Live Reptiles 5
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LIVE REPTILES 5 Map 1 Trafficking flow map - Reptilia (2007-2018)* Main trafficking flows based on adjusted seizures High volume flow Low volume flow Seized live equivalent (thousand heads) 15 10 5 1 <1 Trafficking Role Source of shipment Transit or destination of shipment Source: UNODC World WISE Database *The year 2018 is based on partial data. The boundaries and names shown and the designations used on this map do not imply official endorsement or acceptance by the United Nations. A dispute exists between the Governments of Argentina and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland concerning sovereignty over the Falkland Islands (Malvinas). In the last World Wildlife Crime Report, The last World Wildlife Crime Report Because the smuggling of live rep- several species of reptiles appeared focused on the illegal skin trade, tiles often results in high mortality among the most trafficked species highlighting the ways that unregu- rates, seizures involving live reptiles in the world, including crocodilians, lated collection of wild pythons and or whole reptile bodies3 are included lizards, snakes, tortoises and freshwa- boas can introduce illegally caught in the analysis below as “live reptile ter turtles.1 The same species remain skins into the legal fashion industry. equivalents.” In addition, species prominent in the analysis conducted Since 2016, however, according to the known to be widely used for their for this report. The three largest mar- CITES Secretariat, fashion brands, meat or skin or widely farmed were kets for illegally traded reptiles that designers and department stores excluded,4 so the analysis below appear in the seizure records are: have expanded their support to rep- focuses on wild-sourced species that tile conservation programmes around are likely to be traded as pets or --- Reptile skin or shells used in the world. While small leather items among reptile collectors and breeders. the décor or fashion industries; (such as handbags, wallets, belts, and According to World WISE, nine out shoes) continue to be the single larg- of the top ten CITES-listed wild- --- Reptile meat organs, or venom est category of reptile products seized, sourced live reptile species seized in consumed as a food, tonic or the number of live reptiles seized is recent years, based on a head count, medicine; comparable to the number of reptile were tortoises and freshwater turtles skins from crocodilians, snakes, and (Figure 1).5 Consequently, this chapter --- Live reptiles used as pets, for lizards seized, and live reptile seized.2 pays particular attention to the illegal zoos, or breeding. trade in live turtles and tortoises.6 73 LIVE REPTILES The majority of the live reptiles seized excluding food species, are indicated Sourcing (70 per cent) were listed on Appen- in the table 1 below, along with their dix II of CITES, with 18 per cent Appendix listing and IUCN status. Live reptiles detected in illegal inter- on Appendix I and 4 per cent on national trade come from several Appendix III. The remaining live rep- In addition to World WISE data, the different parts of the world, including tiles seized for CITES violations were chapter uses qualitative data based on South Asia, Central Asia, South-East not identified down to a taxonomic a series of 30 interviews with reptile Asia, East Africa and West Africa. level that allowed for an exact appen- experts and people involved in the live Based on World WISE seizure data, dix listing classification.7 The top 10 reptile trade during 2019.14 India is the leading national source of CITES-listed live reptile species seized, seizures and is the source of a variety Fig. 1 Share of broad reptile groups in total number of live reptile equivalents seized, Fig. 2 Share of top ten CITES-listed live reptiles seized, 2007-2017* 2007-2017 Unspecied False map turtle Crocodilians reptiles Pig-nosed turtle 2.9% Mali uromastyx 7.6% 0.5% 3% 2.3% Greek tortoise 6.1% Black spotted turtle 7% Lizards Yellow-spotted 17.8% river turtle Turtles and Radiated 29.1% tortoises tortoise 47.4% 8.2% Russian Snakes Indian star tortoise 26.7% tortoise 8.9% Asian 21.3% box turtle 11.2% Source: UNODC World WISE Database Source: UNODC World WISE Database * Includes live specimens and bodies. Based on 6,015 * Includes bodies. seizure events. ** The top ten live reptile species seized represent 33% of all reptiles seized when looking only at bodies and live specimens. Fig. 3 Share of source countries for the top ten live reptile species seized,* 2007-2017 Excluding seizures with Other Uzbekistan 5.7% unknown origin India 7.4% 13.3% Domestic Madagascar Other 19.1% 5.5% 9.3% India Pakistan 21.5% 2.9% Domestic Mali Uzbekistan 2.6% 30.9% Unknown 12.1% United States 