North America
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North America
North America is the third largest continent in the world. It’s conformed by the United States, Canada, Greenland, part of Mexico and some islands around the Caribbean sea. This continent it’s characterized by its variety of weathers. It’s clearly shown in the north where it is covered by ice and behind it there are located some hot islands.
North America has the world’s largest island and the world’s largest freshwater lake as well as some of the world’s most amazing animals.
The most prominent species in North America are:
- Puma
- Opposum
- Moose
- Eagle
- Californian condor
- Squirrel
- Elephants
Even though its great variety of animals, North America is one of the major purchasers of illegal traffic of animals.
This article will have information about issues such as; trafficking of animals in North American countries, which are the most trafficked species, how they traffic this animals, what are the most common countries that are involved with the North American countries of the illegal trade and show some statistics.
Animal Trafficking In North AmericaTrafficking animals in North America ’’For each animal that comes alive through the final buyer, they die between eight and ten in the process of capture, movement and sale, especially in case of the birds’’1 After drug trafficking, animal trafficking is the second source of illicit resources in the world. Global trade in illegal wildlife is a growing illicit economy, estimated to be worth at least $5 billion and potentially in excess of $20 billion annually. Mexico has turned into the in-betweener of South America and North America with a clandestine annual sale of more of 665 million pounds (el siglo del torreon)2 North America works through its offices in the United States, Canada and Mexico, trying to develop and design strategies to minimize, and eventually eliminate the illegal trade in wildlife species, particularly in tigers, elephants, rhinos and apes. (worldwide) 3. And Mexico’s Federal Attorney for Environmental Protection (PROFEPA) has signed a co-operation agreement to combat illegal trade. (traffick.org)4 So, In 2008, PROFEPA seized 27,264 illegal wildlife products, and a further 22,346 in 2009, with several major wildlife traffickers apprehended in wildlife trade hotspots such as the markets of Sonora and Xochimilco (Mexico City), Charco Cercado (San Luis Potosi), and several markets in the Bajio region. (trafficking .org) 5 Animals as tigers and leopards are used in Asia for fur and traditional medicine trade, Elephants for their ivory, grizzly bears are poached because their body parts are valuable, particularly gall bladders and in great apes for bush meat and for pets or zoos. (state.gov) 6 |
Animals that are also trafficked such as; reptiles, apes, birds, and felines are moved in terrestrial or air vehicles, they also hide the animals in rolls of carton of hygienic paper and disposable towels under the armpit so it is easier to traffic them. This work is usually done by women.
The ones that capture the animals to trade them received a very small percentage of the actual income. Most of these trades occur in the third world and often these people are very poor and even this small amount of money may be enough to tempt them to abandon their traditional lifestyles, and change and sell the natural treasures of their own countries The United States only admitted thirty million animals as commodities, from Brazil, Mexico and African countries, annually. The illegal trade in animals has moved more than 4,000 million dollars per year, exceeded only by arms smuggling and drug traffickers. The next tables have information about some statistics about the wildlife refused into the United States a few years ago. Value of Legal Wildlife Imports and Refused Shipments into the United States, 2000-2006 (U.S. Department of Interior) Year Value of Legal Trade Value of Refused Imports Percent Illegal 2000 $1,200 $13.1 0.8% 2001 $1,800 $8.5 0.4% 2002 $1,500 $5.3 0.3% 2003 $1,700 $5.1 0.2% 2004 $1,900 $4.6 0.2% 2005 $2,300 n/a n/a 2006 $2,200 n/a n/a 2007 $2,800 n/a n/a Note: n/a = not available |
Top 10 Countries from which Wildlife Imports were refused entry into the United States, 2000-2004. (Us. Department of interiors)7
Country Shipments Refused Entry
Mexico 3,772
Canada 1,560
People’s Republic of China 1,138
Philippines 728
Hong Kong 591
Russia 562
Unknown 524
Thailand 473
Italy 406
South Africa 341
There are some particular cases related to Central America (Mexico) and North America where a man was arrested because he was carrying 18 titi monkeys in a girdle around his waist. An international organization told the BBC that animal trafficking is a serious problem in Mexico. ‘’The reasons are two: one, because Mexico is an important route for those who want to smuggle animals into the US, and the other, because, as in other countries of Latin America, there is a deep-rooted tradition of having wild animals as pets," he said. (bbc.uk)8
Some of the most important cities where there is traffic of animals are; in Mexico: Baja California, New Mexico, tamaulipa, Coahuila, Nuevo leon, Sinaloa, Canada: Manitota, Novascotia, Yukon territories, and finally the United states: California, Alaska, Lousiana, Meryland, Montana, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Washington, Wyoming.
In conclusion North America is one of the biggest contributor continents in the animal trafficking business, however not as dealers but as purchasers. North America usually purchases from Brazil and Colombia to sell them inside the countries of the continent, the traffic of animals is one of the major sources of obtaining money in this zone but at the same time is finishing with some native species of the countries that import them.
Some of the most important cities where there is traffic of animals are; in Mexico: Baja California, New Mexico, tamaulipa, Coahuila, Nuevo leon, Sinaloa, Canada: Manitota, Novascotia, Yukon territories, and finally the United states: California, Alaska, Lousiana, Meryland, Montana, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Washington, Wyoming.
In conclusion North America is one of the biggest contributor continents in the animal trafficking business, however not as dealers but as purchasers. North America usually purchases from Brazil and Colombia to sell them inside the countries of the continent, the traffic of animals is one of the major sources of obtaining money in this zone but at the same time is finishing with some native species of the countries that import them.
Sofia Buitrago, Natalia Cardona Gomez, Manuela Garcia 12°.
Editor: Miguel Angel Lopez