From Nancy Blaney, The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
Washington DC
Your telling editorial accurately depicted Japanese and South Korean
involvement in the illicit trafficking in parts and products of endangered species
(Editorial, 30 August, p 3).
Sadly, such illegal and unethical activity
is not limited to whales and other marine species whose future is in
jeopardy.
The recent tenth conference of the Convention on International Trade in
Endangered Species (CITES) rejected Japanese proposals to weaken the protection
given to several different species of whales and the endangered hawksbill sea
turtle. However, Japan did succeed in winning a down-listing of three
populations of African elephant. As a result, the country will enjoy a monopoly
on the trade in ivory through exclusive access to the ivory coming out of
Namibia, Zimbabwe and Botswana.
Even a disinterested observer would conclude that Japan vigorously pursues an
interest in profiting from the decimation of threatened and endangered
species.
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South Korea has an equally abysmal record on wildlife protection,
particularly with respect to its citizens’ illegal trade in bear parts. Parts
and products from North American, Russian and Chinese bears are sold throughout
South Korea and, in some cases, are worth more per gram than cocaine. The Korean
appetite for bear parts and products has pushed the highly endangered Asian bear
to the brink of extinction and threatens to debilitate the stable populations of
North American bears.
The only way to persuade Japan and South Korea to change their ways is to
keep a close eye on what they are doing and to exert international pressure on
them.
