands. In the USA, many leather products come from hunting wild alligators in the swamps of Florida and Louisiana, while in Asia farmed crocodiles are processed into fashion products.

The commercial hunting of kangaroos for leather products also remains controversial. Every year, up to 1.5 million kangaroos are legally shot in Australia to turn their skins into leather for sports shoes, gloves or motorcycle clothing. International sports brands such as Adidas and Nike in particular have faced criticism in the past because of their use of “K-leather.” Although the hunt is marketed as “sustainable,” inaccurate shots mean that many animals do not die immediately, but escape injured or die later in agony.

Besides the use of reptile skins, the fur trade remains a danger for many animal species. Big cats such as leopards, snow leopards and ocelots are hunted for their skins despite protection measures. According to the IUCN, at least 4,500 snow leopards were illegally killed between 2000 and 2018 alone, many of them for the black market. In Africa, leopard skins are traditionally used for ceremonies and cultural practices, which further endangers populations.

Although real fur is less socially accepted in many Western countries, the black market remains active, especially in regions with high demand for traditional clothing and accessories. There is still strong demand for wildlife furs in China, Russia and Mongolia. Highly threatened animal species such as the Amur leopard (Panthera pardus orientalis) or the Tibetan fox (Vulpes ferrilata) are frequent targets of poaching for the fur trade.

Examples of affected species

• Siamese crocodile (Crocodylus siamensis): Its leather is used for luxury goods; wild populations are highly threatened. Commercial hunting in the mid-20th century for the skin trade is regarded as the main cause of the species’ historical decline.
• West African slender-snouted crocodile (Mecistops cataphractus): Heavily decimated in West Africa because of its high-quality leather. According to the IUCN, hunting for skins in Central and West Africa has now declined, largely because crocodile populations have themselves declined, but to a lesser extent also because of restrictions on international trade through CITES.
• Gharial (Gavialis gangeticus): The gharial, one of the most threatened crocodilian species, was hunted for decades for its skin, which was used for leather products. Although the species is now protected, excessive hunting in the past drastically decimated the population. In the first half of the 20th century, according to the IUCN, there were probably still between 5,000 and 10,000 animals, but within only three generations the population shrank by up to 98%. By 1997, only 436 gharials remained, and by 2006 the number had fallen further to just 182 individuals.
• Leopards (Panthera pardus): Their skin is especially coveted and plays an important role in traditional ceremonies and cultural practices, especially in Africa. There, members of certain religious or spiritual groups wear leopard skins as status symbols or for ceremonial occasions. In addition, various leopard body parts are sought after in TCM and other Asian medicinal systems. They are ascribed healing properties similar to tiger bones, which is why they are used as substitute products—especially since tigers have become increasingly rare.
• Snow leopard (Panthera uncia): It is sought after mainly for its dense fur, which protects it in the icy highlands of Central Asia. This fur is traded illegally and in some regions used for traditional clothing, decorative purposes or as a prestige object. Demand for snow leopard pelts, especially in Tibet, China, Russia and other parts of Central Asia, has strongly fueled poaching. In addition, other body parts are also in demand. In TCM, its bones are used as a substitute for tiger bones. According to the IUCN, the snow leopard is considered vulnerable, and without stronger conservation measures it could disappear from some regions of Central Asia in the long term.

Ivory—the bloody trade in “white gold”

The ivory trade is one of the main reasons for the ongoing poaching of elephants and other tusked animals. African elephant populations in particular have shrunk sharply in recent decades. According to IUCN estimates, up to 20,000 elephants are poached every year to satisfy demand for ivory. While savanna elephants have lost a third of their population in only seven years, forest elephants have already been wiped out by 60% in some regions.

Despite an international trade ban under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) in 1989, the illegal ivory market continues to flourish, especially in Asia. In China, Vietnam and Thailand, ivory is still regarded as a status symbol and a store of value. Elaborate carvings, jewelry and lucky charms made from tusks are produced there and often sold at enormous prices. A study published in 2024 by the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) shows that more than 1,300 ivory products were offered online in the EU in 2023 alone—most of them without official certificates. These loopholes in the legal system allow dealers to declare illegal ivory as “old” and continue selling it.

Tusks are elongated incisors and are deeply rooted in the skull. They cannot grow back once they are completely lost or broken off. Cutting off tusks by poachers is often fatal for elephants. Poachers often hack or saw the tusks off as deep as possible, destroying blood vessels and nerves. In many cases the animals die because of the brutal procedure or are deliberately killed to make transporting the ivory easier.

