Vancouver is No. 1 hub for illegal animal parts

 There were 209 import and export seizures in Vancouver last year, more than double the number in Toronto, the country’s second-most notorious animal parts smuggling entry point.

Vancouver’s port and the city’s large Asian community make it the gateway for illegal imports from Asia.

“We know it’s an ongoing issue,” Sgt. Dave Jevons told QMI Agency. “It’s driven predominantly by the Chinese market related to food delicacies and medicinal usage.”

From 2006 to 2010, major seizures in the city’s Lower Mainland included 224 pounds of sea cucumbers from a residence and cold storage unit in Vancouver, and 30,000 pieces of ivory in Richmond.

“Almost anything can show up in Vancouver, like shark fins, which are a delicacy, or scaly anteaters, used in traditional Chinese medicines,” said Ernie Cooper, head of the Vancouver-based wildlife trade team for the World Wildlife Fund. He estimated up to 300 traditional Chinese medicine ingredients found in Vancouver shops could be endangered species.

Conservation officers say local B.C. smugglers aren’t shy about exporting illegal animal parts either.

Earlier this month, a 39-year-old Vancouver man was arrested when he tried to sneak three black bear paws onto a plane to China.

Jevons said coyotes, racoons and bears are particularly popular. He added that while China is a main destination, it isn’t the only one. Parts also make their way as far north as Alaska.

A two-week inspection “blitz” in 2010 at the Yukon Beaver Creek crossing into Alaska uncovered 23 separate instances of smuggling. Animal parts included walrus, bear, sea otter, coyote and even bowhead whale.

Cooper said while a portion of smugglers are being caught, it’s impossible to judge how many are getting away with it.

“Criminals don’t make annual reports. So the situation is, if you catch a violation, does it mean you catch all the violations, or is it the tip of the iceberg?”

— With files form Erica Bulman