NCJ Number
227264
Journal
Global Crime Volume: 10 Issue: 1-2 Dated: February-May 2009 Pages: 144-154
Date Published
February 2009
Length
11 pages
Annotation
This study examined the Russian Federation, a source of wildlife and wildlife products that fuel the vast illegal wildlife trade taking place around the globe.
Abstract
Green crimes, such as the illegal wildlife trade are estimated to be worth between $10 and $20 billion dollars. Results suggest that the illegal fur trade is a green crime committed by individual people that are motivated not only by poverty, using the fur for personal use and financial reward, but also by wealthy people that take fur illegally, as a show of power, or because they are above the law due to their social status. While legislation is in place it is unregulated and unenforced. Smuggling is accomplished by simply hiding the illegally caught fur, forging permits, or misusing real permits. Fur is then sold to middlemen within the fur industry, where the illegal pelt then becomes part of the legal market. This scenario only applies to the species which can be laundered through the legal fur industry, such as sable, squirrel, and fox. The rare and endangered skins of Amur tigers and leopards must be smuggled in different ways and all modes of transport and hiding are used. Organized crime does not appear to be involved in laundering illegally obtained pelts into legitimate trade or in their trapping, but some fur smuggling does occur transnationally into China. The illegal raptor and falcon trade are also discussed.