Wildlife Trade Infographic : Humane Society International

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Get the Facts

Every year billions of animals are inhumanely captured and killed to provide for your entertainment, and to make products for you to buy here and around the world. It’s called the international wildlife trade, and you can help stop it by avoiding products and experiences that come from these abused animals. Use the map to learn more and sign the pledge below!

What to Avoid

Use the map to see how your choices affect wildlife. Then eat, shop, and go wild!

Bushmeat

Humane and Environmental Issues

Elephants, gorillas, chimpanzees, hippos, and any other wildlife you can imagine (even endangered) could be on the menu at a restaurant in a foreign country. Bushmeat is exported to countries where people consider monkey limbs or bear paws a delicacy.

Read the menu. If an item seems exotic, ask questions, or avoid it altogether.

Rhino Horn

Humane and Environmental Issues

Rhino horn powder is often used in traditional Chinese medicine, and it’s extremely valuable on the black market. Poachers kill or tranquilize the rhino before sawing off their horn, and some rhinos are left alive to bleed to death.

Legalities and Safety Issues

It drives the cruel and sometimes illegal slaughter of thousands of critically endangered rhinos every year.

Avoid products made from rhinoceros horn, and make sure you know what’s gone into that traditional Chinese medicine before you buy any.
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Coral Souvenirs

Humane and Environmental Issues

Overharvesting of coral destroys reefs, increases erosion, and decimates animal habitat.

Legalities and Safety Issues

The aquarium and coral trade goes largely unregulated.

Don’t buy jewelry or home décor made of dead coral, seahorses, or other marine life.
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Frog Legs

Humane and Environmental Issues

Millions of frogs are being inhumanely snatched by the millions from the wild, slaughtered, and traded around the world for their legs. This hurts their populations, impacts other wildlife, and spreads disease. Europe is the leading consumer, then the USA and Hong Kong.

Check the menu for frog or frog legs. General rule: if an item seems exotic, ask questions, or avoid it altogether.
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Fur

Humane and Environmental Issues

Fur-bearing animals are painfully trapped in the wild to make coats and other clothing items.

Legalities and Safety Issues

Even where trapping and the sale of fur are illegal, animals are poached, and their fur is mislabeled, deceiving consumers who think they’re buying faux. The sale of cat and dog fur is now illegal in the U.S. and the European Union, but it can still be sold in other countries, mislabeled as gae wolf, sobaki, or Asian jackal for dog products and wildcat, goyangi, and katzenfelle for cat products.

Don’t buy fur, and learn how to avoid it in the marketplace.
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Ivory

Humane and Environmental Issues

More than 30,000 elephants were poached in 2012 for their ivory tusks, used for carvings, jewelry, piano keys, and hunting trophies. Even narwhal whales and walruses are slaughtered for ivory.

Legalities and Safety Issues

It’s a bloody, awful business, and even though the international trade in elephant ivory is banned in most countries, illegal trade is thriving.

Avoid all ivory, no matter how it’s labeled. Baby elephants will thank you for helping keep their moms alive.
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Leather and Skins

Humane and Environmental Issues

Elephants, lizards, kangaroos, snakes—even sharks, rays, and sea turtles—are all caught in the wild and illegally traded or farmed in inhumane conditions to make your watch band, shoes, or bag. And they might not be labeled as coming from those animals.

Legalities and Safety Issues

Depending on the country and the animal the product is derived from, it could be illegal.

Buyer beware, even in places where there are laws against selling products from endangered species. Ask lots of questions, and when in doubt, don’t buy.

Live Animals

Humane and Environmental Issues

Some of the millions of animals entering the wildlife trade every year are marketed to tourists as exotic pets. Most suffer enormously in capture and transport, a large percentage of them die, and those left behind face a damaged ecosystem.

Legalities and Safety Issues

Some wildlife marketed as exotic pets may have been illegally captured. It also may be illegal to import certain animals to your home country.

Don’t be tempted to buy one of these wild animals as a pet, even if you want to “save” him. Not only might it be illegal to import him to your home country, but he’ll just be replaced with another wild animal, and the cycle will continue.
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Lion Walks

Humane and Environmental Issues

Many companies in Africa claim to contribute to conservation by offering activities like 'lion walks,' where you get to pet lion cubs. Large predators who are desensitized to humans can’t be released back into the wild so don’t really conserve anything.

