Climate

Illegal wildlife continues to slip through Canada’s borders. Experts explain how

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Based on a feed excerpt; full article content has not been acquired. Source evidence retrieved 30/09/2026, 15:24:24 UTC.

Briefings

Chris Shepherd, a senior conservation advocate with the Center for Biological Diversity, reported attending a reptile fair in Canada where a seller admitted to regularly receiving shipments of illegal wildlife from the U.S. The illegal wildlife trade is valued at approximately $20 billion annually and drives many species toward extinction, while the legal trade is estimated at $220 billion annually. This trade poses significant public health risks through zoonotic diseases and national security threats due to organized crime syndicates. The article was originally published on Mongabay.

Key points

• Chris Shepherd, a senior conservation advocate with the Center for Biological Diversity, reported attending a reptile fair in Canada where a seller admitted to regularly receiving shipments of illegal wildlife from the U.S.
• The illegal wildlife trade is valued at approximately $20 billion annually and drives many species toward extinction, while the legal trade is estimated at $220 billion annually.

Context and limitations

Evidence covers only one reptile fair incident and relies on Shepherd's firsthand account rather than broader statistical data or expert consensus.

Generated by Bittrees-hosted qwen35-2b sha256:aaf42c8b7c3c on 30/09/2026, 15:25:18 UTC. Based on publisher-provided feed evidence; may not cover the full original article. Check the source for details.

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