10. The Use and Abuse of Animals in Wildlife Trafficking in Colombia: Practices and Injustice

Millions of nonhuman animals (henceforth animals) are abducted from or killed in their nests, dens and habitats on a yearly basis. This transpires in large parts of the world, although for obvious reasons, it happens more in biologically dense and diverse areas, such as in the Amazonian or Indonesian rainforests, than in areas with less biodiversity or in those places where access by humans is limited. This chapter begins by providing an overview of the dynamics of the wildlife trade (WLT) and the means that are employed to prevent and control it on a global level.Next, I will focus on a study of illegal wildlife trade in Colombia and explore the different practices of wildlife exploitation in this country. In so doing, I will discuss the modus operandi of transgressors and consider whether wildlife trafficking offenders are participating in organized crime. After demonstrating that the basis for wildlife exploitation in Colombia is culturally and historically rooted, I will analyze wildlife trafficking from a species justice perspective. This chapter will conclude with a discussion of how to address the harms of the WLT.