[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 175 (Tuesday, October 30, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1481]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                WILDLIFE TRAFFICKING IS FUELING TOURISM

                                 ______
                                 

                              HON. TED POE

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, October 30, 2018

  Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, there are only two Northern White 
Rhinos left in the world. These two remarkable creatures live under 
constant armed security because poachers and terrorists are determined 
to kill them for their horns. Guarding these rhinos is like protecting 
the Mona Lisa or some other priceless piece of art in a war zone. Along 
with the sale of elephant tusks, black market wildlife traffickers have 
hunted many of Africa's great animals to extinction. This must end now 
before it is too late and these animals are lost forever.
  Today, Rhino horns go for $65,000 per kilogram on the black market. 
At such a high price the illegal poaching of these rare animals 
contributes a sizeable portion of the estimated $19 billion a year 
wildlife trafficking industry. Terrorists and other extremist groups 
have noticed this lucrative business as a source of funding for their 
own evil deeds. Terrorist organizations such as al-Shabaab and the 
Lord's Resistance Army desperate for money use the illegal rhino horn 
and ivory trade to raise millions of dollars for their violent causes. 
We may often look at wildlife trafficking as a conservation issue, but 
it is also a major national security concern that is not being taken as 
seriously as other terrorist financing schemes.
  Unfortunately, wildlife trafficking and the illegal ivory trade 
exists in large part because corrupt governments like China and Vietnam 
permit a market for these illicit goods. These governments have pledged 
to support anti-trafficking measures but have failed to enforce 
existing laws or target consumers. Even North Korea has gotten in on 
the illegal trade with its diplomats caught multiple times shipping 
horns and tusks in diplomatic pouches to East Asia. Without action by 
these governments to stop the rhino horn and elephant tusk markets in 
their countries, it will be nearly impossible to prevent poaching in 
Africa.
  China, Vietnam, and other governments around the world must 
understand that allowing wildlife trafficking in their borders is 
contributing to the financing of terrorism and instability in Africa. 
Overall, more must be done to stop the poachers, traffickers, 
terrorists, and corrupt foreign authorities that allow this illegal 
business to thrive. With dozens of rhinos and elephants killed each day 
for their horns and tusks, time is running out.
  And that's just the way it is.

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