{"id":13074,"date":"2014-11-20t05:14:38","date_gmt":"2014-11-20t05:14:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dpetrov.2create.studio\/planet\/wordpress\/a-billion-dollar-appetite-for-the-bizarre-and-illegal\/"},"modified":"2014-11-20t05:14:38","modified_gmt":"2014-11-20t05:14:38","slug":"we-have-a-billion-dollar-appetite-for-the-bizarre-and-illegal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/story\/we-have-a-billion-dollar-appetite-for-the-bizarre-and-illegal\/","title":{"rendered":"a billion-dollar appetite for the bizarre and illegal"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\u201cif it walks, crawls, swims, flies \u2013 somebody eats it, collects it, wears it or wants to.\u201d – joseph johns, a federal prosecutor of environmental crimes.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

his big blue eyes glared straight through my soul. when he snorted, every gurgle in his throat made me flinch, and as the drool rolled down his face, filling the crevices of his wrinkles, he knew.<\/p>\n

he knew i had done the unthinkable. buck knew, and there was no turning back now. i had eaten one of his friends while i was abroad in china.<\/p>\n

i had unknowingly eaten dog meat.<\/p>\n

judge me, label me a psychopath who preyed on man’s best friend, but don\u2019t assume i did this on purpose.<\/p>\n

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an expanding trade<\/h2>\n

as our appetite has expanded, so has our thirst for the untouchables, those foods and staples that are the most exotic and hardest to find. there is a multi-billion dollar business<\/a> involving the unlawful harvest of and trade in live animals and plants for ivory and skins, but also for foods and traditional medicines. endangered animals and plants are often the target of wildlife crime because of their rarity and increased economic value.<\/p>\n

this problem is so rampant that the united states brought together 179 countries in 1973 to combat the illegal and unsustainable wildlife trade. there are now 207 special agents and 126 wildlife inspectors<\/a> stationed all around the country to help prevent this unsavory business, but it is still booming:<\/p>\n