Black Market
cwilcox | November 20, 2008Tigers are the largest of the big cats in the Panthera genus which also includes the Lion, Jaguar, and Leopard. There are six living subspecies, of which all are endangered. They occupy only 7% of their original range, and population estimates are perpetually declining. There are only somewhere around 4,900 tigers left in the wild. One subspecies, the South China Tiger, is almost certain to go extinct in our lifetime with only about 20 individuals left in the wild.
So, normally, you'd be happy to hear that they can be bred in captivity in China, and routinely are. Normally, you'd think 'that…
zooillogix | October 27, 2008So what's worse than buying powdered black rhino horn from a back alley Shenzen apothecary to cure your impotence? Paying too much for black rhino horn at aforementioned back alley apothecary! Luckily, I came upon an interesting table at Havocscope, which provides indexes of black market industries, including animal trafficking. While these metrics are certainly depressing, this sort of information helps conservationists understand the economic challenges they are up against, and plan their strategies accordingly.
The sources for these numbers are listed at Havocscope. As any longterm…