Researchers expose secret smuggling trick used to traffic endangered animal parts: 'Nobody checks'

Poachers in Malaysia have been using commercial fishing fleets to smuggle body parts of critically endangered tigers. They are using networks of routes and fishing boats to traffic the parts of illegally slaughtered animals to Vietnam. 

What's happening?

As the Associated Press reported, conservation organization researchers interviewed around 50 people involved in the illegal operations of poaching and selling animal parts. With this information, they discovered that fishing boats can cheaply carry large consignments and are unlikely to be checked by customs.

The interviews revealed that fishing boats have been used for transporting tiger skins, wild boar meat and tusks, turtles, bear paws, and pangolins.

"Nobody checks," one interviewee told the AP. "In addition, people can go back by boat so many things also can be brought back by this route."

The poachers come from poor, rural areas, where they live in groups for several months to capture and kill in-demand animals. Tigers are widely prized for their bones, which are believed to have medicinal benefits, and amulets are made out of their teeth and claws. 

Why is stopping animal poaching and trafficking important?

In the mid-1900s, there were at least 3,000 tigers in the population, reports the AP. But now, there are only around 150 in Malaysia and none remaining in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. Tigers have lost their habitats due to poaching, deforestation, and disease.

Animal poaching threatens the existence of species and damages ecosystems while having negative impacts on people and the planet.

The killing of endangered animals can affect reproduction rates, deplete natural resources, and contribute to poverty and inequality issues. Poaching also presents habitat destruction and global security concerns since wildlife trafficking is often linked to organized crime.

What's being done about illegal animal operations?

Although the researchers' findings are disturbing, they also shed light on a critical problem and allow opportunities to make interventions. The researchers recommended increasing the focus on fishing boats and targeting potential poachers who are recruited to kill and traffic wild animals.

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Malaysia and Vietnam have been enforcing stricter maritime controls to combat waterway trafficking. Meanwhile, authorities have increased punishments for wildlife crimes.

Study co-author Gopalasamy Reuben Clements said, "We can't arrest our way out of a problem or over-rely on the criminal justice system. We need to explore other approaches, such as highly targeted behavioral change interventions, that can run in parallel to arrests and prosecutions."

Globally, governments and park systems are working to stop poaching and conserve vulnerable animals. For example, authorities have recently removed poaching traps in Uganda and arrested rhino poachers in Indonesia.

As an individual, you can help end animal poaching by educating yourself and others about the issues and supporting conservation agencies that protect wildlife and facilitate sustainable land-use practices.

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