Exploring the nations paving the way for the future of AI
The trafficking of wildlife is sadly nothing new. But as this illegal practice continues unabated, the endangerment to animal species becomes ever greater. In fact, some of the rarest mammals on the planet are the most wanted. And with some species on the brink of extinction, suppressing wildlife trade is one of the world's most pressing conservation challenges.
Click through the following gallery and be worried by this list of the most trafficked animals in the world.
Pangolins are unique for the protective keratin scales covering their skin—the only known mammals with this feature. Solitary creatures, their diet consists of mainly ants and termites, which they capture using their long tongues.
The mammals have long been threatened by poaching for their meat and scales, which are used in traditional Chinese medicine. As of October 2024, the eight species of pangolin are either listed as Critically Endangered, Endangered, or Vulnerable on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species. They remain the most trafficked mammals in the world.
Named for its sharp, curving beak with prominent tomium, this species of sea turtle lives part of its life in the open ocean, but spends more time in shallow lagoons and coral reefs.
Despite its worldwide distribution, the hawksbill sea turtle is critically endangered. For decades its shells were the primary source of tortoiseshell material used for decorative purposes. And it's still harvested! But illegal fishing practices have also contributed to its alarming decline.
Native to Malaysia and Indonesia, orangutans are among the most intelligent primates. They are also the most arboreal of the great apes, spending most of their time in trees.
Human activities have caused severe declines in orangutan populations and ranges. For example, a thriving illegal pet trade has seen infants taken from their mothers to meet demand. Not surprisingly, all three species of orangutan—Bornean, Sumatran, and Tapanuli—are critically endangered according to the IUCN Red List.
The name rhinoceros is derived from the Greek rhinokerōs, meaning "nose-horned." Commonly abbreviated to rhino, two of the surviving species are native to Africa, and three to southern Asia.
Poachers have decimated this species, the mammals butchered in their thousands for their horns, which are bought and sold on the black market, and used by some cultures for ornaments or traditional medicine. The IUCN Red List identifies the Black, Javan, and Sumatran rhinoceros as Critically Endangered.
Found only in one region of Russia and three areas of Kazakhstan, saigas form very large herds that graze in semideserts, steppes, and grasslands. A prominent feature of the animal is the pair of closely spaced, bloated nostrils directed downward.
The horn of the male saiga antelope is used in traditional Chinese medicine, demand of which wiped out the species in China. According to the Convention on Migratory Species of Wild Animals, the saiga's decline is one of the fastest population collapses of large mammals recently observed. The animal remains critically endangered.
The tiger is the largest surviving cat species and one of the most popular and recognized animals in the world. It is the national animal of India, Bangladesh, Malaysia, and South Korea.
Listed on the IUCN Red List as Endangered, the tiger has been trafficked for its fur and body parts for centuries. Many people in China and other parts of Asia have a belief that various tiger parts have medicinal properties, including as pain killers and aphrodisiacs. This falsehood has led over the years to a thriving black market and a worrying decline in tiger numbers.
These gentle giants are the largest existing land animals, and are scattered throughout sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and Southeast Asia.
One of the biggest threats to elephant populations is the ivory trade, as the animals are poached for their ivory tusks. It's estimated that poachers kill roughly 30,000 elephants every year. The IUCN lists African elephants as Vulnerable and Asian elephants as Endangered.
This little-known species of goat-antelope is native to mountain forests in the Thai-Malay Peninsula and on the Indonesian island of Sumatra.
Despite its near-inaccessible, high altitude habitat, this shy and elusive creature regularly ends up in the crosshairs of poachers' rifles, shot for their meat and the supposed medicinal qualities of their body parts. The IUCN has evaluated the Sumatran serow as Vulnerable.
A large and impressive member of the hornbill family, the helmeted hornbill is named for the casque (the helmet-like structure on its head), which accounts for some 11% of its 3 kg (6.6 lbs) weight. The bird is native to the Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, Borneo, Thailand, and Myanmar.
The casque is the source of hornbill ivory, a valuable carving material. As such, the helmeted hornbill was uplisted from Near Threatened to Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List in 2024. According to figures released by TRAFFIC, the Wildlife Trade Monitoring Network, 2,170 casques were confiscated in just three years in China and Indonesia alone.
The gaur, also called the Indian bison, is native to South and Southeast Asia. The largest species of bovine on the planet, gaur are largely confined to evergreen forests or semi-evergreen and moist deciduous forests.
Hunted mercilessly by poachers for its meat, which is sold at inflated prices to satisfy an international market, the gaur is also slaughtered for commercial trade in trophies. The animal has been listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List since 1986.
Macaws number some of the most vibrant wildlife on Earth. Native to Central and South America, and also found in Mexico, most species are associated with forests, especially rain forests.
Their ability to mimic speech and possessing great intelligence has made macaws highly desirable as pets. This has led to a disturbing rise in poaching to the point where some species face extinction. In fact, the majority of macaws are endangered in the wild, a fact underlined by the rapid rate of deforestation around the world.
A majestic-looking big cat that calls the mountain ranges of Central and South Asia home, the snow leopard is perfectly adapted to living in the cold.
Unfortunately, the snow leopard's beautiful coat is sill proving irresistible to poachers, who operate in the illegal trade of skins and body parts. It is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List because the global population is currently estimated to number less than 10,000 mature individuals and is expected to decline about 10% by 2040.
There are more than 500 species of sharks swimming in the world's oceans. Well-known species such as the tiger shark, blue shark, great white shark, mako shark, thresher shark, and hammerhead shark are apex predators.
Yet sharks have more to fear from humans than humans have from sharks. In fact, many shark populations are threatened by human activities, with several species preyed upon for their fins (used in soup). A frightening 73 million sharks end up in the global fin trade every year, trafficked for culinary use, according to Oceana.
Birds of prey, also known as raptors, include eagles, hawks, kites, buzzards, owls, and falcons. Among the animals kingdom's top predators, these birds also number some of the most powerful and agile wildlife in the world.
But it's because of their speed and agility that some species ironically fall prey to traffickers due to their exceptional hunting ability. To give an example, the International Association for Falconry & Conservation of Birds of Prey identifies poaching of rare species, such as the crisis level plundering of Bonelli’s eagles (pictured) in southern Europe by criminal organizations, as the cause of possible local extinction of many species.
Abalone are sea snails. The number of species recognized worldwide ranges between 30 and 130. The flesh of abalones is widely considered to be a desirable food, and is consumed raw or cooked by a variety of cultures. Pictured is an example with a live sponge on its shell.
According to TRAFFIC, the South African abalone is the most heavily exported species in aquaculture anywhere in the world. Ninety-five percent of South African abalone exports go to Hong Kong, where it is it consumed as a delicacy or re-exported.
Sources: (IUCN Red List) (TRAFFIC) (Oceana)
Endangered and exploited: the most trafficked animals on the planet
The most desired mammals on the planet are often among the rarest
LIFESTYLE Nature
The trafficking of wildlife is sadly nothing new. But as this illegal practice continues unabated, the endangerment to animal species becomes ever greater. In fact, some of the rarest mammals on the planet are the most wanted. And with some species on the brink of extinction, suppressing wildlife trade is one of the world's most pressing conservation challenges.
Click through the following gallery and be worried by this list of the most trafficked animals in the world.