Rob: Hello, I'm Rob, welcome to 6 Minute English. I'm joined today by Feifei.
Feifei: Hi there, Rob.
Rob: Hello Feifei. Today we're discussing the issue of the illegal trade in wildlife. And we'll
be looking at some of the words and phrases associated with this sad and increasing
activity. I think we all know there are many rare species of animals that are being
illegally hunted to make money. And 200 governments have been meeting in
Bangkok to talk about how to tackle this problem. More on that in a moment but as
always, we like to start with a question.
Feifei: Hmm, and this question is for me isn't it?
Rob: It is Feifei. Let's see if you can answer this question correctly this time! The dodo
bird has been extinct for a very long time – that means there have been no living
members of the species for quite a long time. But when did this bird become extinct?
a) In the late 1600's
b) In the late 1700's
c) In the early 1900's
Feifei: I will go for answer a) in the 1600's.
Rob: Ok, well let's find out if you are right at the end of the programme. The expression
'dead as a dodo' refers to this bird and can be used to describe something that is
completely dead or no longer working. And there is no doubt that many other animal
species are facing extinction – or dying out.
Feifei: Yes. Some experts are predicting a global 'extinction crisis'. So it's an extremely
urgent matter – and that's what governments have been discussing at a meeting in
Bangkok.
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Rob: They want to come up with ideas on how to stop the illegal trade in wildlife. They
want to stop animals, such as elephants and rhino, being killed for their horns and
tusks. Conservation groups – the people who try to protect the animals – claim the
scale of the slaughter is accelerating.
Feifei: So they mean the killing is increasing. So Rob, why is this problem on the increase?
Rob: Well, Mary Rice from the Environmental Investigations Agency blames the way the
illegal trade is policed – or to use her words, 'enforced'. Let's hear from her now and
see if you can hear the word she uses to describe how some people organise this
illegal trade:
Mary Rice, Environmental Investigations Agency
The enforcement effort tends to end at seizure. The poachers get arrested and convicted. You might
get the odd middleman. The guys who mastermind the efforts, the guys who invest in the
operations to acquire large amounts of ivory, for example, have never been intercepted.
Rob: That's Mary Rice talking about the 'enforcement effort' – or where the authorities
spend most of their time trying to stop the trade in wildlife.
Feifei: And that effort is concentrated on stopping the poachers. Poachers are the people
who catch and kill the animals. They get caught and the tusks, horns and other body
parts they have taken are seized and confiscated – so taken away by the police.
Rob: But, of course, the animal has already died. Mary Rice says it is the people who
mastermind the trade – in other words, the people who organise the poaching and
fund the trade, who are never caught – or intercepted.
Feifei: And it's not just individual people. Thailand itself has been accused of being a
transit route – a place endangered animals pass through while they are being
shipped between Africa and China. And this highlights another issue too. If there is a
demand for buying parts of the wild animals, someone will always try to supply
them.
Rob: It's a good point. In China and Hong Kong for example, there is a huge appetite for
shark-fin soup and it's claimed 100 million sharks are killed by commercial fishing
every year to supply this demand.
Feifei: Well luckily for the Oceanic white tip shark, delegates at this year's meeting have
voted to add it to a long list of endangered species that are being protected.
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Already, 35,000 animals and plants are protected by the convention on the
international trade in endangered species – CITES for short.
Rob: This agreement was signed in 1973 and the convention works by licensing
commercial trade in species – so it allows a fixed amount of controlled trading to
take place.
Feifei: But illegal wildlife trading still continues. The BBC's David Shukman says more needs
to be done. What three things does he think needs to happen?
David Shukman, BBC correspondent:
Having an international agreement clearly isn't enough; it'll take a combination of forensic science,
police co-operation and political will to halt the killing. Conservation groups warn that if this rate
continues, some populations of elephant and rhino will face extinction.
Feifei: So he thinks having an international agreement - CITES – isn't enough. He suggests
using forensic science, police co-operation and political will – that means a desire by
politicians to do something to stop this illegal activity.
Rob: David Shukman warns that if nothing is done, some populations of elephant and
rhino will face – or will be under threat of – extinction.
Feifei: Well that's what happened to the dodo.
Rob: Ah yes, earlier I asked you: when did the dodo bird become extinct?
a) In the late 1600's
b) In the late 1700's
c) In the early 1900's
Feifei: And I said in the 1600's.
Rob: And you were absolutely right. Its last confirmed sighting was in 1662. Before we go,
Feifei, could you remind us of some of the words we learned today?
Feifei: Yes. We heard:
hunted
extinct
dead as a dodo
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conservation groups
slaughter
seizure
poachers
a transit route
endangered species
Rob: Thanks Feifei. Well, that's it for today. Please join us again soon for 6 Minute English
from bbclearningenglish.
Both: Bye.