Legalities and Safety Issues

Interacting with wild animals is incredibly dangerous, for you and them (they usually pay with their lives if they attack you).

Avoid places like this (and don’t trust tour operators who assure you they’ve got it under control—they don’t). Instead, look for responsible wildlife rehabilitators, or go on a safari to see truly wild animals up close.

Marine Shows

Humane and Environmental Issues

As cool as it may seem, swimming with dolphins does no favors for these ocean predators whose needs can’t be met in captivity. They may have even been caught in the wild just to perform in shows or swim with humans.

Legalities and Safety Issues

Exhibiting marine mammals for entertainment is bad for them, bad for their kind, and potentially dangerous to you.

Don’t patronize places that profit from “swim with” programs (and don’t swim with the dolphins yourself). Contact local tourism authorities to oppose such facilities. Support a responsible whale-watching company instead.
Learn More about The Case Against Marine Mammals in Captivity
Learn More about Swim-with-the-Dolphins Attractions

Photos with Wildlife

Humane and Environmental Issues

We’ve all seen them—local entrepreneurs with mini, street-side photo booths. For $5 you can get your picture taken with a parrot, monkey, or even large cat. What you don’t see is that often these animals are taken from the wild (after their parents are killed), over-handled, inhumanely treated, and lack proper care. Many are abandoned when they get sick or old.

Don't have your picture taken with wild animals. Speak up to restaurant owners, your tour guide, or another appropriate official. Support establishments like accredited rescue centers that offer humane alternatives to animals confiscated from the illegal pet or wildlife trade.

Roadside Zoos

Humane and Environmental Issues

All over the world, animals are displayed in sub-standard zoo-like establishments. Many of them have been ripped from their habitats and trained to do unnatural tricks for tourists. These animals are often subjected to improper housing and care and receive little if any veterinary attention.

Speak up. Let your tour operator know you object to roadside zoos, encourage your travel companions to do the same. Support establishments like accredited rescue centers that offer humane alternatives to animals confiscated from the illegal pet or wildlife trade.

Sea Turtle Meat

Humane and Environmental Issues

In some Caribbean nations, killing sea turtles for food is legal, and the meat may be sold in local restaurants. To keep the meat fresh, fishermen catch the turtles and lie them on their backs on dry land, keeping them alive but immobile, until they are ready to harvest their meat. The turtles suffer immeasurably.

Stay away from facilities that slaughter sea turtle and those that exploit sea turtles for tourist dollars instead of focusing on education and the rehabilitation of sea turtles in the wild.
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Shark Fin Soup

Humane and Environmental Issues

Tens of millions of sharks are annually hunted to meet the demand for shark fin soup. Now bannedi n several places, “finning” involves slicing the fins off a shark and throwing the still-alive body back in the water to drown.

Legalities and Safety Issues

Like other large fish, high levels of mercury can be found in shark meat.

When dining out, be sure to choose foods that do not support inhumane practices of any kind, including shark finning.
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Shark Liver Oil, Cartilage/Skin

Humane and Environmental Issues

Shark’s liver oil, cartilage and skin are used in cosmetics (ew), medicines, health supplements, and traditional food products. Shark skin is turned into leather furniture, book bindings, shoes, watch bands and handbags.

Check the label on accessories, cosmetics, and supplements for shark skin or shark liver oil so you can avoid those products.

Shark Teeth

Humane and Environmental Issues

Another one of those items that might seem really cool in a tourist shop (especially to a kid), but the teeth most likely came from a shark slaughtered with no regard for the health of the ocean ecosystem.

Avoid buying shark teeth jewelry and other products.

Sea Turtle Shell

Humane and Environmental Issues

For centuries, hawksbill sea turtles were killed for their beautiful mottled "tortoise" shells, which were used to make jewelry, decorative combs and hairpins, forks and spoons, and statuettes.

Legalities and Safety Issues

Hawksbill sea turtles are fully protected from international trade by CITES, but poaching and sale of hawksbill shell products in tourist markets worldwide is still a problem.

