Rhinos, serow, helmeted hornbill, gaur, leopards and turtles round out the list of endangered species that are openly sold in a region considered “ground zero” in the illegal wildlife trade. The “Top 10 Most Wanted” list is based on surveys by WWF of illegal wildlife markets, shops and restaurants, and reports from TRAFFIC, the Wildlife Trade Monitoring Network. They represent species most often seen for sale in a criminal trade that threatens wildlife across Asia and into Africa. “Border areas like the Golden Triangle are where this trade thrives and where we must work hardest to protect the defenceless.”Many of the Asia’s poached and farmed tigers pass through the Golden Triangle, where they end up in tiger wine, on dinner tables, in dubious medicines, or as luxury items and jewellery. “Bear farms and tiger farms, along with wide open wildlife markets across the Golden Triangle, are a menace to wild populations of these species and should be closed,” said Bill Possiel, WWF-Greater Mekong regional conservation director.

Source: The Nation Bangkok November 01, 2017 18:17 UTC