Animal Trafficking -
A Cruel Billion-Dollar Business
The jungles of Bolivia, Ecuador,
Colombia and Brazil,Nicaragua and other fragile ecosystems of Central America,
Mexico, Argentina and Paraguay, have become the main sources of wild species
trafficking to the European Union, the world's leading destination for reptile
skins, parrots, and boa and python snakes, and the second for monkeys Africa
and Asia are also major suppliers of wild plant and animal species for the
global market
Products demanded by the trade include exotic pets, food, traditional medicine, clothing, and jewelry made from animals' tusks, fins, skins, shells, horns, and internal organs. Smuggled wildlife is an increasing global demand: it is estimated that the US, China, and the European Union are the places with the highest demand. It is believe that up to 40,000 monkeys are killed and eventually consumed each year in Africa alone via smuggling
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wildlife_smuggling