Not only elephants are affected

But it is not only elephants that suffer from the greed for ivory. Walruses, narwhals and hippos are also hunted for their tusks. Narwhal tusks, traded as “unicorn horns,” fetch high prices on Asian and European markets. Since trade regulations for elephant ivory have become stricter, hippo teeth have increasingly been traded as a substitute—a dangerous trend showing that demand for ivory extends far beyond elephants and puts many species at risk.

Despite strict regulations, elephant poaching remains one of the greatest threats to the species. Poachers kill elephants deliberately, hack out their tusks and sell the “white gold” to international smuggling networks. This organized crime extends across international trade routes: from Africa, ivory reaches Asia via transit points in Russia, Canada or the Middle East, where it is processed and sold on. In Germany, for example, a large-scale investigation led to the seizure of 1.2 tons of ivory—enough to cost around 100 elephants their lives. The incident shows that despite stricter trade regulations, the EU plays an important role as a transshipment point for the ivory trade.

Animals used for ivory and other luxury goods

• Elephants: Estimates suggest that up to 20,000 African bush elephants (Loxodonta africana) are poached every year for their tusks. African forest elephants (L. cyclotis) in Central Africa are particularly affected, with their populations having declined by more than 60% in only 30 years. Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) often have only small tusks or none at all, which is why they are less heavily affected by poaching.
• Hippos (Hippopotamus amphibius): After the international ban on elephant ivory trade in 1989, illegal trade in hippo ivory increased sharply. Between 1991 and 1992, around 27,000 kg of hippo teeth were exported, according to the IUCN. Poaching of hippos increases strongly especially in times of political instability. During the civil war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the population was decimated by more than 95% in the 2000s as armed groups hunted them. These developments show that the illegal trade in hippo ivory is a serious threat to the species. Trade in hippo teeth is scarcely regulated and often insufficiently documented.
• Turtles: The hawksbill sea turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) is among the most heavily exploited sea turtle species, especially because of its shell, which is traded as tortoiseshell. Japan, the world’s largest buyer of tortoiseshell, used an exemption until 1993 and imported more than 1.3 million hawksbill sea turtles between 1950 and 1992 (1.4 million kg of tortoiseshell). According to the IUCN, an estimated 30% of the animals taken for the trade were adult females, which greatly endangered the survival of the species. Even today, illegal trade in hawksbill products remains a major problem, especially in Southeast Asia and the Americas, where tortoiseshell continues to be traded as a luxury good.

The illegal pet trade—a growing threat to wild animals

Not only dead animals and their products are in demand—living wild animals are also coveted trade goods. The global market for exotic pets has expanded enormously in recent decades. Parrots, reptiles, amphibians and small wild cats in particular are taken from nature to be sold as exotic pets. This demand threatens not only individual species, but also whole ecosystems. The consequences for nature are alarming: many species are massively depleted by the trade and suffer under the catastrophic conditions of capture, transport and captivity.

Reptiles are heavily affected by the pet trade. Snakes, geckos, chameleons and tortoises in particular are taken from the wild in large numbers to be sold as pets. The problem is that for a long time many species were not protected under CITES, which meant that legal trade in wild-caught animals remained unregulated.

The growing demand for exotic reptiles is now driven above all by online trading platforms. Many buyers do not question the origin of the animals or do not recognize whether they are wild-caught or captive-bred. A study from 2020 showed that more than 35% of reptile species are traded online; of these species, around 90% come from wild capture. The removal from the wild has serious ecological consequences, because many of these species play a crucial role in their ecosystems.

Trade in rare species that are difficult to breed in captivity is also problematic. One example is the splendid poison frog, a small red frog from western Panama: wild capture combined with rainforest destruction in its habitat, as well as the fungal disease chytridiomycosis, ultimately proved its undoing—the splendid poison frog was last seen in 1992, so it is now considered extinct. Similar developments can be observed in many other amphibians, especially in South America and Southeast Asia, where exotic frogs and salamanders are collected for the pet trade.

Animals affected by the illegal pet trade

Smaller wild cats

Demand for caracals (Caracal caracal), servals (Leptailurus serval) and leopard cats (Prionailurus bengalensis) as exotic pets is rising rapidly. Social networks in particular are driving this trend, as owners present their wild cats as status symbols . Many buyers do not realize that a large proportion of the animals were taken illegally from the wild. According to estimates, more than 80% of the wild cats traded come from wild capture, while the illegal wildlife trade globally generates up to 23 billion US dollars a year.