38.3% of America 2.1% Madagascar Bangladesh Thailand 8.9% 1.5% 2.4% Pakistan Bangladesh Mali Thailand 4.7% 1.5% 2.5% 4.2% United States of America Source: UNODC World WISE Database 3.4% *Excluding food species. Includes bodies. WORLD WILDLIFE CRIME REPORT 2020 WORLD WILDLIFE CRIME REPORT 74 5 Table 1 Top ten seized reptile species for the live trade, 2007-2017 TOP 10 CITES-LISTED COMMON NAMES IUCN RED LIST POPULATION SPECIES SEIZED OF SPECIES STATUS8 TREND9 Live Reptiles Live Podocnemis unifilis Yellow-spotted Vulnerable Unknown (Appendix II) river turtle10 Geochelone elegans (II) Indian star tortoise Vulnerable Decreasing Decreasing for three Endangered or Cuora spp. (II)11 Asian box turtle species and unknown critically endangered12 for all others13 Testudo horsfieldii (II) Russian tortoise Vulnerable Unknown Astrochelys radiata (I) Radiated tortoise Critically endangered Decreasing Black pond turtle/ Geoclemys hamiltonii (I) Endangered Decreasing Indian spotted pond turtle Testudo graeca (II) Greek tortoise Vulnerable Unknown Carettochelys insculpta (II) Pig-nosed turtle Endangered Decreasing Graptemys pseudo- False map turtle Least concern Unknown geographica (III) Uromastyx dispar (II) Mali uromastyx – – * Excluding food species, including bodies. of species, most notably the Indian their homes until middlemen come difficult or costly to breed in captiv- star tortoise (Geochelone elegans). to collect them. They may also breed ity, are typical targets for this sort of Uzbekistan appears prominently and grow-out reptiles. laundering.17 due to the indigenous Russian tor- toise (Testudo horsfieldii). Madagascar At this early point in the trafficking is seen as the source of seizures of at chain, prices paid are often very low. Trafficking least 30 species of reptiles, but most For example, illegal market prices prominently the radiated tortoise for turtles in the Philippines range The intention of this kind of wildlife (Astrochelys radiata). The black pond from US$1-15 per turtle at the source. trafficking is to get the animals to turtle (Geoclemys hamiltonii) is seized These are sold for 10 to 100 times that arrive alive at their final destination. from a wide range of source countries, at the retail level. Radiated tortoises To reduce mortality rates due to suf- including India, Indonesia, Malaysia, (Astrochelys radiata) from Madagascar focation, dehydration, starvation or Pakistan and Thailand. are sold for US$2-10 at source, while otherwise, most international traffick- they are sold to the end consumer for ing of live reptiles occurs by air: 56 The wide range of seizure source loca- US$1,000-2,000 (for a one- to three- per cent of the live reptile seizure inci- tions makes it difficult to generalize year-old animal, depending on the dents in World WISE that included about the means of collection. Based colour).16 transport information involved air on interviews with international rep- transport. tile traders,15 poachers collect animals Interviews with reptile traders around by hand or with snares, pitfall traps, the world suggested that contraband According to interviews with reptile fishing line or funnel traps, and some- reptiles may be laundered through dealers around the world, turtles and times specialized hunting dogs. The captive breeding operations. Inter- tortoises are a good product to sell advent of YouTube and other video national traders say that some because they tend to sell for higher sharing sites has resulted in an abun- suppliers will illegally source gravid prices than other reptiles and survive dance of “how to” videos promoting females from the wild, so that they transportation well, providing higher the best ways to catch certain species, lay their eggs at their farm, and they profit margins. Some turtle and tor- especially in South-East Asia. Most then declare the offspring to be cap- toise species are valuable enough to poachers living in the range area tive-bred. “Niche” species, with very air courier, making use of carry-on collect reptiles opportunistically for specific or lesser-known ecologies, or checked luggage. Some experts secondary income and keep them at diets and behaviours that make them interviewed reported cases involving 75 LIVE REPTILES airport personnel facilitating the much greater quantities of specimens interviews with experts in the trade, trafficking of ploughshare tortoises seized.19 A smaller number of seizures many physical markets have closed (Astrochelys yniphora), for example.18 of large to very large shipments (that in favour of online sales, as these Use of air freight also appears to is several hundred or thousands of reduce overhead costs and often be on the rise as well as the use of live specimens) have also been docu- receive less official scrutiny. When express mail using devised