UNEP Frontiers 2016 Report - Chapter 6

Great apes and other live animals represent a highly profitable and symbolic component of the estimated US$23 billion illegal wildlife trade—the fourth most lucrative black market after the trafficking of drugs, people, and arms. The live wildlife trade relies heavily on corrupt officials and organized trafficking networks to sustain its operations. Commonly referred to as the "pet trade," this criminal network supplies cheetahs to the United Arab Emirates, bonobos to Armenia, macaws to the Czech Republic, and chimpanzees to China. Although data on the scale and scope of the illegal live wildlife trade remain limited, it is widely recognized as a major illicit industry that attracts drug cartels, arms traffickers, counterfeit organizations, and numerous other organized criminal networks. Full report is available at: https://wedocs.unep.org/handle/20.500.11822/7664