How China's Wildlife Trade Legislation Permits Commercial Trade in Protected Wild Animal Species

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
Aron White
Keyword(s):  
Traditional Medicine ◽  
Animal Species ◽  
Wild Animal ◽  
Wildlife Trade ◽  
Trade Policies ◽  
Wild Animals ◽  
Protected Species ◽  
Wildlife Protection ◽  
Derivatives Of ◽  
Commercial Trade

Abstract Wildlife trade policies in China and elsewhere have come under increased scrutiny following suggestions that the emergence of the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 may have been linked to trade in wild animals. The breeding of and trade in most terrestrial wild animal species for consumption as food were prohibited in China in February 2020, but trade for non-food purposes such as ornamental items or traditional medicine continues to be covered by provisions in the Wildlife Protection Law (WPL). While a superficial reading of the WPL could lead to the conclusion that commercial trade in nationally protected species is generally prohibited, in practice key language is interpreted to permit commercial trade in the parts and derivatives of protected wild animal species, including those subject to the most stringent protection within China and internationally, such as leopards and pangolins.

scholarly journals “Let Me Take a Selfie”: Reviewing the Implications of Social Media for Public Perceptions of Wild Animals

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian Lenzi ◽  
Siobhan Speiran ◽  
Chiara Grasso
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Animal Species ◽  
Public Perceptions ◽  
Wild Animal ◽  
Wildlife Trade ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Wild Animals ◽  
Awareness Campaigns ◽  
Tourism Destinations ◽  
The Impact

Social media has become a powerful tool for spreading information and awareness campaigns on environmental issues, especially as they pertain to the conservation of wild animals. It is a double-edged sword, however, since it also facilitates the legal and illegal trade of wild animal species as well as the propagation of ‘wild animal selfies.’ This review presents some key literature to date which concerns the impact of social media on public perceptions of animals (such as through ‘viral’ videos), changing trends in animal encounters at wildlife tourism destinations, and the wildlife trade as it is facilitated by social media. Finally, avenues for future research are suggested with urgency, since the impact of social media on the welfare and conservation of wild animal species is most likely underestimated yet bears serious consequences.

scholarly journals Animal sales from Wuhan wet markets immediately prior to the COVID-19 pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiao Xiao ◽  
Chris Newman ◽  
Christina D. Buesching ◽  
David W. Macdonald ◽  
Zhao-Min Zhou
Keyword(s):  
Animal Welfare ◽  
Human Health ◽  
Biodiversity Conservation ◽  
Wildlife Trade ◽  
Wild Animals ◽  
Protected Species ◽  
Zoonotic Infections ◽  
Global Biodiversity ◽  
Poor Welfare

AbstractHere we document 47,381 individuals from 38 species, including 31 protected species sold between May 2017 and November 2019 in Wuhan’s markets. We note that no pangolins (or bats) were traded, supporting reformed opinion that pangolins were not likely the spillover host at the source of the current coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. While we caution against the misattribution of COVID-19’s origins, the wild animals on sale in Wuhan suffered poor welfare and hygiene conditions and we detail a range of other zoonotic infections they can potentially vector. Nevertheless, in a precautionary response to COVID-19, China’s Ministries temporarily banned all wildlife trade on 26th Jan 2020 until the COVID-19 pandemic concludes, and permanently banned eating and trading terrestrial wild (non-livestock) animals for food on 24th Feb 2020. These interventions, intended to protect human health, redress previous trading and enforcement inconsistencies, and will have collateral benefits for global biodiversity conservation and animal welfare.

scholarly journals Snake oil and pangolin scales: insights into wild animal use at “Marché des Fétiches” traditional medicine market, Togo

2020 ◽  
Vol 39 ◽  
pp. 45-71 ◽  
Author(s):  
Neil D'Cruze ◽  
Délagnon Assou ◽  
Emma Coulthard ◽  
John Norrey ◽  
David Megson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Traditional Medicine ◽  
Legal Status ◽  
Consumer Demand ◽  
Iucn Red List ◽  
Wild Animal ◽  
Wild Animals ◽  
Animal Products ◽  
Domestic Trade ◽  
Wildlife Use ◽  
Animal Names