Avoid purchasing products made from hawksbill or any turtle shell, as these are often made at the expense of poaching turtles illegally.

Traditional Medicines

Humane and Environmental Issues

The jury’s still out on whether exotic, “traditional medicines” said to aid sexual potency or cure illnesses actually work (they’re largely untested by scientists). But we do know that many animals used in the products are endangered (rhino horn, tiger penis) and poached by the thousands for this market.

Legalities and Safety Issues

It might even be illegal to import certain medicinal items containing exotic animal parts.

Avoid purchasing traditional medicinal products unless you’re absolutely sure they don’t contain any animal parts. Look for synthetic or herbal alternatives instead.

Whale and Dolphin Meat

Humane and Environmental Issues

A handful of countries still kill thousands of whales and dolphins annually, despite international protests.

Legalities and Safety Issues

Not only are the killing methods horribly inhumane, meat from many of these species is contaminated with mercury and other toxins.

Don’t order whale or dolphin meat dishes you may see on the menu. There really is no humane way to kill whales or dolphins.

Wools

Humane and Environmental Issues
In India and Nepal you might see shawls, pashminas, socks, sweaters, suits, and blankets made of Shahtoosh wool from the endangered Tibetan antelope. Although it can be obtained without killing the animals, it’s much easier for poachers to kill first, shear second.

Legalities and Safety Issues
International trade in Shahtoosh is banned, but illegal hunting and selling of the wool still happens.

Watch for this wool in the marketplace, and don’t buy it.

Bushmeat

Coral souvenirs

Frog legs

Ivory

Leathers & skins

Lion walks

Live animals

Marine shows

Photos with wildlife

Rhino horn

Roadside zoos

Sea turtle meat

Sea turtle shell

Shark fin soup

Shark liver oil/skin

Shark teeth

Traditional medicines

Whale & dolphin meat

Wools

Sign the Don't Buy Wild Pledge

Countless numbers of animals suffer every year as victims of the international wildlife trade. I pledge to avoid contributing to the illegal wildlife trade and animal suffering by not purchasing items made with or from wild animal parts, not purchasing live wild animals, and not patronizing facilities that keep wildlife captive under inhumane conditions.

After you take action, you'll receive updates by email on how you can help animals. You can easily opt out at any time.

THANKS FOR PROTECTING WILDLIFE!

You're helping to create a movement to end the demand for wildlife products and ultimately prevent the suffering of wild animals.

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HSI works year-round to encourage policy-makers to improve and enforce laws and regulations in order to reduce the trade in wildlife. We send our team of experts to the triennial CITES meeting to fight for greater protection for wildlife around the world. And we conduct regular outreach to the public about how their consumption and travel choices impact wildlife. Learn more, and join us, at humanesocietyinternational.org.

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Get the Facts

What to Avoid

Bushmeat

Humane and Environmental Issues

Rhino Horn

Humane and Environmental Issues

Legalities and Safety Issues

Coral Souvenirs

Humane and Environmental Issues

Legalities and Safety Issues

Frog Legs

Humane and Environmental Issues

Fur

Humane and Environmental Issues

Legalities and Safety Issues

Ivory

Humane and Environmental Issues

Legalities and Safety Issues

Leather and Skins

Humane and Environmental Issues

Legalities and Safety Issues

Live Animals

Humane and Environmental Issues

Legalities and Safety Issues

Lion Walks

Humane and Environmental Issues

Legalities and Safety Issues

Marine Shows

Humane and Environmental Issues

Legalities and Safety Issues

Photos with Wildlife

Humane and Environmental Issues

Roadside Zoos

Humane and Environmental Issues

Sea Turtle Meat

Humane and Environmental Issues

Shark Fin Soup

Humane and Environmental Issues

Legalities and Safety Issues

Shark Liver Oil, Cartilage/Skin

Humane and Environmental Issues

Shark Teeth

Humane and Environmental Issues

Sea Turtle Shell

Humane and Environmental Issues

Legalities and Safety Issues

Traditional Medicines

Humane and Environmental Issues

Legalities and Safety Issues

Whale and Dolphin Meat

Humane and Environmental Issues

Legalities and Safety Issues

Wools

THANKS FOR PROTECTING WILDLIFE!

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