The palgrave international handbook of a 247

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J. Maher and T. Wyatt

harms evident in the wildlife trade. The techniques of neutralisation evident
among actors in both the legal and illegal trade reflect the complexity of
offender motivations and the multiplicity of factors influencing these.
Despite growing concerns and seemingly positive international political
will, particularly from consumer nations who often lead the political charge,
the wildlife trade continues to grow. Arguably, any attempt to reduce the
illegal trade and the associated suffering is compromised by a booming,
culturally legitimised trade, which involves wide-scale abuse of wildlife.
The current response is limited, partly due to existing loopholes in regulations and limitations in the political, enforcement and judicial response, but
also, and perhaps more importantly, it is our inability to reduce demand and
move beyond catching offenders to preventing the killing/capture in the first
place. What is urgently needed is a long-term strategy which might evoke a
sea change in attitudes towards the use and abuse of wildlife.

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