Illegal Hunting and Trade of Rare Animals (1995–2020s)

Illegal Hunting and Trade of Rare Animals (1995–2020s)

#### Late 1990s
In 1995, in Southeast Asian countries, ivory, rhino horns, and sea turtle shells became the target of illegal hunting, and they were traded unlawfully in Asian markets, including Japan and China. On Sumatra Island, the population of Sumatran tigers drastically declined to fewer than 400. The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) advocated for the importance of international crackdowns and established a monitoring center in Singapore. Efforts to strengthen the regulations under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) were also advanced.

#### 2000s
Entering the 2000s, poaching and the trade of rare animals expanded further. Especially in China and Vietnam, traditional medicine created high demand for rhino horns and tiger bones, significantly increasing smuggling volumes. For instance, in 2004, the volume of rhino horns smuggled from South Africa to Vietnam more than doubled compared to the previous year.

In Japan, the demand for exotic pets such as otters and lizards surged, becoming a hotbed of illegal trade. Additionally, the spread of e-commerce enabled illegal transactions to take place online, complicating crackdowns. In 2008, a temporary measure under CITES allowed for legal ivory trading in China and Japan; however, this was later criticized and led to the complete prohibition of ivory trade in the 2010s.

During this period, international cooperation was strengthened. Operations like "Operation Cobra" by Interpol were launched to crack down on poaching networks in Southeast Asia and Africa. Despite these efforts, illegal trade remained at high levels.

#### 2010s
In the 2010s, international regulations on the trade of ivory and rhino horns were strengthened, leading to a decrease in trade volumes. However, reptiles, birds, cacti, and orchids became new targets of illegal trade. Cases of high-value trading of Mexican cacti and rare Southeast Asian orchids increased.

China announced a complete ban on ivory trade in 2017, and there was growing demand for tighter regulation of ivory trade within Japan. Meanwhile, the demand for exotic pets grew, with slow lorises and reptiles remaining major targets of smuggling in Japan.

#### 2020s
By the 2020s, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), approximately 130000 smuggling seizures were recorded across 162 countries from 2015 to 2021, involving over 4000 species of flora and fauna. In Japan, the illegal import of otters and slow lorises continued, with WWF Japan warning about the dangers of exotic pet trading.

While the trade in ivory and rhino horns has decreased due to international regulations, new forms of illegal trading have emerged, including online transactions and the use of cryptocurrencies. In regions like the Congo Basin in Africa and the Mekong Basin in Asia, poaching continues amid economic instability, with severe impacts on ecosystems.