a pre-ban ocelot fur purse, listed on Etsy

Earlier this month, we discovered hundreds of illegal listings for products made with parts of endangered animals on the trend-setting online marketplace Etsy.com. After several attempts to be heard by Etsy HQ, we launched a petition asking Etsy headquarters to adopt a policy that would prohibit such items from the site – and you’ve stepped up in a big way: Thanks to your support in spreading the word, more than 31,000 people have signed the petition already – and we’re hoping many more will add their voices!

In the last week, Etsy HQ has taken some encouraging first steps to address this disturbing and illegal trade in parts of endangered species. Etsy’s CEO, Chad Dickerson, has reached out to the Snow Leopard Trust to inform us that they are aware of the issue and have contacted the US Fish & Wildlife Services to gain a better understanding of the situation.

We’re happy to see that Etsy HQ has taken this first step, which will hopefully lead to them adopting wildlife-friendly policies that will keep endangered animal products off this thriving marketplace – for the benefit of wildlife and the Etsy community.

For now, however, there remain hundreds of illegal listings for pre-ban leopard fur, rhino horn and other endangered animal parts on Etsy.com – and so we’re eagerly awaiting more concrete steps from Etsy HQ to address this disappointing situation.

We will remain in contact with Etsy HQ and the US Fish & Wildlife Services and have offered to help with the development of policies if it would be helpful.  We will also continue to monitor the endangered species products listed on Etsy.com to see if there is any short-term progress – feel free to help!

It’s cub season – in snow leopard habitat in Central Asia and in zoos around the world. While our researchers are in the field looking for wild cubs, we’re also in touch with our zoo partners around the world, so we can update you on births near you – and please don’t hesitate to tell us if you hear about cubs before we do!

Little Daïna, born at Parc des Félins in France in 2010

United States

We’ve received great news from the ABQ Zoo in Albuquerque NM and Cape May County Zoo in New Jersey. Both of these zoos reported the births of healthy sets of twins this spring.

[update: Philadelphia Zoo reports the birth of three cubs on May 26th. One of them sadly died just days later, but the other two are doing fine!]

[update: Adorable Misha was born at Denver Zoo on May 13.]

Europe

Three cubs have been born at Marwell Wildlife in the UK – all of them apparently doing great.

[updates 6/7/13]: Zoo Magdeburg in Germany reports that snow leopard mom Dina gave birth to 3 cubs last night [in German]!

2 male cubs were born in April at Zooparc de Trégomeur in France. There is an utterly adorable photo album featuring them on the zoo’s Facebook page.

All those cubs remain behind the scenes for now, we’ll update you on when they’ll venture out into the exhibits as soon as we can.

More cubs on the way

At least two more zoos are expecting cubs soon: At Germany’s Zoo Magdeburg, a live webcam has been installed – and the zoo hopes to broadcast live images of the birth in early June.

[update: three adorable cubs were born last night! You can see them live on their webcam!]

A female cat at Sweden’s Nordens Ark is also expecting cubs, and we have our ears on the ground to let you know as soon as they born!

Amid the joyful news from zoos all over the world, there have also been sad days! In January, Chattanooga Zoo reported that snow leopard cub Everest had died of a tumor on his heart. In early May, a newborn cub at Calgary Zoo also passed away after it wouldn’t nurse.

Zoos: Partners in conservation

Many zoos are active supporters of wildlife conservation, committed to protecting wild species and their natural habitats. Over

The Trust is currently working with over 70 Zoos worldwide to promote snow leopard conservation through our Natural Partnerships Program (NPP).  This program brings the global Zoo community and the Snow Leopard Trust together in a united effort to ensure the survival of the endangered snow leopard.  Through NPP, Zoos turn inspiration into action and support high priority conservation projects in snow leopard range countries.  Since 1998, partnering Zoos have raised over 1.2 million dollars for snow leopard conservation!

Have you heard the pitter patter of little snow leopard paws at a Zoo near you?  If so, please let us know, so we can add them to our list!

