The Pros And Cons Of The Animal Trade

When I was a child, one of my favorite places was the zoo. I loved to look at the beautiful animals and all the different species that the zoo possessed. As a child, I never realized how much these magnificent animals were threatened to extinction because of the wild animal trade. Animal trafficking, also known as the Animal Trade, is one of the harshest crimes and biggest industries, affecting ecosystems, the environment, and humans worldwide. Animal Trafficking is hands-down a growing industry. The Animal Trade is considered to be the third most profitable illicit commerce on the globe. It’s guessed that the industry is worth $10 billion a year (Smithsonian). One might be surprised by this considering that the animal trade seems so small
Some animals are placed in different environments because of experiments, by accident, or on purpose for entertainment reasons, like pets. Approximately 50,000 thousand alien species live in the U.S. The invasive animals placed into ecosystems outside of their hometown are able to over-compete the native flora and fauna. Invasive species are the second biggest threat toward endangered species and cost the United States an estimated $120 billion annually in damages (Walsh, Invasive). Invasive species go all the way back to the age of exploration (Mooney, Cleland). The fact is that if trade between countries is high then there will end up being more invasive species. Non-native species can be introduced by complete accident and trade is a very easy way for this to happen. The city of San Francisco in California had an estimated one new animal introduced per year from 1851-1960. Then once the animal trade started to accelerate, San Francisco saw three new animals per year from 1961-1995 (Mooney, Cleland). The effect of the animal trade is very obvious on the ecosystems of any many places worldwide. Some other examples of places in the United States that are affected by invasive species are Montana and Arizona. The two states used to have no fish species in common at all. Now, Montana and Arizona have 33 fish species in common. The change in animal species is very fast and big. Most biotic environments have completely changed after five generations. Some places are affected a lot more by the animal trade than others. New Zealand for instance has just as many alien plants as they native plants (Mooney, Cleland). It’s not only animals and plants that can be completely alien to environments, insects can too. Insects like the Emerald Ash Borer, from Asia, and the Asian Long-haired Beetle, from Japan, Korea, and China, are very harmful to the ecosystems of the United States. They are specifically