US follows China in illegal wildlife trade

[Guest guest]

Link: http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/story.aspx?id=NEWEN20080052540

 

*US follows China in illegal wildlife trade*

 

Agence France-Presse

Tuesday, June 10, 2008 (Washington)

The United States is second to China as the biggest market for illegal

wildlife and wildlife parts, with demand fuelled by interest in traditional

medicine, a US official said on Monday.

 

''The biggest market for illegal wildlife and wildlife parts is China,''

according to Assistant Secretary of State for Environment, Claudia McMurray.

''But the number two market is the United States.''

 

Wildlife trafficking is worth an estimated 10 billion dollars a year,

according to Interpol figures which she cited. But she did not have

individual estimates for how much goes to China and the US.

 

Consumers were buying while travelling, on the Internet or in shops in the

United States, McMurray said at a news conference highlighting a public

awareness campaign launched by US embassies around the world against the

illegal wildlife trade.

 

''In most cases, they think the products are perfectly legal. We consider it

our job in the US government to tell Americans that that is not the case,''

she said.

 

McMurray said interest in traditional Chinese medicine was fueling demand

for illicit wildlife trade in the United States and that it was coming not

just from people of Asian origin.

 

She added that there was also growing demand in the United States for live

exotic pets.

 

Actress Bo Derek, who is US special envoy for wildlife trafficking issues,

said, ''It was very embarrassing for me to find out that the US is number

two in consuming endangered wildlife.''

 

She said that China had been helpful in boosting public awareness about

wildlife trafficking.

 

 

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