Wildlife Crime and Animal Welfare

Wildlife crime causes immense individual animal suffering alongside its devastating conservation impacts.

Key Facts

Wildlife trafficking is estimated to generate USD 23 billion annually — the fourth largest criminal trade
Poaching victims include elephants, rhinos, tigers, pangolins, and hundreds of less-prominent species
Captive animals in the wildlife trade face transportation mortality rates of up to 70%
The demand for wildlife products in Asia — traditional medicine, luxury goods, pets — drives most trafficking
Wildlife crime enforcement is severely under-resourced relative to the scale of the problem

Welfare Considerations

Wildlife crime causes individual suffering at every stage: the trauma of capture from the wild, the prolonged suffering during transport in cramped, hot, dehydrated conditions, and the ongoing deprivation of captivity when animals survive to reach their destination. An elephant killed for ivory experiences the acute suffering of the killing itself; the orphaned calves who witness it experience trauma with documented long-term behavioural consequences. Reducing demand for wildlife products is the most effective welfare intervention because it directly reduces the volume of suffering caused.

What You Can Do

Never purchase wildlife products including ivory, rhino horn, turtle shell, or pangolin products
Report suspected wildlife trafficking to your national wildlife crime unit
Support TRAFFIC and other wildlife crime monitoring organisations
Advocate for increased law enforcement resources for wildlife crime
Reduce demand by educating others about the welfare cost of wildlife products