Every year, poachers take a whopping 38 million animals from the wilds of Brazil to meet the global demand for illegal wildlife. Most are birds, destined to become caged pets for owners in Rio de Janeiro, Sydney, Madrid, or New York. Brazil’s strong demand for exotic pets, its weak laws around the wildlife trade, and its light penalties for violators allow many traffickers to operate with impunity, feeding the country’s $2 billion industry. But, one São Paulo-based wildlife conservationist is trying to change that.
Link: National Geographic