Internet selling threatens endangered species
16 August 2005
Rare species of wild animals are reportedly being brought close to extinction by online trade in products and live animals.
Research by the International Fund for Animal Welfare (Ifaw) found that there were more than 9,000 live animals or products on sale online, in internet chatrooms and via legitimate trading sites such as eBay, including live chimpanzees, ivory tusks, dried seahorses and even a Siberian tiger.
The IFAW claims in its report, 'Caught in the web, wildlife trade on the internet', that at least 70 per cent of the products and species available were from animals protected by international law.
The charity said its three-month inquiry revealed that vast quantities of wildlife products and live animals are being traded illegally on the internet and warned that the lucrative trade was growing, threatening the world’s most endangered species with extinction.
The investigation was restricted to five categories of animals, and the IFAW suggests that the findings represent the tip of the iceberg. The illegal wildlife trade offer high returns for low penalties and a low risk of detection, particularly via the internet.
Phyllis Campbell-McRae, director of IFAW UK, said: “Trade on the internet is easy, cheap and anonymous. However, it is clear that unscrupulous traders and sophisticated criminal gangs are taking advantage of the opportunities provided by the world wide web.
"The result is a cyber black market where the future of the world’s rarest animals is being traded away."
Ms Campbell-McRae called for action by governments and website owners to tackle the problem and urged consumers not to buy and sell wild animals and wildlife products.
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