Zoologist studied an illegal poaching in Pakistan
Since 2013, following a strict enforcement of provincial wildlife legislation in the less studied regions of Asia, the overall trend of illegal reptile poaching is steadily decreasing. But it’s too early to claim that the issue is solved. Poached reptiles are largely destined not only for the pet trade, but also folk medicines and snake charmer shows. These are the findings of the study led by the scientists from the Pakistan Museum of Natural History and the University of Peshawar, including Daniel Jablonski from the CU’s Faculty of Natural Sciences, published last week in the open-access journal Herpetozoa.
The wildlife trade leads not only to biodiversity loss, but also threatens with a possible spread of animal-borne diseases, due to interspecies contact at pet and folk medicine markets. The case of the recent COVID-19 pandemic gives a lesson to learn. In order to stop further occurrences, a focus on law-enforcement activities should be brought to wildlife trade hotspots, the study says.
Original study published in the journal Herpetozoa