Nearly 20,000 live animals, all endangered or protected species, have been seized in a global operation targeting illegal wildlife trade.
It is a global scourge. It is organised crime across the planet. And it is slowly but surely playing its part in driving some of our rarest species over the cliff to extinction. It is the continuing trade in rare animal parts, for trophies, for quack medicine, for you name it, but above all, for sure, for profit.
International treaties have long been established to try and counter this age-old problem. No doubt they have a certain degree of effectiveness. So too recent pledges from the previous government and from this one, to ban aspects of the trade, namely trophy hunting and the import of major species, animal parts, bears, elephants, lions and so forth.
But during our investigation, we came across a black bear, a tiger’s head, elephant tusks and a polar bear skin, thousands of illegal wildlife products stacked up in one small room. This is just a handful of items which have been confiscated by Border Force from entering the UK over the past few years.
The trade can be beyond tasteless. One official describes how a lion paw was found from South Africa. It had been made into a bottle opener, as she puts it: “What can you say to that? Speechless.”
But the demand for trophies, for exotic live pets even, is still driving an incredibly lucrative trade in wildlife crime. The law is constantly playing catch up with catastrophic species decline across our planet. Some species not even controlled a few years ago are now on the endangered list.
In December, the UK was part of Operation Thunder, a month-long global campaign headed by Interpol International Criminal Police and the World Customs Organisation – a targeted effort to crack down on this wildlife trade.
Nearly 20,000 live animals, all endangered or protected species, were seized in the global operation.
Authorities arrested 365 suspects and identified six transnational criminal networks suspected of trafficking animals and plants protected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora – or CITES.
Such species are illegally trafficked to meet specific market demands, whether for food, perceived medicinal benefits, “luxury” and collector items or as pets and competition animals.
Channel 4 News was given exclusive access to film with UK Border Force behind the scenes.
What’s clear is that every day, entering the UK, are illegal wildlife products, smuggled through the key routes like Northern France, particularly live animals stuffed into boxes and crates piled high on the back of vehicles.
In just one month, Border Force detected 400 live birds, including many listed as endangered, as well as 450 live plant species. You see, it isn’t just animals. It isn’t simply the species we associate with game hunting in Africa, far from it in fact.
And of course, officials say they’ve seen an increase in recent years due to online purchases. Animals smuggled abroad for sale into the UK and the “pet” trade. Significant amounts of money are involved in these species being sold. They are nothing, if not valuable.
All of this, of course, is controlled by CITES – that is, it should be controlled. Ideally, it would be controlled by such international trade treaties. But they only scratch the surface. They are only as good as they are implemented.
Latest figures show the number of hunting trophies from endangered species imported into the UK increased significantly in 2023 – trophies from 39 animals being smuggled in. That’s over four times the number that was imported the year before.
Successive UK governments have promised to ban trophy imports, but despite all the pledges they have not delivered. The Labour MP Rupa Huq says governments for years have pledged to tighten the legislation around this. The last government took 12 years to do so, nearly did, but then it died when the election was called.
“The Labour government has just weeks ago introduced a much toughened up ivory act, one of the toughest in the world, that covers narwhals, sperm whales, killer whales, as well as elephants. We can’t go on like this, and I am pleased that a Labour manifesto had a commitment to introduce a ban on the importation of animal trophies this parliament and I’ll be pushing to make that happen as soon as possible.”
But the supply chains are complex. There are poachers at the front end, traffickers and then, of course, purchasers. In general, it’s characterised by low risk and high profit. The damage done is manifold, and the corruption it engenders, that supports illegal trading on wildlife, poses threats even to national security.
Danny Hewitt, Director of National Operations Border Force, says international wildlife crime is serious organised crime. He says it generates £17 billion globally, each year, and is leading to the depletion of the environment.
Interpol estimates that it’s the fourth largest international crime behind arms trafficking, drugs trafficking and human trafficking. With Border Force, we see examples of crocodile and alligator skin, handbags made from endangered species. A snow leopard cape, would you believe, a critically endangered mountain cat.
“We see examples of crocodile and alligator skin, handbags made from endangered species. A snow leopard cape, would you believe? A critically endangered mountain cat.”
This is just a tiny snapshot of wildlife items which continue to be smuggled through our borders and just a fraction of the animals which continue to be hunted to near extinction.
As said, successive governments have mouthed promises to ban, for example, trophy imports. They have not delivered.
International law targets illegal smuggling. But the real danger now is that for some species, it is only extinction itself that will extinguish this global organised crime, and that is as deep a definition of failure as you can get.
Fox hunting group avoid court with ‘secret’ police deal
The Wildlife Trusts buy Rothbury Estate in landmark purchase