Wildlife Trade

Elephants are killed by poachers who remove their tusks for the illegal ivory trade. This trade is reported to result in tens of thousands of elephant deaths each year across Africa, for the sole purpose of making trinkets and other luxury items. These status symbols are under increasing demand due to the growing affluence in countries such as China.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List, which lists all rare species, classifies African elephants as Vulnerable. This means the species “faces a high risk of extinction in the wild in the near future.” African elephant populations have been in a steady decline:

1900 – 10 million
1979 – 1.3 million
1989 – 600,000
2007 – 550,000

Today, it is estimated that as few as 415,000 African elephants remain in the wild. Learn more »

Lions face imminent danger of extinction throughout significant portions of their range due to over-exploitation by recreational trophy hunting and commercial trade, loss of habitat and prey species, retaliatory killings, disease, and other human-caused and natural factors (including the eating of lion meat). In 2015, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service listed African lions as Endangered in some areas and Threatened in others under the Endangered Species Act.

There are two distinct populations of lion: the African lion and the Asiatic lion. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List, which lists all rare species of animals, classifies the African lion as Vulnerable and the West African subpopulation as Critically Endangered. The Asiatic lion is classified as Endangered.

Africa’s lion population is estimated to have fallen by approximately 43% between 1993-2014 (about three lion generations). Across West, Central and East Africa, lions have declined by 60% or more. Lions now occupy as little as 8% of their historic range (1978-2015). Sadly, experts agree that as few as 20,000 lions remain in the wild, and that only an estimated 400 lions remain across West Africa. Asiatic lions, numbering fewer than 500, are only found in the Gir Forest in India.

Population declines of African lions, as reported by IUCN:

1940s – 450,000
1980 – 100,000
2015 – 20,000

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Pangolins, also known as scaly anteaters, are the world’s most illegally-traded mammal. They are covered in scales made of keratin: the same protein that forms human hair and fingernails. Pangolin meat is considered to be a luxury product in parts of China and Vietnam, and their scales, blood, and fetuses are used in traditional Chinese medicine. Tens of thousands of these harmless animals are killed and traded each year. In fact, it is estimated that, in Asia, at least one pangolin is killed every single hour.

ery little is known about the population numbers of pangolins. What we do know is that, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List, all eight species of pangolins (four in Africa and four in Asia) have a decreasing population trend: a worrying sign for the future of the pangolin. The IUCN Red List classifies the Chinese and the Sunda pangolin species as Endangered. The remaining species of Asian and African pangolins are classified as Near Threatened, apart from the Cape and black-bellied pangolins, which are classified as Least Concern. Learn more »

Rhino horn is made of keratin: the same hard, fibrous protein found in humans and many other mammals, which makes up our hair and fingernails. Rhinos are brutally killed for their horns, which are carved into daggers worn by men in Yemen and Oman as a symbol of wealth and status; used in traditional Chinese medicine, including for its (unproven) cancer-curing properties; and are given as high-end gifts or even as investment opportunities in Vietnam and China.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List classifies rhinoceros species as follows:

Southern white rhino – Near Threatened
Northern white rhino – Critically Endangered
Indian rhino – Critically Endangered
Javan rhino – Critically Endangered
Sumatran rhino – Critically Endangered

Wild rhino populations have been in serious decline:

Beginning of 20th Century – 500,000
1970 – 70,000
2010 – 27,950

The following population figures for rhinos remaining in the wild are based on numbers published in 2010 by the IUCN, and are approximate:

Black rhino – 4,880
Southern white rhino – 20,170
Northern white rhino – 2 (as of May 2018)
Indian rhino – 3,264
Javan rhino – 35-45
Sumatran rhino – 140-210

Rhino Poaching in South Africa from 2001-2014 (via Born Free Foundation):

IMAGE GOES HERE

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Bear gallbladders and bear bile, typically from Moon bears, are used in Asia and Asian communities in the U.S. to create medicines and luxury cosmetic items and toiletries, such as shampoos and hemorrhoid creams. Bear paws are also used in high-priced bowls of soup, known to fetch hundreds of dollars per serving. Sadly, these gallbladders, bile, and paws are obtained through inhumane and illegal methods.

Only about 25,000 Moon bears are in existence, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List classifies them as Vulnerable, which means the species “faces a high risk of extinction in the wild in the near future.” Learn more »