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Asia’s Wildlife Trade

Insatiable demand for traditional medicines, exotic pets, and culinary delicacies drives a multibillion-dollar business—legal and illegal—that is emptying forests, fields, and seas.

/2010/01/asian-wildlife/img/01-wild-bear-714.jpg /2010/01/asian-wildlife/img/wildlife-60-01.jpg Photograph by Mark Leong /2010/01/asian-wildlife/img/02-market-sell-714.jpg /2010/01/asian-wildlife/img/wildlife-60-02.jpg Photograph by Mark Leong /2010/01/asian-wildlife/img/03-reptile-skins-714.jpg /2010/01/asian-wildlife/img/wildlife-60-03.jpg Photograph by Mark Leong /2010/01/asian-wildlife/img/04-shark-714.jpg /2010/01/asian-wildlife/img/wildlife-60-04.jpg Photograph by Mark Leong /2010/01/asian-wildlife/img/06-chubas-714.jpg /2010/01/asian-wildlife/img/wildlife-60-06.jpg Photograph by Mark Leong Exotic Tastes In Tibet wearing ceremonial robes, or chubas, trimmed with furs such as leopard (at left) and otter (at right) was an accepted sign of prosperity until the Dalai Lama denounced the practice in 2005. Many people then burned their chubas on this sacred hill above Lhasa.]]> http://national-geographic.cafepress.com/art/s_1278166 /2010/01/asian-wildlife/img/07-ivory-carving-714.jpg /2010/01/asian-wildlife/img/wildlife-60-07.jpg Photograph by Mark Leong Exotic Tastes Carving elephant ivory has occupied 83-year-old Chen Jipin since he was a teenager. The 1989 international ivory-trade ban put many masters of the ancient art out of work, but China has tapped legal African stockpiles, and Chen is now training two apprentices.]]> /2010/01/asian-wildlife/img/08-orphan-orangutan-714.jpg /2010/01/asian-wildlife/img/wildlife-60-08.jpg Photograph by Mark Leong http://national-geographic.cafepress.com/art/s_1278158 /2010/01/asian-wildlife/img/09-lorises-714.jpg /2010/01/asian-wildlife/img/wildlife-60-09.jpg Photograph by Mark Leong http://national-geographic.cafepress.com/art/s_1278167 /2010/01/asian-wildlife/img/10-informant-tip-714.jpg /2010/01/asian-wildlife/img/wildlife-60-10.jpg Photograph by Mark Leong Front Lines of Enforcement Tipped off by an informant, Thai police discover a slow loris at the Chatuchak market in Bangkok. Three dealers were arrested during the raid. In a discouraging outcome for conservationists, two were let go, and the third paid a light fine of about $600.]]> /2010/01/asian-wildlife/img/11-forestry-police-714.jpg /2010/01/asian-wildlife/img/wildlife-60-11.jpg Photograph by Mark Leong Front Lines of Enforcement Forestry police in Medan, Indonesia, store an array of contraband at their headquarters. None of these mounted animals—including a tiger, a clouded leopard, and hawksbill sea turtles—can be sold legally, alive or dead. Saws and spare chains came from illegal logging.]]> http://national-geographic.cafepress.com/art/s_1278168 /2010/01/asian-wildlife/img/12-x-ray-714.jpg /2010/01/asian-wildlife/img/wildlife-60-12.jpg Photograph by Royal Thai Customs Front Lines of Enforcement An x-ray of a truck at a highway checkpoint in Thailand reveals a hundred live pangolins (left, in red box) smuggled behind piles of paper. Also known as scaly anteaters, the creatures were likely on their way to China to be sold as food or for traditional medicine.]]> /2010/01/asian-wildlife/img/13-tigers-714.jpg /2010/01/asian-wildlife/img/wildlife-60-13.jpg Photograph by Mark Leong /2010/01/asian-wildlife/img/14-python-skins-714.jpg /2010/01/asian-wildlife/img/wildlife-60-14.jpg Photograph by Mark Leong http://national-geographic.cafepress.com/art/s_1278179 /2010/01/asian-wildlife/img/15-breeding-facility-714.jpg /2010/01/asian-wildlife/img/wildlife-60-15.jpg Photograph by Mark Leong (Morelia viridis) cling to perches that substitute for branches in their native tropical forests. Seen here at about eight inches long, each snake will grow to several feet and will likely turn a shade of green—though a few retain their yellow hue or even change dramatically to colors such as sky blue. For snake collectors around the world, captive-bred animals offer a sustainable alternative to those taken from the wild.]]> http://national-geographic.cafepress.com/art/s_1278180 /2010/01/asian-wildlife/img/16-catepillar-fungi-714.jpg /2010/01/asian-wildlife/img/wildlife-60-16.jpg Photograph by Mark Leong (Ophiocordyceps sinensis) to find the best specimens. A popular traditional medicine known as chongcao, the fungus is believed to boost vitality. Harvesters armed with hoes dig up the valuable product from the Tibetan Plateau between April and July, often leaving holes that can injure livestock feeding on the grasslands.]]> /2010/01/asian-wildlife/img/17-bagged-turtles-714.jpg /2010/01/asian-wildlife/img/wildlife-60-17.jpg Photograph by Mark Leong (Trachemys scripta elegans), a species originally from the Mississippi River Basin in the U.S. that is now raised commercially here. Stoked by the growing national economy, consumer demand has almost completely wiped out China's native turtles, and the trade is turning to sources abroad. Shops at this market sell turtles from Myanmar (Burma), Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Indonesia, and Malaysia.]]> /2010/01/asian-wildlife/img/18-monitored-lizards-714.jpg /2010/01/asian-wildlife/img/wildlife-60-18.jpg Photograph by Mark Leong (Varanus bengalensis nebulosus) is often smuggled into neighboring countries and sold as an exotic delicacy with medicinal benefits. ]]> /2010/01/asian-wildlife/img/19-macaque-teeth-714.jpg /2010/01/asian-wildlife/img/wildlife-60-19.jpg Photograph by Mark Leong (Macaca fascicularis) so its bite can't inflict serious damage. Such animals sell for as little as $20. Most are caught illegally in the wild.]]>