Traditional medicine beliefs are culturally important in some West African communities, where there is a thriving domestic consumer demand for wild animal derivatives. Yet, such practices can threaten the conservation of wild populations and negatively impact animal welfare. To identify those species most likely to be affected, we investigated wildlife derivative trade at the largest fetish market of West Africa in Togo. Specifically, we asked what wild animals or animal products were most profitable, which wild animals were perceived by vendors to have increased most in rarity and what they were used for. A key question was whether vendors also sold plant-based alternatives. Vendors provided 36 local animal names, from which we inferred an estimated 281 species. Thirteen percent of these inferred species are categorised on the IUCN Red List as threatened (n = 35); 26% are declining (n = 72). The most commonly cited most profitable wildlife derivatives were “Pangolin” and “Python”; the most commonly cited most profitable live wild animal was “Chameleon”. Overall, wildlife use was predominantly spiritual rather than medicinal. Plant-based alternatives were available, but comprised < 40% of sales and appeared to be considered less important or less useful than wild animal products. The legal status of this domestic trade in Togo is unclear given the existence of potentially conflicting national legislation. In addition to further research focused on the actual impacts on populations and individuals of the species indicated, socio-economic importance of this trade, societal pressures driving consumer demand and an assessment of the feasibility of sustainable plant-based alternatives is warranted.

scholarly journals Wild Animals Used as Food Medicine in Brazil

2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 ◽  
pp. 1-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rômulo Romeu Nóbrega Alves ◽  
Tacyana Pereira Ribeiro Oliveira ◽  
Ierecê Lucena Rosa
Keyword(s):  
Rural Areas ◽  
Animal Species ◽  
Social Economic ◽  
Wild Animal ◽  
Wild Animals ◽  
Medical Systems ◽  
The Social ◽  
Potential Impact ◽  
Urban And Rural Areas ◽  
High Degree

The connection between eating and healing is common in traditional folk medical systems, and the multiple possibilities resulting from the combination of biodiversity and culture confer a wealth and complexity in terms of knowledge of the flora and fauna as to their potential as food medicine. The growing awareness of the links between traditional therapeutic-alimentary uses of wildlife and conservation has drawn attention to the gaps in knowledge on the social, economic, and biological contexts in which different forms of traditional wildlife uses take place, particularly with regard to zootherapeutic resources. In this study we interviewed 124 merchants and 203 traditional users of animal-derived remedies in Brazil, aiming at documenting the animal species used as foods and medicines in urban and rural areas of the country. At least 354 wild animal species are used in Brazilian traditional medicine, of which 157 are also used as food. The high degree of overlap between medicinal and alimentary uses of wild animals highlights the importance of understanding the socioeconomic, cultural, and ecological contexts in which those traditional uses take place for elucidating their potential impact on public health and biodiversity conservation.

DETECTION OF XENOBIOTIC SUBSTANCES IN MUTE SWANS’ (CYGNUS OLOR) BLOOD

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jolanta STANKEVIČIŪTĖ ◽  
Solveiga Marija BARKAUSKAITĖ ◽  
Gediminas BRAZAITIS
Keyword(s):  
Animal Species ◽  
Wild Animal ◽  
Wild Populations ◽  
New Methods ◽  
Negative Results ◽  
Cygnus Olor ◽  
Ecological Scale ◽  
Literature Reviews ◽  
Baseline Information ◽  
Mute Swans

During recent years the attention towards the effects of xenobiotic substances on wild nature has been steadily increasing. Literature reviews have revealed that active hormone-disintegrating substances might affect the reproduction of some wild animal species. Research shows anomalies of reproduction and development in various animal groups such as birds, fish, invertebrates and reptiles. Species inhabiting water and its surroundings cause the highest concern. Due to insufficient baseline information it is difficult to determine the extent of the problem in these wild populations on an ecological scale. The research described in this article is the first attempt to analyse xenobiotic substances and evaluate possible accumulation of pharmaceuticals in animals higher up in the food chain in Lithuania. This research tests new methods for to analyse for xenobiotics substances, which might be used in the future. Blood samples of 7 swans were examined using liquid chromatography, however, no xenobiotics were detected. Negative results do not eliminate the necessity for further investigate of larger samples, other species or to search for non-pharmaceutical xenobiotics.

