by: Madhvi Ramani

In 2010, when Rachel Love Nuwer was conducting scientific research about how people living near two national parks in Vietnam used the forest, her attention was drawn to the subject of illegal poaching. What followed was a years-long investigation that took her from the waterlogged jungle at Vietnam’s southern tip to a traditional Chinese market in Guangzhou to a South African prison and a reptile zoo in Japan.

Poached: Inside the Dark World of Wildlife Trafficking is the story of that journey into the world of underground wildlife trafficking. Not only is the book thoroughly researched, featuring interviews with hunters, conservationists, traders, collectors and users of illegal animal products, but it has a quirky, personal touch. Nuwer frequently reveals her impressions and emotions about the people and places she encounters, as well as her journalistic techniques, which include talking her way into conferences and past prison wardens. I talked to her about the process of writing the book, what she discovered, and why the topic is so important.

Madhvi Ramani: Poached took you on a long journey to many different places, what was your personal highlight?

Rachel Nuwer: Meeting Sudan [the last male northern white rhino in the world, who died in 2018] was a moment for sure. That encounter took me by such surprise because I didn’t know that he was the last northern white rhino before I was actually standing next to him. When somebody told me, I was like, ‘Wait, what did you just say?’ And then it was an overwhelming moment where I just tried to take it in and absorb what I had just been told.

MR: But despite the threat of extinction, it seems that the issue of wildlife trafficking isn’t really being dealt with seriously. Why do you think that is?

RN: I think it’s because it’s not seen as a human issue. With an issue like drugs, people get addicted and maybe do things to harm other people — it’s the same with weapons, or human trafficking, but it’s really easy to overlook animals as something worth caring about or protecting, because there’s an attitude that they’re just dumb creatures and are out there for us to use.

MR: So why is this an issue we should all care about?

RN: I’m a person who believes in biodiversity and that animals have an intrinsic right to life just like we do, and that they make the world a more interesting and functioning place. But I’m also a person who likes animals, and I understand that not everybody is, so from a purely human point of view, we really do depend on ecosystem services for our existence for everything from the pollination of crops to provision of water. Ecosystems are a web and if you remove enough pieces — a few pieces, maybe it’s fine — but eventually, if you remove too many, like a Jenga tower, it’s all going to come crashing down.

At the end of the day, this is our global, shared biodiversity. I’ve heard the argument that Vietnam should be able to do whatever they want with their animals. That may be true, but it’s also the world’s wildlife, and a lot of people would be sad to know that there are no more tigers, or elephants or rhinos left in the world. And, there are people in places like Vietnam or Kenya, who are literally sacrificing their lives to protect their country’s wildlife– including more than 1,000 rangers who have been killed over the last decade.

MR: Did you come across something unexpected, or have a real moment of insight or discovery while researching the book?

RN: There were a couple. I did not know about the cultural collectors in China; people who were buying not just wildlife products, but also antiques, and studying martial arts and calligraphy, who just have this deep yearning to connect with their roots, even if those roots may be a romanticized idea. So that was something new. Also, just how little caring there is by users of, for example, rhino horn in Vietnam, about whether they go extinct or not. For me, that’s just something I cannot empathize with.

MR: Of the array of characters you met, was there anyone you felt particular empathy or distaste for?

RN: I empathized with Tám Hổ, the Vietnamese hunter. He’s a charming guy, and if you go to his house, you see that he and his family really have nothing. They’re doing okay compared to some of their neighbors, but their house is made of palm fronds and the bathroom is a hole over the canal that they go fishing in. He’s just trying to get more money so his children can go to school and have a good life, so I can understand why he’s doing what he’s doing, even if I don’t agree with it. Then you have characters like Shirawa in Japan, who are like these weird hoarders of wildlife. They think, “I should be able to have this lizard and I don’t care how I get it, as long as I can have it.” That’s hard to feel empathy for. If everybody is going to have that attitude, we’re not going to have any lizards left and that’s the problem.

MR: At one point in the book, when a conservationist is explaining why conservation is more complicated than rocket science, you think, “Oh God. The animals are all gonna die.” What’s your outlook now?

RN: I really think we’re going to lose a lot of species. I think Javan rhinos, Sumatran rhinos, and maybe even Indian rhinos are going to be gone. Savannah elephants will definitely still be here, but in lesser numbers, and I’m pretty worried about tigers, there are fewer than 4000 left in the entire world that aren’t on a farm or in someone’s back yard in Dallas. But, I also think a lot of species will be saved and that this will be sorted out. It is not going to happen tomorrow, or even next year. Maybe in 10 or 20 years, things might start looking up.

MR: What can we all do to help?

RN: We can all change our behaviors in small ways to help stop illegal wildlife trafficking. For example, we can not “like” Facebook videos of chimpanzees in diapers, or not go to a tiger petting zoo if we go on vacation to Thailand. And if you see your friend is going to Thailand, or if they post a tiger cub selfie, you can inform them that it’s not cool.

If you’re on vacation somewhere and you witness illegal wildlife trade, like a sea turtle or ivory for sale, you can oftentimes call a hotline that will go to an NGO, and they’ll work with the police to confiscate it. In Vietnam, for example, there’s a group called ENV and I’ve reported so many wildlife things to them. They actually email you a photo afterwards of the animal they rescued thanks to your call, which is an amazing feeling. You can also donate to conservation organizations– almost all of them are completely donor funded. You can call representatives in your home country and just say these are things you care about.

MR: What are you working on now?

RN: This book has been all encompassing, so at the moment, I’m just freelancing and rebuilding my bank account, because the book almost bankrupted me! However, the idea of bodies on Mount Everest still fascinates me. What drives people to climb that mountain? I wrote a big story for BBC a few years ago and interviewed the people who know as much as there is to know about the topic, but there actually hasn’t been a lot of research done on it. I’d like to maybe look more into the psychology of people who climb Everest or do extreme mountaineering. I just think it’s fascinating to have that much of a drive and personality.

Tiger photo courtesy of: Blake Meyer

Rhino photo courtesy of: Frans Van Heerden

Elephant photo courtesy of: Isabella Juskova

Madhvi Ramani is a freelance writer from London. She writes articles, essays and fiction. Her work has been published by The New York Times, Washington Post, Asia Literary Review and others. She currently lives a thoroughly bohemian lifestyle in Berlin. Find out more at www.madhviramani.com or follow her on Twitter @: madhviramani