A new investigative investigation revealed the size and complexity of wildlife trafficking throughout Africa, and a network of intertwined corruption, organized crime and regular failures that lead to erosion of environmental preservation efforts and illegal marketing.
The investigation of “turmoil and chaos: an analysis of the size of the Bingan (ants) and ivory trafficking 2015-2024” is a complex and disturbing images of wildlife trafficking from Africa to Asia between 2015 and 2024, before and after the Kofid-19 pandemic.
The report prepared by the “Justice Committee for Wildlife” is one of the most comprehensive studies so far on how to allow legal gaps, political intervention and institutional weakness to prosper in illegal trade in endangered species.
The numbers mentioned in the investigation raises amazement, as there are 8 types of large and small Banglades. On average, the Bangols weight reaches about 5 kilograms and carries one bench between 500 and 600 grams of protective scales, and one ton requires killing more than 1,800 Bengol.
Trafficking
In 2024, the Nigerian customs seized more than 9.4 metric tons of bench scales in dark cargo containers, hidden under layers of wood or hidden inside bags of cashews, with thousands of elephants, and the size of the shipment indicates that more than 18 thousand Bengul animals were killed to secure this shipment alone.
The report also confirms that in 2019, the control of the international Bingol scales exceeded 100,000 tons, and the report estimates that the seizures represent only 10% of the total number of trading quantities, which is practically benefiting the killing of millions of benchol.
Bengol – also known as Umm Qarrafa – is one of the most exposed to trafficking in the world, after the illegal trade in its scales and flesh also became a global issue about 10 years ago. There are 8 known types of Bingol, 4 of which are in Asia and 4 in Africa.
During the second decade of the century, the smuggling of huge quantities of African benchols began to meet the growing demand in Asia, during the past ten years estimated at more than 370 tons.
In 2019, two records of Bangolle scales were seized a few days in Singapore, totaling more than 25 tons, while 3 standard Ivory measurements were seized in Vietnam, Singapore and China, also totaling more than 25 tons.
At the same time, 2019 also witnessed one of the largest elephants that have been confiscated so far from the illegal trade, as reports reported that it reached about 50 tons, meaning that almost 50 villas were killed for its provision.
The report indicates that between 2015 and 2024, more than 193 tons of elephants ’ivory were confiscated, and if this number represents 10%, the total number of elephants killed as a result will be 193 thousand elephants, or nearly half of the total elephant enumeration in Africa, according to the report.
The rapid growth in the average size of shipments shows the involvement of organized crime networks that operate on a large capital, a commercial infrastructure and a complex communication network to transport large shipments across continents with this amount of frequency.
It is also estimated that over the past years of this century for the purpose of trafficking in ivory has led to a decrease in the numbers of elephants in the world by about 30%, most of them in the African continent.
China is traditionally a major destination for ivory and scales trade, but it has intensified its campaign to trade wildlife during the pandemic.
In 2020, the authorities carried out several prominent arrests, and imposed more penalties for wildlife crimes, especially on the species involved in the transmission of animal diseases, and this partly contributed to the decrease in ivory controls and the main Bingol scales within China itself.
The total estimated seizures of about $ 176.1 million over the decade indicate the amount of profit that criminal networks must achieve from import and successful sales of buyers so that it is worth the risk and continues to be an attractive commercial project.
Although it is not known that it is not known that the incredible illegal trade rate represented by the seizures, the assumption of a 10% control rate means that the revenues resulting from successful shipments over the ten years may reach 1.58 billion dollars.
In recent years, the Justice Committee for Wildlife – which has prepared the report – has found that African brokers play decisive roles in Vietnamese and Chinese criminal networks operating in Africa.
Often these roles exceed the supply of products to include travel regulation and communications in seaports and airports, selecting and securing coverage loads, and managing shipping, transporting and packing shipments.
The manager usually enjoys the largest experience, the best relationships with brokers in Africa, buyers in Asia, and logistical services connections at both sides of the supply chain.
It has been found that Chinese wildlife crime networks show a model structural and operational properties of advanced organized organized crime gangs. These networks appear to be structured as a group of Harama’s arranged members, and have central power.
Each member of the network is devoted to a specific function, such as financing, supply, logistical services, and money transfer. These roles are often officially determined, and it is clear that the network membership continues for several years of work.
The investigations of the Wildlife Group also revealed that there is a close correlation between the Nigerian criminal networks involved in the supply and trade of Banglades and Ivory scales. There are informal and temporary ties among Nigerian merchants, unlike long -term relationships and structures for traditional organized crime networks.
Legal steps
While the Kofid-19 epidemic caused an initial shock that has almost completely stopped trafficking movements, the proactive and targeted law efforts also contributed to a fundamental change in the scene of crimes against wildlife worldwide.
There have been pivotal arrests and trials for high -ranking merchants in many countries along the supply chains during the period of this analysis, including Vietnam, Malaysia and Mozambique.
According to the report, law enforcement in China had a fundamental role in this context. Since the Elephant Trading Ban has entered into force in December 2017, and thanks to an advanced and systematic investigative approach, China has almost eliminated complete criminal networks involved in ivory trafficking.
With the significant decline in the volume of trade, the Nations Environment Program indicates that the Bongs and Elephants are still ranked second and third, after a single -century – in killings, scales smuggling and fangs, and that many ways – including Europe – are still active as smuggling paths.