Traffic's definition of wildlife trade is "any sale or exchange of wild animal and plant resources by people." It becomes illegal wildlife trade when this trade goes against local laws. Its scale is massive, with estimates claiming it to gross millions of dollars every year - and it's growing.
In Malaysia, the predominant legislation addressing wildlife crime is the Wildlife Conservation Act of 2010. Species totally protected in the act range from the well-known Malayan Tiger and Asian Elephant to the lesser-acknowledged Banded Linsang and Binturong.
Wildlife trafficking is only one small facet of the overall threat wildlife today faces. As revealed in the fantastic book by Bryan Christy, The Lizard King, Penang itself is an enormous hub for wildlife trade. As youth, we may not be able to step in from a legal standpoint, but there is one thing we can do - we can stop the demand.
If there is no demand, there can be no trade. If no one wants what you're selling, you make no money, and you eventually shut down. If youth are educated, we can learn to say no; when we do this, we give ourselves the power.
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