THEME OF THE YEAR FIGHT AGAINST ILLEGAL TRADE OF WILDLIFE

WILDLIFE ? WILDLIFE TRADITIONALLY REFERS TO UNDOMESTICATED ANIMAL SPECIES, BUT HAS COME TO INCLUDE ALL PLANTS, FUNGI, AND OTHER ORGANISMS THAT GROW OR LIVE WILD IN AN AREA WITHOUT BEING INTRODUCED BY HUMANS. WL CAN BE FOUND IN ALL ECOSYSTEMS, DESERTS, FORESTS, PLAINS, GRASSLANDS, AND OTHER AREAS INCLUDING THE VMOST DEVELOPED URBAN SITES.

Value of wildlife The value of wildlife has been wildly ignored or under – rated in the part by the international community. It was, at most, considered from the limited aesthetic & touristic aspects. Their situation has changed somewhat. Commercial / Economic value Environmental monitoring value Recreational value Waste processing value Eesthetic Value Ecological Value

HOW MANY ? WILD PLANT Spp. World : Around 3.5 lakhs India : Around 49,000 West Bengal : Around 7012 WILD ANIMAL Spp. World : Around 12 lakh India : Around 95,000 West Bengal : Around  397 Mammals spp……… (9%)*  1232 Birds spp………..(14%)*  460 Reptiles spp…………..(8%)*  240 Amphibians spp……….(5%)*  2546 Fish spp………………(12%)*  Flowering plants spp…………………………...(7%)*  Fungi spp………….(21%)* * % of global no. of species Wildlife wealth of India

ARE WILDLIFE HAPPY ? NO During 1970 to % of wildlife have been disappeared from the earth. Why ?  Habibtat loss, habitat fragmentation, pollution, unsustainable use, introduction of exotic species, illegal trade, etc.

Illegal Trade of Wildlife Over the years illegal wildlife trade has emerged as a form of organised Transitional Crime that has threatened the existence of many wild species across the globe. Today illegal wildlife trade is estimated to be worth USD billion per year. It is thethird most lucrative global crimes after drugs, & weapons.

WHY WILDLIFE IS TRADED? Tiger - claws, bones, skins, whiskers, and virtually every part of their body used in TCM Leopards - claws, bones, skins, whiskers, and virtually every part of their body used in TCM Rhino are poached for horns & skin & also for some parts Elephant - Ivory Otter - Skin used as trimming for coats & other garments Musk deer - Musk pod Chiru - wool for shahtiish shawls Bear - Bile used in TCM Mongoose - hair for fine paint brush Snakes - skins for belts & leather purses Sea Turtles - Shells Birds (Mynas, Parakeets, Munias, etc) - Pet Butterflies - Curios Arrowana fish - Value in Feng shui Timber Medicinal & Aromatic plants - Medicines, etc.

POACHING -HUNTING OF TIGERS & LEOPARDS TIGER : 3200 wild tigers left in the world, 1425 killed by poaching between 2000 – tigers killed in tigers killed in leopards killed in leopards killed in 2015 Leoprads have lost 75% of their historical habitat (6/5/2016) 1664 Leopards poached last decade ((5/4/2016) Tiger deaths in 2016Tiger deaths in 2015 Mortality – 33Mortality – 65 Poaching – 30Poaching – 25 Seizures - 63Seizures - 90 Leopards deaths in 2016Leopards deaths in 2015 Mortality – 128Mortality – 271 Poaching – 64Poaching – 125 Seizures - 192Seizures - 396

RHINO POACHING RHINOCEROS : Over 100 were slaughtered in 2013 in South Africa. Between Rhino poaching increased by 7700% in South Africa Rhino horn – USD 66,000 per Kg. 5000% increase in rhino poaching seen in Southern Africa between 2007 and 2011 alone.

ILLEGAL TRADE OF PANGOLIN Live pangolins, their meat and scales is a great trade in Myanmar. 2,00,000 pangolins recorded in seizures in the past 10 years in Between 40,000 – 60,000 pangolins were captured & killed in Vietnam alone. During 2006 – 2015 TRAFFIC found 48 bags of scales, 32 whole skins, 16 small pangolins, 27 adult pangolins Seizures from Myanmar, china, India & Thailand during 2010 – 2014 counted as 4339 kg of scales & 518 whole pangolins.

OTHER ANIMALS Gecko is used in China for preparing medicines of HIV & Cancer, whereas turtles are needed to prepare a special kind of soup in Malaysia & Thailand. Tokey Geckos – Rs. 20 lakhk each in International market & aromatic The Himalayan Maina is considered to be pious and its blood is used for different religious purposes in Gulf countries. Star Tortoise - Worth Rs. 4 crore annually.

Human well being in both rural and urban areas depends on a diverse array of wild plants. This includes species used for their medicinal and aromatic properties. Besides medicinal values, these plants also flavour our food and drinks, perfume and give colour to beauty products and provide incense. An estimated 50,000 – 70,000 MAPs are harvested from the wild. Of these nearly 8000 spp. are in use. Annual global export value of pharmaceutical plants alone being over USD 2.2 billion in Annual turnover of herbal medicine in India is estimated, 1,77,000 mt. for which 960 plant species are in active trade. High pressure – CITES has notified 11 Indian MAPs for case including Nardostachys jatamanis & Kutki (Picrorhiza kurroa) from Uttarakhand alone a total of 2200 MT covering 100 spp. are traded

MEDICINAL & AROMATIC PLANTS In China for example an estimated 5,000 spp. are used in traditional medicine. The annual demand for these plant drugs exceeds 700,000 tons, 80% of which are from wild sources with an in-country market value of USD 1.4 billion. In Indonesia, a total of 1260 species of medicinal plants are reportedly sold in the markets, most of which are collected from forests. In South Africa, between 400 and 500 species are commonly sold for traditional medicinal use, of which 90% are harvested from wild sources. In Germany, 1543 medicinal plant species are in import and export trade, % of which are harvested primarily from the wild. In exports of medicinal raw materials, India ranks second to China, which exports an estimated 32,600 tons per year valued at USD 46 million,

KILLING & ILLEGAL WL TRADE IN INDIA During the pre independence days, tigers in India were considered as pests & people were awarded for killing tiger Post independence the hunting became an open access to even the common man, but finally in the late 19 th century the wildlife protection laws emerged Illegal wildlife trade today is a lucrative trade as it offers high gain with low detention & less conviction probably.

TRADING IN WEST BENGAL Illegal trafficking syndicates of wild animals are known from Baguiati, Kestopur, Dum Dum, Rajarhat areas. In one occasion more than 1000Hamilton turtles, vulnerable species, were seized from these areas, brought from Odisha & Andhra Pradesh Turtles are mostly poached in India & sent to Bangladesh. Exotic animals are brought to Bengal via Bangladesh & Nepal. South Asian Turtles or Black Spotted Turtles is regarded one of the most attractive turtles because of its spotted skin and boldly patterned shell. Bangkok is the transit hub. A mature turtle (about 30 cms) can cost more than USD 2000 in Hong Kong. To meet international demand for Indian Star Tortoises as exotic pets, more than 55,000 tortoises are being poached from just one site in South East India each year alone. Thailand is the primary destination

FIGHTERS Whole species are being hunted to extinction, as part of an illegal trade that benefits organised criminals and armed gangs. We want you to add voice to ours and say “ enough is enough”. CITES RED DATA TRAFFIC WWF Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 & Amendments Forest Act Biodiversity Act, 2002

YOU DECIDE Will you support us and help preserve these animals or will you do nothing as they vanish from our world forever?