Comments by "Angry Kittens" (@AngryKittens) on "Bloodwood: Rosewood Trafficking Is Destroying This National Park | National Geographic" video.

  1. The common factor among all these - China. The destination point of virtually all the illegal trade in exotic animals and plants. It's driving extinction rates up in surrounding countries, sadly for the most mundane reasons that don't even work. Like aphrodisiacs or cure-alls.
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  2. Sigh. The point is the Chinese government should be doing more to stop this from penetrating their borders. Instead (and as is evident from some of the replies), the Chinese government don't give a shit because the animals and plants being overharvested are not from China. Bribery is rampant, and boatloads of these routinely pass through to become just another status symbol in a Chinese millionaire's house, or worse, magic pills for some old fart who can't get an erection anymore. Last year alone, 3 tons of pangolin scales were confiscated in Shanghai. And that's not even the first one either. Numerous Chinese boats have been caught in Southeast Asian waters with their freezers full of frozen pangolins, turtles, and various endangered animals all destined to become ingredients in Traditional Chinese Medicine. You can imagine the scale of the trade of those that DON'T get caught. Of all the nations, China should understand how economic demand can destroy something. The British destroyed the last Chinese empire by opium. Now it's doing the same with species.
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