Illegal wildlife trade in NepalCEFR B1
14 Dec 2025
Adapted from Sonia Awale, Global Voices • CC BY 3.0
Photo by Vickey Goh, Unsplash
Illegal wildlife trafficking is a global business worth billions. Much of the trade moves animals to China and Southeast Asia for traditional medicine or as food. Nepal serves both as a source country and as a transit route, and it has strict laws on wildlife crimes.
Despite these laws, enforcement often targets low-level actors. For example, Bishnu Adhikari, 24, said he joined a pangolin sale to earn money for his family. Bikash Chhetri, 17 and a Grade 11 student, was arrested after officers found pangolin scales. Both men were given five years in prison. Research by Kumar Paudel of Greenhood Nepal, who interviewed more than 150 convicted people, found most to be poor, illiterate and from marginalized groups.
Experts warn that contact with wildlife can expose people to microbes and disease, and that climate change increases such contact. They call for fair law enforcement, investigations into the upper levels of the trade, and long-term education and livelihood support. Local conservation projects offer practical models for community income and roles in protection.
Difficult words
- trafficking — illegal buying and selling of goods or people
- transit — movement through a place on the waytransit route
- enforcement — actions that make people follow rules or lawslaw enforcement
- expose — to put someone in contact with danger
- microbe — a very small living thing that can cause diseasemicrobes
- livelihood — a way people earn money to livelivelihood support
- conservation — protecting nature, animals and their habitatsconservation projects
Tip: hover, focus or tap highlighted words in the article to see quick definitions while you read or listen.
Discussion questions
- How could law enforcement be fairer when people are arrested for wildlife crimes?
- Why is education and livelihood support important for communities involved in wildlife trade?
- Can local conservation projects help reduce illegal trafficking? How might they do this?
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