Elephants, rhinos, tigers, bears and pangolins, all threatened species, are among those hunted, killed and trafficked to supply roughly 20 illegal wildlife shops that have opened across Laos in the past 18 months.
Catering exclusively to Chinese tourists on budget tours, these shops are notoriously secretive. Yet a joint investigation by Mongabay and the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime gained rare access to these stores, documenting the vast volume and range of illegal wildlife products on sale.
Violating international wildlife trade regulations, misrepresenting the legality of their products, and preying on elderly Chinese tourists, these traffickers have operated with impunity in Laos — until now.
Credits
Lucia Torres Video Managing Editor