Interested in learning more about Zoo Breeding Programs?  Please visit the American Zoological Association’s website where they delineate their Species Survival Plan.  The mission of an AZA Species Survival Plan® (SSP) Program is to cooperatively manage specific, and typically threatened or endangered, species population within AZA-accredited Zoos and Aquariums, Certified Related Facilities, and Approved Non-Member Participants.

There are currently more than 300 SSP Programs, each managed by their corresponding Taxon Advisory Groups (TAGs), within AZA. Each is responsible for developing a comprehensive population Studbook and a Breeding and Transfer Plan which identifies population management goals and recommendations to ensure the sustainability of a healthy, genetically diverse, and demographically varied AZA population.

www.aza.org/species-survival-plan-program/

What do we want Etsy headquarters to do?

As revealed by a few simple searches on the Etsy marketplace for terms such as “pre-ban”, “real leopard”, “real ivory” or “rhino horn”, there are currently several hundred products made with parts of endangered animals listed on the site - the vast majority of them labeled as “vintage”, “pre-ban” or antique.

We’re asking Etsy headquarters to follow the example set by online marketplaces such as Ebay or Amazon and adopt a policy that explicitly prohibits the listing and sale of any product made with parts of endangered animals.

More than 4500 people have signed our petition to Etsy HQ to date.

Why do we think Etsy should not be a venue where parts of endangered animals can be sold and bought?

• The trade in such “vintage” items – particularly in a trend-setting marketplace like Etsy – fuels the demand for new parts of endangered species, which is the reason for the rampant poaching still taking place today. Snow leopards, other big cats, rhinos and elephants are just a few of the species still being hunted for their fur, tusks or horns today.
• Many sellers who offer such items make no mention of any certificates or receipts guaranteeing that the items they are offering for sale are indeed vintage. Without proper documentation, there is no way to assess where an item came from. We’re currently seeking confirmation on whether it’s necessary by law to have such documentation order to sell such an item legally even within a state.
• The listing of such items opens a door to the trade in newly poached products (pelts, tusks etc.), falsely labeled and disguised as “vintage” or “pre-ban”. The Endangered Species Act (ESA)’s ban on selling such items across state or international borders is meant to prevent this from happening – but due to its lack of policy and enforcement, a global website like Etsy can easily be used as a loophole.

Is it legal to list and sell “vintage” products made with parts of endangered animals on Etsy?

Section 1538 (a) (1) (F) of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) prohibits the sale or offer for sale in interstate or foreign commerce of any endangered species.

• We therefore consider it to be illegal to sell any such products via Etsy to a buyer across state lines or international borders.
• We further consider it be illegal to list any such item on Etsy without at the very least restricting them to the state the seller resides in.
• We’re currently seeking confirmation about what kind of documentation is required to sell such an item within the state the seller resides in.

You can view the text of the ESA at: http://www.fws.gov/le/USStatutes/ESA.pdf

The US Fish & Wildlife Services provide a handy fact sheet entitled “ Can I sell it? A Guide to Wildlife and Plant Protection Laws” that explains the application of the law to so-called “antique” or (vintage) products.

What do Etsy’s policies say on this matter?

In their “DOs and DONTs” Etsy headquarters states that sellers are responsible for following all applicable laws. They furthermore list certain types of products that can’t be listed on the site regardless of legal status, because they “just aren’t in the spirit of Etsy”. This list includes items such as alcohol, tobacco, pornography and “live animals and illegal animal products” – but there is no explicit mention of products made with parts of endangered species.

According to the About Us section on etsy.com, the site considers itself to be a “mindful, transparent and humane business”. Yet, as long as they are legal, Etsy headquarters apparently considers products made with parts of endangered animals to be “in the spirit of Etsy”.

Etsy already bans ILLEGAL products. Why do we think they need to go further and cease to be a venue for the sale of products made with parts of endangered animals, regardless of legal status?