Unmasking the Cosmopolitan Tiger

2008 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 25-40 ◽  
Author(s):  
Annu Jalais
Keyword(s):  
The Other ◽  
Recent History ◽  
Wild Animals ◽  
Wildlife Protection

The global 'cosmopolitan' tiger, as opposed to the local 'Sundarbans tiger', has become the rallying point for urbanites' concerns for wildlife protection globally. In this piece, I look at two different representations of tigers in recent history, one colonial and the other national. This so as to highlight how representations, even of wild animals, are ultimately linked to power. This leads me to argue how today's Western-dominated ideas about tigers (a view I call 'cosmopolitan') ultimately act to the detriment of 'other' tigers because these do not allow for an engagement with alternative ways of understanding animals and wildlife. Such images, I try to show using Descola's arguments about nature and understandings of it, in turn perpetrates the coercive and unequal relationship between, in this case, those who partake of the 'cosmopolitan' tiger view versus those who live with 'wild' tigers.

scholarly journals China's Legal Response to Trafficking in Wild Animals: The Relationship between International Treaties and Chinese Law

AJIL Unbound ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 111 ◽  
pp. 408-412 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiwen Chang
Keyword(s):  
Raw Materials ◽  
Wild Animal ◽  
Food Culture ◽  
Wild Animals ◽  
International Treaties ◽  
Ecological Civilization ◽  
Animal Products ◽  
Wild Fauna ◽  
The Government ◽  
Bear Bile

In China, the wild animals and animal products that are sold through illegal trafficking are mainly those that can be made into medicines; are raw materials in the form of ivory, rhinoceros horns, and turtle shells; and are edible or have ornamental value, such as birds, monkeys, turtles, and lizards. Due to its rapid economic development over the past decade, China has become one of the world's largest wildlife markets. The main reasons for trafficking are a lack of viable substitutes for raw materials used in traditional Chinese medicines (e.g., bear bile, bear bile powder, pangolin, and other products); a preference in traditional food culture for delicacies made from wildlife; and of the private consumption by some rich and corrupt government officials of tiger's meat, bear's paw, pangolin and other wild animal products—bear's paw and pangolin being the most popular. This type of wild animal trafficking endangers the safety of animal species protected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), and damages the international image of the government and people of China. Since 2013, under the frame of construction of ecological civilization, China has taken stricter measures on legislation, administrative enforcement, judicial adjudication, and international cooperation on prevention and punishment of illegal trafficking.

scholarly journals A voice for wild animals: Collaborative governance and human–wildlife conflict

2018 ◽  
Vol 43 (4) ◽  
pp. 257-262
Author(s):  
Katie Woolaston
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Natural Resource Management ◽  
Regulatory Mechanism ◽  
Collaborative Governance ◽  
Wild Animal ◽  
Wild Animals ◽  
New Governance ◽  
Collaborative Processes ◽  
The World ◽  
Human Wildlife Conflict

Animal lawyers in Australia and around the world often struggle to find room in law to participate in decision-making and give animals a voice. Collaborative governance is a regulatory mechanism that has the potential to overcome this struggle. This ‘new governance’ is of growing importance in environmental and natural resource management, premised on decentralised decision-making and removal of permanent hierarchies. This article will utilise two case studies to outline the benefits of legally integrated collaborative processes for wild animal welfare, including the allocation of a permanent voice in regulation for animal advocates and the ability to promote internalisation of animal-friendly norms.

scholarly journals The Impact of ‘Selfie’ Tourism on the Behaviour and Welfare of Brown-Throated Three-Toed Sloths

Animals ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (11) ◽  
pp. 216 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gemma Carder ◽  
Tinka Plese ◽  
Fernando Machado ◽  
Suzanne Paterson ◽  
Neil Matthews ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Animal Welfare ◽  
Future Study ◽  
Average Duration ◽  
Wild Animal ◽  
Wild Animals ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Bradypus Variegatus ◽  
Focal Observation ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Physical Manipulation

