A new report assessing the $2 billion a year trade in bears and their parts reveals the scale of the illegal trade. Produced by Interpol the report demonstrates some of the methods that illegal traffickers use to get their products through borders and to their customers.
It’s not just dead products and bear parts that are part of the growing trade in bears. One example highlighted by the Interpol report featured a bear smuggler trying to move live bear cubs from South Yunnan to Chengdu. Officials discovered 22 moon bears – Asiatic black bears – in the back of the car. The trafficker tried to pass the bear cubs off as Akita puppies.
In another incident, reported to Interpol as part of their assessment into the trade, officials reported discovering 200 bear paws hidden in the inside of a car tyre.
The “Assessment on Illegal Bear Trade” report by INTERPOL’s Environmental Security unit highlights in particular how poaching and the illegal trade of bears, their parts and derivatives continue on a large scale worldwide.
The Head of INTERPOL’s Environmental Security unit, David Higgins, said: “Improving enforcement coordination, from legislation to investigation, can have a considerable impact on syndicates involved in the trade. A unified planning process with a cooperative multinational enforcement efforts bringing together police, customs and wildlife law enforcement units is crucial if we want to dismantle the complex networks of individuals”.
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