Animals Which Are Smuggled The MOST
Tiger Tigers — both poached from the wild and captively farmed — are favorites in the Golden Triangle. Nearly every part of the tiger is on sale there, the report notes, either in the form of traditional medicine or as decoration, tiger wine or meat.
Elephant Again, the survey teams found almost every part of elephant on sale in the region, including elephant teeth, hair, bones, tails, trunks, and ivory. Even elephant skin was available for consumption in restaurants as a cure for stomach ailments, the authors write. While much of the elephant ivory is thought to be smuggled from Africa, elephants in Myanmar are being poached, then skinned, to meet the demands of elephant skin.
Pangolin Chinese and Vietnamese tourists in the Golden Triangle seek out pangolin meat, considered a delicacy, as well as pangolin scales, which are used in traditional medicine. International trade in all eight species of pangolins — four African and four Asian — is prohibited under international law.
Rhino Most rhino products in the Golden Triangle are believed to have been smuggled from Africa. Rhino horns are, again, popular in traditional medicine, and are also bought as a symbol of wealth, particularly in Vietnam, according to the report.
Bear The Golden Triangle region is home to bear farms, where bile is extracted from species like the Asiatic Black Bear and the Malaysian Sun Bear. The bile from their gall bladders is used in traditional medicine, and the bears’ paws are used to make soup. Many of these bear farms likely house bears that have been illegally captured from the wild, the report says.
Serow The goat-like serow that lives in remote mountains across Asia is yet another commonly traded animal in the Golden Triangle’s markets. The survey teams found serow horns, skulls, forelegs, heads, gallbladders and medicinal oil on sale. The animal’s parts are especially prized in Laos traditional medicines.
Helmeted hornbill This critically endangered bird has a solid bill casque that is extremely prized in China, where carved casques are used an ivory substitute. Chinese demand for these casques have led to a drastic decline in helmeted hornbill numbers, the report notes, especially in Indonesia.
Gaur This wild species of cattle is being poached mostly for its majestic horns. Surveys of the markets of the Golden triangle revealed horns, gallbladders for medical purposes and whole heads as trophies, according to the report.
Leopard Leopard products in the markets of the Golden Triangle range from entire skins to heads sold as trophy. The origin of these leopard parts are, however, difficult to pinpoint, the report says. Among the leopards on sale, the teams found that clouded leopards were being traded in particularly high numbers.
Turtle The survey teams found numerous turtles and tortoises in the markets of the Golden Triangle being sold as live animals, decorative items and food. Some turtles on display included softshell turtles, Asian box turtles and impressed tortoises.