Activity 3.7 – Wildlife Trafficking Online

  • Common name: Ostrich
  • Scientific name: Struthio camelus
  • IUCN Category (vulnerable, endangered, critically endangered, etc.): Vulnerable
  • Geographic range: The ostrich population spans a large area of land on the continent of Africa. They are typically found in Somalia, Kenya, Ethiopia, and Djibouti. This area is sometimes referred to as the “Horn of Africa”. Currently, they are found mostly in Samburu, Kenya. (BirdLife International (BirdLife International), 2021)
  • Habitat (system and type with details): Their environments can vary but they usually live in shrublands, forests, or grasslands. All of these lands can be found in the Savanna and usually have little rainfall. They live in very dry lands but have adapted to their environment. (BirdLife International (BirdLife International), 2021)
  • Assessment information (use IUCN dropdown for Assessment Information in Detail): They have been deemed vulnerable to extinction on September 24, 2021. They are currently being hunted for their eggs and meat for a multitude of reasons. They also face habitat loss, which is also another reason why their population numbers have been decreasing. Currently, information is limited on how much they are being affected. (BirdLife International (BirdLife International), 2021)
  • Threats: Some of the threats they currently face are farming/ranching and hunting. The main cause of their population dropping is due to hunting. They are hunted for their meat, eggs, and feathers. Their eggs specifically are used for decorations, symbols, or even protective devices. They are also hunted for game and used as live target practice for many. 
  • Use and Trade: Currently the hunting of ostriches have been more of a local and national problem and not an international problem just yet. They are used as a source of both food and culture.
  • Appendix listing and related countries with Source Code(s) (the letters W, X, R, etc.): Appendix: I As of 2022 the countries of Algeria, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal and Sudan on

URL for the Google Sheet: Links to an external site.


https://sanantonio.craigslist.org/search/sss?query=ostrich+egg (Post used to sell ostrich egg on ivory stand)

  • Common name: Elephant

  • Scientific name: Loxodonta cyclotis

  • IUCN Category (vulnerable, endangered, critically endangered, etc.): Critically Endangered

  • Geographic range: Elephants can be found all across Africa and live in many countries. Countries like Liberia, South Sudan, Ghana, and Sierra Leone are all countries that have elephants. Unfortunately due to their dropping populations they can usually be found in western Africa. (Maisels, 2020)

  • Habitat (system and type with details): Like many other animals in Africa they live in the Savanna, which is mostly made up of shrublands and scarce forests. Elephants move a lot so they don't have a fixed area when they have specific adaptations for. They are used to high temperatures but are also able to thrive in areas where there are humid areas.

  • Assessment information (use IUCN dropdown for Assessment Information in Detail): They were declared critically endangered on November 13, 2020. The reason why they are considered critically endangered is because their population has dropped over 80% from its original population status. They are being over hunted and having their lands be destroyed at such high rates they are unable to increase their population naturally. In some areas their population has never recovered from hunting and habitat loss. (Maisels, 2020)

  • Threats: There is a laundry list of things that are currently stopping the elephant population from recovering. Things like poaching, habitat loss, war, logging, tourism, railroads, and agriculture are all major causes. Another thing that is hindering their recovery is global warming as well. Due to the drastic changes in our environment recently the elephant has not been able to adapt to the changes caused by global warming such as droughts, higher temperatures, and shrinking water supplies.

  • Use and Trade: Elephant tusks are used all across the world and can be found in many illegal animal trading markets. They are used as decorative items in Asia, which is awhere a large majority of ivory ends up. They are also used as tourist attractions and hunting trophies.

  • Appendix listing and related countries with Source Code(s) (the letters W, X, R, etc.): Appendix:II and R Many countries have banned ivory sales except for the U.S, U.K, Thailand and Japan.(Just a Moment. . ., n.d.-d)

URL for the Google Sheet: Links to an external site.




Section B


While I was looking over the class spreadsheet I noticed that many of the websites people were able to find animals on were craigslist. The majority of them were also posts found in America. I also noticed that when they referenced the original post's captions for the animals, many of the captions tended to avoid certain phrases. Phrases like “endangered”, “rare”, “imported”, or “exotic” were not used which could mean that the sellers might have known that they were participating in animal trafficking. On the off chance that they were unaware of what they were selling it seems really convenient for them to not use those specific phrases. When I first started looking for any posts selling endangered animals and products it took me a while, which was what I was expecting. I thought that I would need to know specific words illegal traders might use like I was infiltrating some secret organization. When I think of animal trafficking/trade I think of the black market or some underground secretive society. However, what I was expecting did not turn out to be completely true. Initially, I thought it would take me hours just to find one but after 30 minutes I was able to find two examples of potential illegal animal trade. I did not think animal trade would be that easy to find. Although many of these may be fake, the amount that could truly be illegal animal trading was astonishing. I saw some people substitute some letters with symbols like @ or 3 to try and hide their posts which I thought was interesting.








Citations

BirdLife International (BirdLife International). (2021b, September 24). The. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/22732795/208237218


Geolocation Unavailable. (n.d.). Retrieved October 26, 2022, from https://offerup.com/item/detail/29650369-4c68-3113-8aad-41965ffb4561?q=ivory+tusks



List of Threatened Species. https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/22732795/208237218


San Antonio for sale “ostrich egg.” (n.d.). Craigslist. Retrieved October 26, 2022, from https://sanantonio.craigslist.org/search/sss?query=ostrich+egg


Species+. (n.d.). Retrieved October 26, 2022, from https://speciesplus.net/species




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