For our planet’s diversity, illegal wildlife trade is a key threat.
Each day, 3-5 rhinos are brutally killed. Horns are hacked off to fetch high prices (similar street value to heroine). An unfounded belief that it’ll provide relief for headaches?
Every 2-3 hours, an elephant is mutilated for tusks, shipped along smuggling routes to Asia. Sold as medicinal products & ivory status symbols.
Every 5 minutes, a Pangolin is snatched from the wild. Scales are boiled to feed the traditional medicine market. Pangolin meat is a delicacy, our world’s most trafficked animal.
Illegal wildlife trade is estimated to be worth £20-25 billion a year. Organised crime groups see wildlife as low risk & high-value, connected with serious crime networks.
We can consciously & compassionately play our part in stopping the illegal & destructive wildlife trade.