The trade often takes place via online forums, social media and specialized breeders, with captive breeding often used as a cover for poaching. The animals are usually captured as juveniles because they can then be accustomed to humans more easily and sold more readily. But this has dramatic consequences: in the wild, young wild cats need their mother for the first months of life. If they are separated from her too early, their chance of survival declines sharply. In addition, poachers often kill the mother in order to get at the young, which further accelerates the decline of wild populations.

Keeping wild cats in private households is problematic. These animals have special needs that cannot be compared with those of domestic cats. Servals and caracals are skilled hunters with a strong urge to move, which cannot be expressed in apartments or small enclosures. Many owners are quickly overwhelmed, as the cats are hardly trainable and can show aggressive behavior toward humans or other pets. As a result, wild cats often end up in shelters or are abandoned, where they cannot survive in an unfamiliar environment.

Another problem is hybrid breeding, in which wild cats are crossed with domestic cats to create exotically looking cat breeds such as the Savannah cat or the Bengal cat . While these animals are sold legally, demand for them also reinforces illegal wild capture. In many cases, hybrid cats are also more prone to health problems and behavioral issues than their domesticated relatives.

Grey parrots

Because of their high intelligence and ability to mimic speech, grey parrots (Psittacus erithacus) are coveted pets, but poaching has fatal consequences: up to three million animals have been removed from the wild over the last 40 years, causing populations in some regions to decline by up to 79%. Countries such as Ghana, Cameroon and the Democratic Republic of the Congo are particularly affected; in Togo, grey parrots are even considered extinct. Poachers use cruel methods such as mutilated decoy birds, nets and birdlime to catch them.

The captured birds are then crammed into narrow boxes and transported without food or water. Mortality is extremely high—estimates suggest that only around 25% of the captured birds survive transport. Many die from suffocation, dehydration or injuries sustained during capture.

Although international trade in wild-caught individuals has been banned by CITES since 2016, the black market continues to flourish, especially through online trade and forged papers. Large numbers are moved from Africa to Asia and the Middle East, where grey parrots are regarded as luxurious pets. Airlines such as Turkish Airlines have been accused of facilitating smuggling. But the birds also suffer in captivity: without sufficient social interaction, they develop behavioral disorders such as feather plucking and self-mutilation. Demand for these intelligent birds as pets is not only a threat to wild populations, but also causes great suffering in captivity.

Non-human primates

A recent study (2025) documents the rapidly increasing smuggling of live monkeys in Bangladesh. Particularly affected are the capped langur (Trachypithecus pileatus), the Bengal slow loris (Nycticebus bengalensis) and the western hoolock gibbon (Hoolock hoolock). The animals are captured from the wild and transported along smuggling routes to China, Thailand and the Middle East. One of the main reasons for this trade is demand for exotic pets that are kept as status symbols—often under completely unsuitable conditions. In addition, monkeys are abused for animal experiments or exploited in the entertainment industry as tourist attractions or for street performances.

The trade in slow lorises is particularly cruel. These nocturnal primates are the only known venomous monkeys. In order to sell them as pets, traders tear out or cut off their venom teeth—usually without anesthesia. This often leads to severe infections, pain or a painful death.

Many of the captured monkeys die during transport, because they are extremely stress-sensitive and require a specialized diet that can hardly be provided in captivity. Illegal trade places massive pressure on numerous primate species. The removal of young animals, the loss of genetic diversity and the cruel transport conditions lead to high mortality and endanger whole populations in the long term.

Trophy hunting—profit at the expense of threatened species

Trophy hunting remains a controversial practice in which hunters pay large sums to kill threatened animals such as lions, rhinoceroses, elephants and leopards—often under the pretext of “sustainable wildlife management.” Particularly problematic is so-called “canned hunting” in South Africa, in which captive-bred lions are deliberately released for wealthy hunters. These animals have no chance of survival in the wild and are often bred under cruel conditions.

According to CITES, more than 137,000 hunting trophies of protected species were traded worldwide between 2014 and 2018. The USA is the largest buyer with 80,000 imported trophies, followed by the EU, which imported more than 15,000 trophies in the same period—including 2,654 lions, 1,469 elephants and 852 leopards.

