Issue - Illegal Wildlife Trade
In recent years the hunting of Mongolian species for the illegal wildlife trade has caused drastic declines in a number of its species, driving some such as the Mongolian gazelle (Procapra gutturosa) and the Siberian marmot (Marmota sibirica) to the brink of extinction within Mongolia.
Trade in Mongolian wildlife is estimated to be worth well over $100 million every year. This vast amount of money is raised primarily through trade with China for skins, fur, meat, and traditional medicines. Whereas some rare species such as the snow leopard and Saiga antelope are worth large amounts of money, other, formerly common species, such as the Siberian marmot, the red fox and the red deer are worth less individually, but are traded in huge numbers by traders across the country. The effect of the trade has been described by hunters and non-hunters alike as 'leaving silence in a landscape once filled by the sounds of wildlife'.
Animals affected
- Mongolian gazelle (Procapra gutturosa)
- Goitered gazelle (Gazella subgutturosa)
- Red deer (Cervus elaphus)
- Siberian marmot (Marmota sibirica)
- Eurasian beaver (Castor fiber)
- Snow leopard (Uncia uncia)
- Asiatic Wild Ass (Equus hermonius)
- Argali (Ovis ammon)
- Saiga antelope (Saiga tatarica)
- Siberian musk deer (Moschus moschiferus)
- Elk (Alces alces)
- Sable (Martes zibellina)
- Reindeer (Rangifer tarandus)
