Where there’s smoke there is fire: Türkiye and the international illegal wildlife trade

Humans have been exploiting natural ecosystems and their resources, driving many species to extinction at the expense of global human health, the welfare of wild animals, and the integrity of Earth’s ecosystems. Research has shown that the illegal international wildlife trade is of particular interest because it poses a serious threat to global health, biodiversity, conservation efforts, animal welfare, international relations, and biosecurity due to its clandestine and unregulated nature. Trafficked wild animals and wildlife products are moving between source and demand regions in the Americas, Africa, Asia and Europe. Despite a common misconception that consumers are primarily located in Asian countries, the EU is a major destination for legal and illegal wildlife trade, and certain EU countries function as transit points for illegal wildlife trafficking. Like Europe, the Middle East, including Türkiye, serves as a key transit hub for wildlife trafficking from Africa to Asia, yet no peer-reviewed studies assess Türkiye’s role in these networks. Motivated by the seizure of a baby gorilla at Istanbul Airport on December 22, 2024, this study aims to identify and analyze international illegal wildlife trade involving Türkiye. This study collated publicly available data sources, revealing 55 international wildlife trafficking seizure records involving Türkiye between 2011 and 2022. The seizure records were composed of mammals (64%, 35 records), reptiles (20%, 11 records), birds (7%, 4 records) and other species (9%, 5 records). A total of 34 countries were identified as countries of origin, transit, or destination in wildlife trafficking routes involving seizures where Türkiye served as either an origin, transit, or destination country between 2011 and 2022. The data indicate that international wildlife traffickers use Türkiye predominantly as a transit hub connecting Africa with both Asia and Europe, particularly for the trafficking of ivory, rhino horn and pangolin scales between 2011 and 2022. Total quantities of items trafficked during this period were 3,156 kg and 226 pieces of elephant ivory, 176 kg and 34 rhino horns, and 6,566 kg of pangolin scales. The variety of trafficked items, including live animals such as tortoises and African grey parrots through to rare instances like an infant gorilla, underscores the complexity of the illegal wildlife trade. National authorities’ commitment to law enforcement is evident from the seizures identified. The study offers practical recommendations to disrupt trafficking networks, improve data collection, and curb demand in consumer markets. By guiding policymakers, conservationists, and authorities, the study fosters international cooperation, optimal resource use, and endangered species protection. International wildlife trafficking can occur when detection and law enforcement measures fail in both the countries of origin and destination, and, where relevant, in transit countries, showing the necessity for governments worldwide to make the international illegal wildlife trade a priority.