The welfare of wildlife: an interdisciplinary analysis of harm in the legal and illegal wildlife trades and possible ways forward

Tanya Wyatt,Jennifer Maher,Deborah Rook,Daniel Allen,Nancy Clarke

doi:10.1007/s10611-021-09984-9

Abstract

Wildlife trade—both legal and illegal—is an activity that is currently the focus of global attention. Concerns over the loss of biodiversity, partly stemming from overexploitation, and the corona virus pandemic, likely originating from wildlife trade, are urgent matters. These concerns though centre on people. Only sometimes does the discussion focus on the wildlife traded and their welfare. In this article, we make the case as to why welfare is an important component of any discussion or policy about wildlife trade, not only for the interests of the wildlife, but also for the sake of humans. We detail the harm in the trade as well as the current welfare provisions, particularly in relation to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), which guide global transport and trade. There are a number of ways that the current approach to wildlife welfare could be improved, and we propose ways forward in this regard.

Highlights

Billions of wildlife1—from the entire range of species—are killed and captured every year as part of the global legal and illegal wildlife trades
We argue that it is crucial today to extend the current discussion around the wildlife trade to the individual abuse and violence wildlife suffer and to the structural violence they endure
Rather, borrowing the concept of proportionality from human rights law, we suggest weighing competing interests to find a more appropriate balance

Summary

Introduction

Billions of wildlife1—from the entire range of species—are killed and captured every year as part of the global legal and illegal wildlife trades. The harms to animals in the (il)legal trade are evident to many, the paucity of research, legislation, and social condemnation in regard to the welfare of wildlife suggests it is important to start by making a case for the focus of this paper. The more extreme and covert conditions of capture, killing, or transportation, alongside the limited habituation to humans (in captive-bred animals) suggests additional welfare concerns for traded wildlife.

Results

Conclusion