Illegal trafficking in wildlife has become Brazil’s third-most profitable illegal activity after arms and drugs smuggling, generating up to $1 billion annually. An estimated 38 million wild animals are stolen from the country’s forests every year, according to a new report by the National Network Against the Trafficking of Wild Animals (RENCTAS). Eighty-two percent of the illegal sales are birds, while 14 percent are mammals and 3 percent are snakes. The report found that only a tiny fraction of the animals — about 0.45 percent — are intercepted by the authorities. Many of the animals are shipped overseas to supply a lucrative international market (which is dominated by the U.S., Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, and France), but RENCTAS estimates that only about 10 percent of the animals survive the journey.
