by Dani Thomas

Created on: November 22, 2008   Last Updated: February 17, 2012

The Black Market Animal Trade

Everyone remembers going to the zoo as a kid, seeing the lions, elephants, giraffes and tigers pacing in their often unnatural and boring exhibits. But where did these animals come from? The black market animal trade is an ever increasing, secretive and cruel operation. Many venues are supported by this monster, from zoos and pet shops to restaurants and the Asian economies. Another thing that benefits from this market is fulfilling some peoples' desire for a unique pet that shows everyone how much money they are willing to spend on an animal.

Unfortunately, many people buy exotic animals, then take them home and discover that they aren't easy to take care of. In addition, they don't stay small and cute forever as many of them grow up to become very large predators, which most people can't take care of properly. This creates a very large problem; what to do with the unwanted animals? Many of them are sent to slaughterhouses, zoos or hunting parks where people pay to shoot an animal in a corral, just so they have bragging rights of shooting a certain species.

A black market is an "underground" trading of goods or services. In the animal black market, many different animals such as chimps, reptiles, birds and tigers are available to anyone who has the money to buy them. One bad thing about this market is that just about everything is available, even worse is what it is doing to our animal world. Those involved with this black market are trying to avoid the taxes and regulations ruling the trade of animals, however, there are legal ways to obtain these animals in such a fashion that the traders can't get in trouble for their dealings. Many countries have animal populations that are out of control and, in order to keep the animals healthy and in livable conditions, willingly sell animals to buyers.

The black market for tigers is a very simple trade, on both the buying and selling end. With just a couple of hours and a thousand dollars, someone can buy a Bengal tiger, without proof of having a permit, which is required, to own such an animal. The tigers are taken from their homes in Asia to be used for rugs, food, companions and entertainment. John Nichol, author of The Animal Smugglers, took a trip to a crocodile farm near Bangkok. Here is what bothered him the most;

The tiger had a chain from the wall attached to his collar, and from a distance I thought that it looked inadequate to restrain a belligerent duck, and I thought that

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