China lost 121 tons of ivory to smugglers between 1991-2002
The 121 tons is the equivalent of the tusks from 11,000 elephants.
Source: “Round the horn,” The Economist, July 19, 2008, pg. 68.
Price increase of ivory
Price of ivory has increased from $200 a kilo in 2004 to $850 to $900 in 2008.
Source: The Economist, “Call of the wild,” March 8, 2008, pg. 85.
Decline of Rhino population
In the early 1970s, the global rhino population stood at 75,000. In 2008, it stood around 11,000.
Source: The Economist, “Call of the wild”, March 8, 2008, pg. 86.
Animal and Wildlife Trafficking and Smuggling: $20 Billion
The WWF (formerly known as the World Wildlife Fund) has estimated that animal and wildlife trafficking to be worth between $15 billion and $25 billion a year.
Source: Adrian Levy and Cathy Scott-Clark, “Poaching for Bin Laden,” Guardian, May 5, 2007, (accessed: May 7, 2007).
Estimated 19,000 elephants are poached every year
Source: Associated Press, “One-time ivory sale approved,” International Herald Tribune, June 14, 2007.
Only 50 to 150 tigers remain in wild in Vietnam due to poaching
Source: AFP, “Wildlife smuggling in Asia still a roaring trade,” Yahoo News, June 3, 2007.
60 percent of rhino population were killed in two African countries between 2003 and 2005
Source: Arthur Max, AP, “Crime syndicates smuggling wildlife,” Yahoo News, June 7, 2007.
Poacher in Taiwan can sell a bear for $4,500
Source: AFP, “Wildlife smuggling in Asia still a roaring trade,” Yahoo News, June 3, 2007.
At least 12,000 bears are kept on bile farms in China
Cathryn Atkinson, “Bear Detecttion Kits tested against smuggling,” The Globe and Mail, July 6, 2007.
Indian tiger pelt can be sold on the black market for up to $16,000
AFP, “Wildlife smuggling in Asia still a roaring trade,” Yahoo News, June 3, 2007.
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