Alejandro Olivares

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www.alejandroolivares.com

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Mercado Animal

(2015-2021)

(English Below)

La Amazonía es el epicentro del comercio mundial de animales, Todos los años, millones de animales salvajes son apresados en la selva amazónica. Caimanes, serpientes, tortugas, peces, pájaros, monos y grandes felinos se comercializan día a día en las pequeñas ferias y en los grandes mercados, como mascotas, comida exótica, souvenirs para turistas, supuestos remedios naturales de dudosas propiedades curativas o con fines de experimentación cosmética.

El tráfico ilegal de fauna silvestre es el cuarto negocio ilícito más rentable a nivel mundial, tan solo después del tráfico de drogas, de armas y la trata de personas, Su venta engrosa los bolsillos de traficantes de especies, una actividad ilegal que, según el Programa para el Medio Ambiente de Naciones Unidas, genera hasta 23.000 millones de dólares al año.

La Amazonia destaca por ser una de las ecoregiones con mayor biodiversidad del mundo, Y sus remotas fronteras entre paises amazonicos son los lugares ideales para que los traficantes exporten animales salvajes.

En la selva amazonica las especies silvestres son atrapadas por indigenas, buscadores de oro, campesinos, granjeros y vaqueros, quienes complementan su ingreso por medio de esta actividad ilegal.

En países como Brasil, no existen datos confiables que den una idea fidedigna de cuántos animales ilegales salen por su territorio. Toda clase de especies se trafican en las fronteras de Perú, Colombia, Brasil, Guayana, Bolivia, etc. sin control alguno. En la mayoría no existen datos confiables que den una idea fidedigna de cuántos animales ilegales salen por su territorio.

Existe con frecuencia capacidad limitada para implementar regulaciones para la reducción de tráfico ilegal de especies. En la ausencia de voluntad política y fondos para a protección de vida salvaje, hay pocos incentivos para el uso sostenible y esfuerzos de conservación.

Pese al covid-19, que ha dejado al descubierto los peligros de la *zoonosis, durante la pandemia esta actividad no ha cesado y su control sigue siendo un desafío para las autoridades de los países latinoamericanos que componen la selva amazónica.

*zoonosis es cualquier enfermedad infecciosa que se transmite de forma natural de los animales al ser humano y viceversa.

Perú, Colombia, Brasil.

Animal Market
(2015-2021)

The Amazon is the epicenter of the world animal trade. Every year, millions of wild animals are captured in the Amazon rainforest. Caimans, snakes, turtles, fish, birds, monkeys and big cats are traded every day in small fairs and large markets, as pets, exotic food, souvenirs for tourists, supposed natural remedies with dubious healing properties or for cosmetic experiments.

Illegal wildlife trafficking is the fourth most profitable illicit business worldwide, only after drug trafficking, arms trafficking and human trafficking. Its sale swells the pockets of species traffickers, an illegal activity that, according to the United Nations Environment Program, generates up to 23 billion dollars a year.

The Amazon stands out as one of the most biodiverse eco-regions in the world, and its remote borders between Amazonian countries are ideal places for traffickers to export wild animals.

In the Amazon rainforest, wild species are trapped by indigenous people, gold prospectors, peasants, farmers and cowboys, who supplement their income through this illegal activity.

In countries such as Brazil, there are no reliable data that give a reliable idea of how many illegal animals leave their territory. All kinds of species are trafficked across the borders of Peru, Colombia, Brazil, Guyana, Bolivia, etc. without any control. In most of them there is no reliable data to give a reliable idea of how many illegal animals leave their territory.

There is often limited capacity to implement regulations to reduce illegal species trafficking. In the absence of political will and funding for wildlife protection, there is little incentive for sustainable use and conservation efforts.

Despite covid-19, which has exposed the dangers of zoonosis, during the pandemic this activity has not ceased and its control remains a challenge for the authorities of the Latin American countries that make up the Amazon rainforest.

*Zoonosis: any infectious disease that is naturally transmitted from animals to humans and from humans to animals.

Perú, Colombia, Brasil.

A man sells a caiman skull at t... decorate houses or businesses.

A man sells a caiman skull at the Belen market in Iquitos, Peru. Many animals and their parts are sold in this market. They are used to decorate houses or businesses.

Heads of Paiche fish or piraruc...nd fewer fish of these species.

Heads of Paiche fish or pirarucu are sold in a market in the port of Nanai in Iquitos, Loreto region in the Peruvian Amazon. The Paiche is the second largest fish in the world, in its natural habitat it can reach up to 3 meters in length and 250 kg in weight. This Amazonian fish is in danger of extinction. According to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES),because of overfishing there are fewer and fewer fish of these species.

Yacares for sale in the Belen m...nd legs as decorative elements.

Yacares for sale in the Belen market in Iquitos, the sale of these animals in Peru is illegal but still it is very easy to find them in almost every market in the Peruvian Amazon, they are generally used for food and their heads and legs as decorative elements.

A man sells a Doncella fish in ... primary food of many families.

A man sells a Doncella fish in a market in Iquitos, Peru. The Doncella fish is a species of bagre or "catfish" and, like the paiche, is a characteristic species of the Amazon. It is the primary food of many families.

A Jaguar skull for sale in a ma...in large markets in the Amazon.

A Jaguar skull for sale in a market in Tabatinga, Brazil. The Jaguar is the largest feline in the Americas and the third largest in the world, after the tiger and the lion. It is one of the species most affected by deforestation, competition for food, habitat fragmentation and poaching, it is in danger of extinction, we are referring to a species that has been included in the IUCN Red List. Specifically, at present time, the jaguar would have the category of "near threatened species", the parts of this animal are highly coveted by animal traffickers and relatively easy to find in large markets in the Amazon.

A Jaguar skin for sale in a sto...with all kinds of animal parts.

A Jaguar skin for sale in a store in the Belen market in Iquitos, Peru. It is common to find sellers of all kinds of souvenirs for tourists or local people who like to decorate their homes or businesses with all kinds of animal parts.