Published on December 4, 2023, at 4:30
An anti-trafficking activist believes that in order to stop the next pandemic, the outlawed commercial wildlife trade must be eliminated, and even the legal industry should be outlawed.
According to Steve Galster, the founder and CEO of the anti-trafficking organization Freeland, Thailand has previously been a hotspot for wildlife trafficking, both legal and illegal trade.
On the Bangkok Post audio Deeper Dive, he told Dave Kendall,” It has better system than other nations in the region so it can get merchandise from resource to marketplace, from Africa to Indonesia to China.”
Therefore, it is simply generally positioned with a large number of businessmen, particularly those based in Bangkok, who are well-versed in the supply chain and have established them over time. “”
Which species are the targets of trafficking? Previously widespread in Thailand, the animal is now being caught in Indonesia and smuggled across the border andnbsp; with Myanmar and Malaysia.
Ships of useless animals, or simply the weights prized in Chinese medicine, originate in Africa.
But that is by no means all there is.
Mr. Galster remarked,” The listing is actually much.” We have tiger skins and legs in specific. We also have other large cats, such as lions. We have bear bones that are being transported from southwestern Africa. Wild animals are being transported in all the manner from Brazil. “”
Trafficking in animals has three main effects: first, the anguish of the animals as they are put in containers and luggage.
Next, we are experiencing the worst extinction crisis in history with about 100 species of plants and animals going extinct every day and 1 million on the verge, according to a UN report. Many of the trafficked species are thoroughly endangered. The main cause is habit loss brought on by the growth of farming, which is primarily for pet agriculture, but trafficking is another.
Last but not least, there is a real risk that our own species will go extinct. The next pandemic could be much more deadly, and the likelihood that it will be spread through zoonotic means ( from an animal chain ) is high.
According to Mr. Galster, the virus that most likely caused Covid-19 was spread by raccoon dogs from a business market in Wuhan’s damp market.
Those fox dogs would have been traded for money right then. Fox dogs are currently available in Chatuchak business. Therefore, we ought to be worried about everything.
” I firmly believe that a ban on the commercial trade in exotic animals should be the only option. I believe that only a small portion of people worldwide, including Thailand, really profit from that business. There are many people and animals who put their lives in danger because of that deal. “”