The game of extinction

Since the middle of the 19th century, environmental degradation became rampant due to industrialisation and discovery of new processes and materials. The year 1962 proved a milestone when Rachel Carson published the book Silent Spring. The book resulted in one after another chemicals being banned. Incidentally, ten years later, in June 1972, world leaders from 113 nations gathered in Stockholm to discuss about ways to reverse the degradation. The Conference on Human Environment started on 5th June and resulted in the formation of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). Since 1973, the anniversary of the Stockholm Conference – 5th June – is celebrated as World Environment Day (WED), to create awareness about the environment. For each year, a special theme is selected by the UNEP. For 2016 the theme is “Zero Tolerance for the Illegal Wildlife Trade”. Reasons are obvious. The booming illegal trade in wildlife products is threatening the biodiversity of the Earth, pushing species towards extinction.

The illegal trade
The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) studied the trade for the period 1998 to 2007. Examination of about 53,000 trade data brought out the fact that during that period, 35 million animals were traded, of which 30 million were wild species. More important, experts are of the opinion that compared to legal trade, volume of illegal trade is much more. That brings extra pressure on the organisms. The traders are in a hurry to deliver the goods. Also, they conceal the organisms to avoid detection. As a result, about 60 to 80% of the organisms die in transit. Just as an example, in November 2013, Thai Customs officials intercepted more than 1000 turtles which were concealed in the luggage of air passengers. On a single day, four suitcases were intercepted with 470 turtles. Recently, in April 2016, one person was sentenced for five years in USA for smuggling turtles. He had tied 51 turtles to his body, inside his garments. In several countries there is a huge market for turtles to be kept as pets. It is estimated that during 2000 and 2014, about 65,000 turtles were caught illegally in Mexico alone. Thailand’s Tiger Temple was in news in June, this year. People used to visit the temple to take selfies with the Tiger cubs. But officials found 40 dead cubs in the temple freezer! Also, temple monks were caught fleeing with tiger skins.

Elephants, tigers, rhinos, leopards, gorillas and sea turtles are well known examples of animals which are poached. In 2011, a subspecies of the Javan rhino went extinct in Vietnam; in the same year, western black rhinos vanished from Cameroon. Great apes have disappeared from Gambia, Burkina Faso, Benin and Togo. About 3,000 wild great apes are lost every year, Orangutans are the main targets. Lesser-known targets of illegal trades are helmeted hornbills and pangolins. Pangolins are considered the most illegally trafficked mammal. Also, wild orchids and timber like rosewood are smuggled.

Let us look at some hard facts. Between 2010 and 2012, 100,000 African elephants were killed for their ivory. Since 2009, African Savannah elephants have declined by 60% in Tanzania and by 50% in Mozambique. An estimated 170 tonnes of ivory was illegally exported from Africa between 2009 and 2014. A report about Gabon’s Minkebe Park says that since 2004, about two-thirds of its elephants have been killed there. Gabon supports more than half of wild African elephants, about 40,000. Rhinos are poached for their horns. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), 1,338 rhinos were killed in 2015. In South Africa alone, 1,175 rhinos were killed. It is estimated that python skin worth one billion dollars reaches Europe every year through clandestine routes.

If we look at the value of illegal wildlife trade, it is between 15 and 20 billion dollars annually. It is estimated that during the last ten years, more than one million different animals were taken from the wild. Now scientists use a special terminology – “Empty Forest Syndrome” – to signify the absence of large animals from the forests. Illegal and unreported fishing is another area of concern, accounting for 11-26 million tonnes of fish each year, causing depletion of fish stocks, price increase and difficulties for fishermen.

The Indian scene
India with almost all possible types of ecosystems, has very high biodiversity. With only 2.4% of the land, India supports 7-8 percent of total biodiversity. That is why it is included in the list of ‘Mega-diverse nations’. But many Indians are not concerned about this wealth and they are destroying the habitats as well as the wildlife. Cheetahs were present in large numbers in India, but it is now no more. The last two cheetahs were killed in 1947. The Asiatic lion, which now exists in the Gir area of Gujarat, used to be present in much larger areas. People hunted them to the extent that only few were left. Luckily, the Nawab of Junagarh prohibited lion hunting and secured them. Presently, the population is about 500, but in only one area. There too, they are not safe. Poachers do target them whenever they get an opportunity. They are killed by poisoning and their body parts are removed. As far as tigers are concerned, India has the highest population in the world.

Originally, tigers consisted of nine sub-species. Three have been exterminated completely. One of the remaining i.e., the Royal Bengal Tiger is present in India and adjacent Bangladesh and Nepal. Poachers regularly target them for their skin, bones, teeth, nails etc.

A few years back, the Sariska Wildlife Sanctuary lost all its tigers. A lot of noise was generated as Sariska is close to Delhi and most foreign dignitaries are taken to Sariska when they visit Delhi. Tigers from other areas were reintroduced here.

In the year 2015, 69 Indian tigers died due to various reasons. Poaching was an important factor, as 25 were poached. Madhya Pradesh alone lost 16 tigers to poaching. The trend for 2016 is even more disturbing. As many as 28 tigers were poached by April end. Rudyard Kipling’s story about Mowgli and Sher Khan made the Indian tigers of Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh internationally famous. A recent film on the story has proved very successful. Earlier, a TV serial on the story was seen by millions. But even in those forests, the tigers are not safe. On an average, a tiger dies there every 10 days. Tiger skin fetches high price in Europe and other areas, while the bones, teeth, nails etc. are in great demand in China and a few other countries. Tiger bones are used to brew ‘tiger bone wine’, and the meat is sold as a delicacy. The teeth and claws are sold as charms. Recently, when tiger poaching attracted more attention, the poachers started targeting leopards. Experts say that one leopard is killed every day.
Rhino is another target for poachers in India. The one-horned rhino exists only in Kaziranga and adjoining areas. Between 2009 and 2015, 61 rhinos were killed there. In April 2016 when Prince William and his wife Kate Middleton were in Kaziranga, poachers killed a rhino and cut out the horn. Rhinos are killed for their horns since they fetch very high price in certain countries, including China. Indian elephants are also under attack for their ivory.

In India, wildlife is killed for bizarre reasons too. For example, some people sacrifice owls during Diwali. Owl is considered the vehicle of goddess Lakshmi. People kill the owl so that the goddess will be stranded at the house where the ‘sacrifice’ is performed. Another example is of snakes. People generally kill all kinds of snakes although only four or five varieties of Indian snakes are poisonous.

Even plants are vulnerable due to over-exploitation and deforestation. Globally, 14,781 species of higher plants have been classified as threatened. For India the number is 385, while Ecuador accounts for the highest number (1848).

It is well established that wild ecosystems and organisms also boost tourism. Large numbers of tourists from inside the country and outside visit Indian forests for wildlife. Tigers and lions are the two main attractions. When white tigers were present only in India, they attracted maximum tourists. For Uganda it has been established that one live Gorilla brings $1 million per year through tourism. Innumerable examples of similar nature can be cited from all over the world. That is why this year the WED theme focused on this subject so that people may realise the value of wildlife.

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