Illegal wildlife trade is a multimillion-dollar global industry that poses a serious threat to countless species, including the critically endangered orangutan.
The trade often involves killing mothers to capture their infants, further weakening already fragile populations. Beyond its impact on individual animals, it disrupts ecosystems and often involves the same criminal networks as drug and human trafficking.
For the animals, the consequences of illegal pet trade are severe: It threatens primate populations with extinction and increases the risk of disease transmission. Over time, it may also cause broader safety and animal welfare concerns, as captive primates - particularly males - can become strong, unpredictable and violent as they mature.
Hidden extent of the trade
Despite legal protection in both Indonesia and Malaysia, more than 1,000 illegal trade activities involving orangutans are estimated to occur annually. However, the true scale is difficult to determine.
Most data are based on detected cases, while official statistics from Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) cover only international trades, leaving domestic trades largely undocumented. The actual extent of the illegal trade in orangutans therefore is most likely higher than reported.
One of the most significant studies, published in 2016 as part of a global study on the world’s great apes (gorillas, orangutans, chimpanzees, and bonobos), found that approximately 56% of all illegal great apes trade involves orangutans.
Furthermore, a report from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), who also monitors trade in wild animals, estimates that 6000 great apes are captured or killed every year for the purpose of selling or keeping them as pets. Up to 70% of these are orangutans.
A billion-dollar industry helped along by deforestation
Key import hubs for orangutans include Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan, with additional demand in some European and Middle Eastern countries.
Like other illicit markets, the illegal wildlife trade is driven by supply and demand. In the case of orangutans, habitat loss due to deforestation and agricultural expansion increases their vulnerability because it forces the orangutans out of their natural habitats and closer to humans.
Studies on the illegal wildlife trade reveal that local hunters are paid relatively small amounts, while profits increase significantly along the supply chain.
For example, two orangutans have been reported for sale on the Thai market for DKK 140,000. In March 2019, it made global headlines when a Russian tourist attempted to smuggle a drugged orangutan, two geckos, and five lizards out of Indonesia.
Overalle, UNEP estimates the global illegal wild life trade to be worth USD 50-150 billion annually.
Several tragic stories
Behind the statistics are several tragic stories. Illegal wildlife trade often results in infant or young orangutans living under unnatural and extreme conditions. Some are sold to breeding centres in Egypt and Thailand, and others are sold to private and public zoos for entertaining exhibitions for tourists. Most experience long periods of confinement, stress and mistreatment while a few fall victim to more extreme abuse, as their owners force them to behave like pets, perform before crowds, take part in fighting for entertainment or even prostitution.
A few of the illegal traders are exposed and tried in court, but even so, when an orangutan is confiscated, it faces extended quarantine periods lasting several years before relocation. If it is lucky. Others may have long forgotten the necessary skills to survive in the wild during their captivity and never be able to re-learn.
At Save the Orangutan, we have helped ensure the rescue of several orangutans and their return to Borneo via our partner BOS Foundation. In Borneo, they can commence a long process of rehabilitation and training with the hope of one day reintroducing them to the rainforest or long term care on special, protected islands.
Sources:
CITES - Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora
STOLEN APES - Report from UNEP and GRASP
APES IN DEMAND - TRAFFIC report 2016
BBC article: Data and statistics on illegal trade
DR article: Trade in orangutans uncovered (Undercover-betjente redder to babyorangutanger) (Danish)