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Thailand Fact Sheet

 
Thailand possesses an amazing diversity of living organisms: 280 species of mammals; more than 950 species of birds; 300 species of reptiles; 107 species of amphibians; 1,900 species of fish; approximately 10,000 vascular plants and thousands of insects and invertebrate species.1

The forest cover in Thailand has declined from about 53% in 1961 to only about 20% today. An estimated 240,000 hectares of forest are lost per year.2

There are currently 35 critically-endangered species in Thailand.3

Per year, an estimated 30,000 monkeys and other primates are shipped across international borders, along with 20-30 million pelts, 500,000 parrots and 400-500 million ornamental fish.4

The illegal wildlife trade is worth an estimated $8 to $10 billion a year in Southeast Asia.5

Out of some 300 arrests and confiscations cases involving illegal trading in Thailand last year, most traders appear to have been let free. Heaviest penalties have amounted to only 40,000 baht (about $1,000 U.S. dollars).6

Bangkok's famous weekend market, Chatuchak, is a main center for selling tiger bones and penises, bear paws and king cobra gall bladders-most of which are used as aphrodisiacs-and can be ordered over the counter.7

In a restaurant in Thailand, a python steak costs 299 baht (about $12); wild boar in red curry, 199 baht (eight dollars); and, a serving of mountain frogs costs about eight dollars.8

By law, every man, woman and child is allowed to keep as pets two of any species, with the exception of nine that are extinct or on the brink.9

The global trade in wildlife provides disease transmission mechanisms that not only cause human disease outbreaks but also threaten livestock, international trade, rural livelihoods, native wildlife populations, and the health of ecosystems.10

Since 1980, 35 new infectious diseases have emerged in humans, equaling 1 every 8 months. Many of these are the results of eating or being in contact with wild animals.11

1Thailand's Threatened & Endangered Species
2Ibid
3Ibid
4"Thailand Bird Trade," American University
5"Southeast Asia's Illegal Wildlife Trade," National Public Radio
6"Corruption and Weak Laws Allowing Criminal Syndicate to Use Thailand as a Base and Transit," WildAid
7"Endangered Animals on Restaurant Menus," Albion Monitor
8Ibid
9"I Want to Eat Sun Bear," National Wildlife Federation
10"Wildlife Trade and Global Disease Emergence," CDC
11Ibid

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