Pagolins And The Rise Of Wildlife Cybercrime

By Shambhavi Singh: Jaipur in Rajasthan and Dhenkanal in Odisha, a few days ago, had one thing in common – two poachers each from both the places were arrested by forest officials who rescued a pangolin from their possession.

Pangolins, also known as scaly anteaters are under serious threat. Illegal hunting and poaching for local use as well as illegal international trafficking has pushed them under the endangered category. Found primarily in Asia and Africa, their scales and meat are eaten worldwide. Pangolin meat is prized in countries like China and Vietnam, with a belief that the nutritional value present in pangolin’s meat is good for kidney.

A while ago, four men were held by the police in US Nagar, Rudrapur, Uttarakhand who were in possession of over 9 kg pangolin scales from the forest reserve near Hotel Churchwood at Pilibit road in Khatima town of the district. The police were on patrolling duty when they found the four men with a gunny bag trying to sell the pangolin’s scales. The police have taken charge of the accused under section 51 of the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972.

Pangolins have been saving us for millions of years by indulging in pest destruction. These otherwise shy creatures are an important part if the ecology and have been providing a vital service free of cost.

However, the demand for meat or wildlife products is not just limited to Pangolins. Elephants, rhinos, tigers, sharks, and many other species are part of this massive illicit trade. Orchestrated by highly organized crime syndicates, the world of wildlife trafficking and poaching, rake in profits exceeding $20 billion per year.

CLICK, PAY, SHIP – RISE OF WILDLIFE CYBERCRIME

But now, illegal wildlife trade has transformed with the growth and accessibility of internet. Animals earlier sold in physical markets are now sold by anonymous vendors online. It has resulted in a largely unregulated online market that allows illegal enterprises to sell illegally acquired wildlife products, and transport them around the world. The consumer-to-consumer marketplace has made buying shark fins, pangolin scales, and rhino horns as easy as buying any other household item from an e-commerce marketplace.

According to a report, it is estimated that over 1,100,000 pangolins were trafficked for their scales from 2006 – 2015.

A 2018 International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) report titled Disrupt: Wildlife Cybercrime recognized more than 5,000 advertisements spread across more than 100 online marketplaces and social media platforms, cataloguing close to 12,000 endangered and threatened specimens worth almost $4 million.

Unfortunately, illegal online markets aren’t the only digital threat to wildlife – endangered or not. In recent years, hackers have exploited systems designed to monitor and protect these animals. Hackers can track down animals or reveal their whereabouts to those who would harm them by decrypting location data from radio tags and GPS collars