Illegal Sales of Endangered Species Uncovered in U.S. Cities

NEW YORK, New York, May 19, 2004 (ENS) - An undercover survey of traditional Chinese medicine shops in New York City and San Francisco found illegal products made from endangered species widely available, including tigers, rhinos, leopards and musk deer.

Most of the 60 stores visited offered at least one product containing an endangered species, according to the wildlife trade monitoring network TRAFFIC, which carried out the investigation.

The TRAFFIC investigation, begun last year with undercover visits to San Francisco and New York Chinatown shops, was a followup to a similar survey in 1997.

The availability of tiger and rhino products, the focus of much legal and conservation attention in recent years, has decreased in San Francisco since a similar survey in 1997, but availability remains high in New York City.

The report, "A Tale of Two Cities," was released Tuesday. The investigation found that three percent of San Francisco shops surveyed sold products claiming to contain tiger bone - down from 42 percent in 1997.

In 1997, 83 percent of New York City shops surveyed sold products claiming to contain tiger bone. In 2003, 41 percent did.

TRAFFIC found no San Francisco shops surveyed sold products claiming to contain rhino horn - in 1997, five percent did.

The percentage of New York City shops surveyed selling products claiming to contain rhino horn fell from eight percent in 1997 to seven percent in 2003.

But the numbers are less positive for leopard bone - in 1997, five percent of San Francisco shops and 17 percent of New York shops surveyed sold products claiming to contain leopard bone.

In 2003, 27 percent of San Francisco shops and 63 percent of New York shops surveyed sold products claiming to contain leopard bone.

Trade in leopards, rhinos and tigers is illegal under both international treaty and the Endangered Species Act.

TRAFFIC also surveyed shops for musk deer and bear bile products, whose sales are sometimes illegal, depending on the species involved or country of origin.

Both products were widely available, with the majority of shops in New York carrying them.

"Our findings indicate that illegal wildlife sales remain a serious problem in New York City," said Craig Hoover of TRAFFIC, a joint program of World Wildlife Fund and IUCN-The World Conservation Union. "The results were encouraging, though, because they show that outreach to traditional medicine users, like we have done in San Francisco in the past few years, can reduce demand."

The study was designed to assess changes since the first TRAFFIC survey led to the enactment of the federal Rhino and Tiger Product Labeling Act in 1998.

After that first survey, the American College of Traditional Chinese Medicine (ACTCM) launched a public education campaign in San Francisco with WWF that has received widespread support from the Chinese community.

"It is clear from TRAFFIC's findings that the most effective strategy is to bolster law enforcement by engaging leadership within the traditional medicine community," said Ginette Hemley, vice president for species conservation at WWF. "We are now going to extend to New York our effective public awareness campaign in San Francisco, again in collaboration with the ACTCM. And we are going to redouble our efforts to reduce demand for all endangered species."

Armed with TRAFFIC's findings, four members of the New York City Council announced Tuesday that they will introduce legislation to make the sale of endangered species a violation of city law.

"Traditional Chinese medicine is by no means the only cause of these species' becoming endangered," Hoover said. "TRAFFIC also works to educate other audiences, such as American tourists, to discourage the purchase of endangered species products often sold as souvenirs overseas."