Supporters argue that revenue from trophy hunting benefits conservation, but corruption and mismanagement often prevent this money from actually reaching conservation programs. In South Africa, big-game hunting generates 250 million US dollars annually, but studies show that a large part of the revenue does not benefit wildlife populations.

Trophy hunting also fuels illegal trade in wildlife products. Legally hunted animals often serve as a cover for the black market, with rhino horns or tusks of illegal origin being declared as hunting trophies. This practice makes prosecution more difficult and contributes to the further decimation of threatened species. Some countries such as Australia, France and the Netherlands have introduced stricter import bans on hunting trophies, while others such as the United Kingdom are discussing a complete ban. Without consistent regulation and international measures, trophy hunting will continue to contribute to the decline of threatened species.

Solutions and protection measures

The exploitation of wild animals has pushed numerous species to the brink of extinction. But they are threatened not only by poaching and trade—habitat loss through deforestation, agriculture and climate change also puts them under massive pressure. Comprehensive and long-term protection measures are essential if species extinction is to be halted.

Stronger controls and consistent legislation

Effective species conservation begins with strict trade bans and consistent law enforcement. This includes stronger controls at ports, airports and borders to interrupt smuggling routes. While countries such as China, the United Kingdom and the USA have already banned the ivory trade completely, the EU still allows the sale of “old” ivory—a rule that creates loopholes for illegal goods.

In 2022, the EU tightened its rules so that trade is now allowed only for antiques from before 1947 and musical instruments from before 1975. But a 2024 study by the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) shows that this is not enough: 1,330 ivory products were discovered on European online marketplaces—and only 10% of them had demonstrably legal origin. Such loopholes make it possible to pass off freshly poached ivory as “antique.” A complete trade ban would be the most effective protection for elephants, walruses, narwhals and hippos.

In addition to trade bans, stronger law enforcement and harsher penalties for poaching and illegal trade are needed. Smuggling networks operate internationally—so law enforcement agencies must also cooperate across borders. Especially in Africa and Southeast Asia, financial resources are often lacking to combat poaching effectively. International support programs could make a decisive difference here.

Awareness and consumer responsibility

An often underestimated aspect of the fight against wildlife trade is the lack of consumer awareness. Many people do not know that exotic pets such as parrots, snakes or monkeys are often taken illegally from the wild. They underestimate the special needs of these animals, which leads to high mortality and animal suffering. A similar problem is evident in demand for luxury goods made from wildlife products such as fur, ivory or traditional medicine.

Campaigns to educate the public are crucial for reducing demand. This is particularly evident in African grey parrots: in many countries, buyers are not informed that purchasing these animals fuels poaching. Educational programs in schools and information campaigns on social media could help raise awareness of sustainable and legal alternatives.

Successful conservation measures – 3 examples

Despite the worrying situation, there are also conservation successes showing that populations can recover if action is taken consistently:

• Saiga antelope: Thanks to intensive conservation measures, training for customs and border officers and awareness programs in end-consumer countries, poaching could be curbed. According to the IUCN, however, this development depends entirely on strict enforcement of the rules—any weakening of protection measures would lead to a renewed increase in poaching.
• Greater one-horned rhinoceros: The population of the Indian rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis) was stabilized through targeted protection measures in India and Nepal. The IUCN therefore downlisted the species from “Endangered” to “Vulnerable.”
• China’s 2017 ivory ban: The ban on ivory trade in China has already produced measurable successes. In some regions of Africa, elephant poaching has declined by up to 50%.

A societal rethink is necessary

Whether for fashion, luxury goods, pets or trophies—the exploitation of wild animals has many facets. Economic interests, cultural traditions and a lack of consumer awareness make it difficult to end these practices. But initial successes show that protection measures are worthwhile.

Illegal wildlife trade is among the greatest threats to global biodiversity. Combating it requires not only strict laws and international cooperation, but also a societal shift. As long as wild animals are seen as commodities that can be bought, sold or displayed, their survival remains threatened. A radical rethink of consumption patterns and greater awareness of species conservation are needed to prevent the extinction of numerous species.

1. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is now a collective term for traditional healing methods from Asia, although many of these practices also exist in other countries such as Japan, Korea, and Vietnam. The term has become established because China has systematized the system, disseminated it worldwide, and promoted it through government support. While similar medical systems exist, TCM is often used as an umbrella term, as many concepts—such as qi, yin and yang, and herbal medicine—originate in China. ↩︎