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The illegal wildlife trade -

It is no great secret that the illegal wildlife trade is a significant threat to the survival of many species. It is a multi-billion-dollar industry and is the fourth-largest illegal activity in the world.

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Favorite species -

Over the years, certain species have become famous for being poachers’ favorites. Think elephants being traded for their ivory, and tigers sold for their skins.

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The tarantula trade -

But one animal that is a staple of the illegal wildlife trade, but which historically has received little attention for being so, is the tarantula.

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Divisive creatures -

With their eight legs and piercing eyes, tarantulas are quite divisive creatures. Some people would run at the mere sight of one, while others find them fascinating.

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Demand -

According to experts, there are a number of reasons that criminals can sell tarantulas on the black market. The first is that some people like to keep them as pets.

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Tarantulas as pets -

Tarantulas first became popular as pets during the 1970s and '80s. Although the legal trade of the eight-legged creatures quickly took off, so did the illegal trade.

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Why people go underground -

As with anything, it seems likely that the illegal trade grew so quickly because doing things above board takes time and money, and it often involves a permit.

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Other purposes -

Tarantulas are not only sold as pets, however. According to the BBC, 43% are sold as souvenirs, research tools, or for medicine.

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Souvenir market -

The souvenir market for tarantulas appears to be growing the fastest, with more and more people keen to mount and frame them post-mortem.

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The problem with poaching -

In general, tarantula species live a long time, and the females often reproduce late. This means that when they are poached, it can take a very long time to regenerate populations.

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Risk of extinction -

As a result, many species will be facing extinction if nothing is done to halt the illegal tarantula trade. Unfortunately, however, this is proving very difficult.

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Easy to transport -

One of the reasons that the illegal tarantula trade is booming is that the small invertebrates have proven themselves very easy to transport.

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Hidden in straws -

In 2010, for example, a German man packaged hundreds of baby tarantulas into boxes of multicolored straws and sent them via the United States Postal Service.

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Stuffed in a suitcase -

Then, in 2021, two people were stopped at El Dorado Airport by the Colombian authorities. They were found to be smuggling more than 230 tarantulas in a single suitcase.

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Strapped to the body -

As recently as November 2024, a man was caught trying to smuggle hundreds of tarantulas out of Peru. They were strapped to his body.

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Difficult to regulate -

The ease of transport is one of the reasons that historically it has been so difficult for governments to regulate the tarantula trade.

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Lack of data -

Another reason is the lack of available data. According to the BBC, there are more than 1,000 known species of tarantula in the world today.

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CITES list -

However, only those listed under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, otherwise known as CITES, are tracked.

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Limitations -

The species listed under CITES only represent a tiny proportion of the recognized species, and that’s not to mention all the other species that are yet to be cataloged.

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Double impact -

In addition to making it difficult to regulate the trade, the lack of available data also makes it tricky to estimate the real impact of the illegal trade on species’ populations.

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Around the world -

Despite all the difficulties associated with regulating the tarantula trade, certain countries are doing better than others.

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Hotpots -

Countries that are considered tarantula hotspots, such as Brazil, Costa Rica, Peru, and India, have made moves to protect populations against illegal trading.

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Countries afraid of naturalization -

Countries that are fearful of tarantulas naturalizing and becoming invasive, such as South Africa, have also taken a harder line on the illegal tarantula trade.

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Worldwide regulation -

However, due to tarantulas’ small size and the fact that illegal online wildlife trading is such a huge market, experts believe that worldwide regulation is not likely.

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Silver lining -

The situation may sound quite bleak, but there is a silver lining in all this: some experts believe that the illegal trading of tarantulas could help boost certain populations by captive breeding.

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Captive breeding -

Captive breeding can be a useful conservation tool, which has been recognized by initiatives and even legislation such as the EU Birds Directive.

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Caveat -

The caveat is, of course, that captive breeding must be properly monitored if it is going to have a real positive impact on tarantula populations.

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The risk of improper monitoring -

Indeed, captive breeding that is improperly monitored and regulated could in turn feed back into and stoke the illegal tarantula trade

Sources: (BBC)

See also: Lost animal species that returned from extinction

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