• Confusion: As evidenced by the hundreds of products made with endangered animals that we consider to be listed on Etsy illegally under the Endangered Species Act – and by several discussions in Etsy’s forums and other channels - many Etsy sellers are unaware of the legal status of so-called “vintage” products made with parts of endangered animals.
• Etsy community is at risk: As we don’t assume they are knowingly breaking the law, a large number of those sellers evidently consider the unrestricted listing of their “antique” products made of endangered animals on Etsy to be legal. As Etsy HQ’s policies only ban “illegal animal products”, without specifying what that entails, many of these sellers assume their listings to be unproblematic; putting themselves – and potential unsuspecting buyers – at risk.
• Lack of enforcement: According to existing Etsy HQ’s policy, users are supposed to flag illegal listings in order for them to be taken down. We have flagged a large number of items we perceive to be listed illegally over the last week, but Etsy HQ has yet to remove any of these listings. This leads us to believe that Etsy HQ is unaware of the legal situation or unwilling to act upon it.
• Prevention: Most Etsy sellers refer to the marketplace’s policy when in doubt about listing an item. We’re convinced that the vast majority of this community would not knowingly violate these policies, so if products made with parts of endangered animals items were explicitly banned, there would be significantly fewer such listings in the future. However, if the policies remain as vague as they are, more such items will continue to be listed, many of them illegally.

What response have we received from Etsy headquarters?

Responding to emails from the Snow Leopard Trust and others alerting them to this issue, Etsy headquarters has so far politely refused to take any action and has referred us only to their existing policy, which they deem sufficient.

If you think Etsy HQ should step up and address this problem, sign our petition and share it with your friends!

[Update, 5/31:

Tell Etsy to ban all listings containing parts of endangered animals from their site, regardless of legal status!

As we've recently learned from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Services*, it is not only illegal to sell any products made from endangered animals, including “vintage” items, to a buyer in another state, it's also prohibited under the Endangered Species Act to offer such products for sale in another state, including on a website like Etsy.

Etsy's existing policies ban "illegal animal products" from their site. However, they don’t provide any details on what this entails. As they are offered for sale across state lines, many of the so-called “pre-ban” items made with parts of endangered animals currently for sale on Etsy appear to be listed illegally. Others, in particular the hundreds of items containing ivory, may or may not be illegal, depending on their provenance. As it is often difficult for sellers or buyers to assess where a particular item is from and when it was made, it’s next to impossible to determine if it can be legally sold even within the borders of a state.

Etsy’s lack of a clear policy prohibiting ALL products made with parts of endangered animals not only leaves the site vulnerable to being exploited as an outlet for illegally poached products from endangered animals, it also puts sellers and buyers at risk, potentially leaving them open to legal repercussions.

We've informed Etsy about the new information we've received from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services and reaffirmed our request that they step up and close the door on the trade of parts of endangered animals once and for all.

*Excerpt from the US Fish & Wildlife Services' email:

Section 1538 (a) (1) (F) of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) prohibits the sale or offer for sale in interstate or foreign commerce of any endangered species.

You can view the text of the ESA on our website at: http://www.fws.gov/le/USStatutes/ESA.pdf]

Original post, 5/29/13:

As Sibylle Noras from the Snow Leopard Network first reported on her blog, the world’s leading craft marketplace, Etsy.com, is complicit in selling endangered animal products including snow leopard fur!

Coat listed on Etsy.com as "real snow leopard fur"

Among the products listed on the site right now is was a woman’s coat advertised with “genuine real snow leopard fur” collar. [update 5/31: the listing has been updated and no longer mentions snow leopard fur. It remains active though]

Since the coat is “vintage”, it can be legally sold within state borders. [update 5/31: offering it for sale across state lines, including on Etsy, appears to be illegal though.]

However, we believe that Etsy should follow the lead of online retailers such as Ebay, Amazon or iOffer and adopt a policy banning any product made with parts of endangered animals from their site altogether – regardless of legal issues.

Sign our petition on Care2.com and tell Etsy.com to stop treating endangered species as products!