"GO WILD for life" is the theme for this year's World Environment Day (WED) which was celebrated last Sunday, June 5. What the WED organizers want is to focus our attention on plants and animals under threat and take action to help safeguard them for future generations. By the way, in the Philippines our celebration is not just on June 5 but the whole month of June which was officially declared as Environment Month.
Some of the threats to wildlife are illegal trade, poaching and destruction of habitat. Here in the Philippines, we have several critically endangered species such as the Philippine Eagle and Tarsier which are victims of these illegal acts. The Philippine Tarsier is among the world's 25 most endangered primate according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
In January this year, agents of the Bureau of Customs and the Wildlife and Aquatic Resources found 11 tarsiers, 11 monitor lizards, eight sailfin lizards, six water snakes, five rat snakes, three scops owls and three eagle owls in a shipment bound for Japan declared as aquatic plants. We don't know how many of our endangered species actually pass through inspection undetected.
Worldwide, illegal wildlife trade is rampant. Here are some facts from http://www.onegreenplanet.org/
1. Between 35,000 to 50,000 African Elephants are poached a year. The African elephant population has been cut in half since the 1970s due to ivory poaching. It is estimated that the African elephant will be extinct in the next 10 years if this does not stop.
2. There are more Tigers in American backyards than in the wild. The illegal wildlife trade also fuels the exotic pet trade. The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) estimates there are 5,000 tigers being kept in U.S. backyards and there are only around 3,000 left in the wild.
3. Three Rhinos are poached everyday. Despite scientific evidence refuting the efficacy of rhino horn to treat illnesses such as cancer, it still remains a popular ingredient in traditional medicine.
4. More than one million Pangolins have been traded in the past 10 years. Pangolins are largely poached for their scales or sold as bush meat.
5. Approximately 28,300 freshwater Turtles are traded each day. Around 80 percent of Asia's freshwater turtle species are in danger of extinction. These turtles are used for medicine, food and pets.
6. Around 30 percent of the Asian elephant population is in captivity. Like the African elephant, the Asian elephant is at dire risk of extinction. There are an estimated 32,000 Asian elephants left in the wild. One-third of the remaining population are being held in zoos, circuses, or used in tourist attractions.
7. The illegal wildlife trade generates between five and 20 billion dollars, annually. The species who fall victim to this cruel trade as quickly becoming endangered and threatened with extinction. As the supply of these animals drops, the price tag for their goods rises. It is the fourth most lucrative illegal trade in the world. According to United for Wildlife, the illegal wildlife trade ranks right after drugs, human trafficking and the arms trade.
8. Over the past 25 Years, the wholesale price of Ivory in China has risen from five dollars to 2,100 dollars. The African elephant population is quickly dwindling, making the price of ivory rise. China is the world's largest market for ivory and the U.S. comes in close second
9 . Over 1,000 Rangers have been killed in the past 10 years. In an effort to protect species, many national parks and wildlife reserves have rangers who guard endangered species from harm. Given the high potential pay-off for the sale of wildlife parts, poachers will do whatever it takes to kill wildlife, even if that means killing humans as well.