The European Union remains a major hub and destination for stolen wildlife from Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, Asia and Oceania, according to a report published on Tuesday 27 September by the NGOs Pro Wildlife, Humane Society International and the International Fund for Animal Welfare(IFAW ).
This report exposes European complicity in this illegal trade.
While the EU is one of the main importers of animals for the exotic pet trade, only a very small proportion of those species traded are actually covered by international legislation (CITES Agreement) and/or European legislation.
The three animal and wildlife protection organisations are therefore calling for EU legislation to prohibit the import, sale, purchase and possession of wildlife that has been illegally sourced from their countries of origin.
According to the report, numerous traded species that are legally protected in third countries have nevertheless been caught in the wild and exported, thereby violating the national legislation of the country of origin. This is the case for the Philippine lizard and Latin American glass frogs, which are currently popular targets for the exotic wildlife trade.
NGOs say they are counting on the European Commission to turn things around with its proposal to revise the EU’s action plan to curb wildlife crime (see EUROPE 12805/16).
To consult the report: https://aeur.eu/f/3au (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)