The use of wild animals as photo props is prevalent across the globe and is widely recognised to represent a potential animal welfare concern. However, detailed information regarding the specific impacts of such activity on wild animal behaviour is currently lacking. Herein, we investigated how brown-throated three-toed sloths (Bradypus variegatus) were handled by tourists, and how sloths behaved during wildlife ‘selfies’ taken in Manaus, Brazil and Puerto Alegria and Iquitos in Peru. In total, we observed 17 sloths (during 70 focal observations) that were provided for use in wildlife selfies on 34 different tours. We found that an average number of 5 people held each sloth during each focal observation. For 48.6% of the time the sloths were handled in a way which involved physical manipulation of the sloths’ head and/or limbs and/or being held by the claws. From the eight different types of sloth behaviour observed, we found that the two types performed for the longest average duration of time were surveillance (55.3%) and limb stretching (12.6%). Our findings show that when being handled sloths were frequently held in ways that may compromise their welfare. Although to date the behaviour of sloths while being handled has not been reported in any published literature, in this study we document certain behaviours which may act as indicators of compromised welfare. We suggest that our data provides a potential baseline for future study into the behaviour and welfare of sloths.

scholarly journals Occurrence, antimicrobial susceptibility patterns and genotypic relatedness of Salmonella spp. isolates from captive wildlife, their caretakers, feed and water in India

2018 ◽  
Vol 146 (12) ◽  
pp. 1543-1549
Author(s):  
Arockiasamy Arun Prince Milton ◽  
Rajesh Kumar Agarwal ◽  
Govindarajan Bhuvana Priya ◽  
Cheruplackal Karunakaran Athira ◽  
Mani Saminathan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Antimicrobial Susceptibility ◽  
Animal Species ◽  
Multidrug Resistant ◽  
Wild Animal ◽  
Diffusion Method ◽  
Pcr Assay ◽  
Direct Pcr ◽  
Salmonella Spp ◽  
Culture Methods ◽  
Faecal Samples

AbstractOccurrence of Salmonella spp. in captive wild animal species in India is largely unknown. The purpose of this study was to determine the occurrence of different Salmonella serotypes, antimicrobial resistance patterns and genotypic relatedness of recovered isolates. A total of 370 samples including faecal (n = 314), feed and water (n = 26) and caretakers stool swabs (n = 30) were collected from 40 different wild animal species in captivity, their caretakers, feed and water in four zoological gardens and wildlife enclosures in India. Salmonellae were isolated using conventional culture methods and tested for antimicrobial susceptibility with the Kirby–Bauer disc diffusion method. Salmonella isolates were serotyped and genotyping was performed using enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus (ERIC) PCR and 16S rRNA sequencing. Animal faecal samples were also subjected to direct PCR assay. Salmonella was detected in 10 of 314 (3.1%) faecal samples by isolation and 18 of 314 (5.7%) samples by direct PCR assay; one of 26 (3.8%) feed and water samples and five of 30 (16.7%) caretakers stool swabs by isolation. Salmonella was more commonly isolated in faecal samples from golden pheasants (25%; 2/8) and leopard (10%; 2/20). Salmonella enterica serotypes of known public health significance including S. Typhimurium (37.5%; 6/14), S. Kentucky (28.5%; 4/14) and S. Enteritidis (14.3%; 2/14) were identified. While the majority of the Salmonella isolates were pan-susceptible to the commonly used antibiotics. Seven (43.7%; 7/16) of the isolates were resistant to at least one antibiotic and one isolate each among them exhibited penta and tetra multidrug-resistant types. Three S. Kentucky serotype were identified in a same golden pheasants cage, two from the birds and one from the feed. This serotype was also isolated from its caretaker. Similarly, one isolate each of S. Typhimurium were recovered from ostrich and its caretaker. These isolates were found to be clonally related suggesting that wildlife may serve as reservoir for infections to humans and vice versa. These results emphasise the transmission of Salmonella among hosts via environmental contamination of feces to workers, visitors and other wildlife.

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