Russia's nouveaux rich, eager to ostentatiously show their wealth, are no longer satisfied with a Mercedes or a Lincoln. These costly cars, which were till recently status symbols for the new rich in Russia, are now competing with exotic animals. Owning expensive exotic animals, has become a trend setter for the lifestyle of the New Russians, who have made fast fortunes in the economic chaos of everyday Russia.As a result of unprecedented increase in the demand for exotic animals, including endangered species, smuggling of animals is currently booming in the country. Moscow has become a major centre in the international animal smuggling market. One can buy rare breeds of monkeys, parrots, pythons, crocodiles, falcons, tortoise, etc. at Moscow's Pets Market, just for the asking.``We now want to shock one another with these exotic and rare animals,'' said one businessman at the market. ``This car is no longer special for me,'' he added pointing towards his Mercedes. ``Maybe, this is a temporary phenomenon, but this trend is holding for the present.''According to Valentin Ilyuishenko, spokesman for the State Environment Committee, about $1.5 billion worth of exotic animals are annually smuggled from and through Russia. In the first nine months of 1997, over 10,000 animals were seized by the custom officials, he said at a press conference, more than twice the 4,500 confiscated in the whole of 1996.However, the environmental analysts claim, the figure is only a tip of the iceberg, hiding the true scale of the business.Although Russia has signed the international Washington Convention, regulating the trade of flora and fauna, this has not stopped the smugglers from trading in exotic animals.Commenting on the smuggling of exotic animals in Moscow, Elizabeth Fleming, president of the European office of Traffic, Int. said: ``I have seen other markets. But this is a unique market. Exotic animals, banned from sale under international agreement, are sold here simply openly.''In this connection,Alexei Vaisman, Director of the Russian office of Traffic, Int. said: ``This business brings fast and easy money. You just cross the custom point at Sheremetyevo-2 international airport and you will find a host of buyers, asking you for exotic animals.''This business is highly profitable, in some cases it brings profits as much as 5,000 per cent, Vaisman pointed out.For example, a lemur monkey in Madagascar may cost $5, but in Moscow it is sold for $1,500. Macaw, a large long-tailed South American parrot, fetches $300, macaque monkey is sold at $750 per head. Prices of pythons are fixed per metre, which varies according to the breed. A tiger-python is sold at $1,000 per metre and a green tree python fetches about $700.Secondly, low salaries of the custom officials is also reported to be helpful in the illicit business. A customs official at Moscow's Sheremetyevo-2 airport gets as his salary about $200 a month and for a handful of dollars he may look the other way if he finds a few Brazilian parrots in the baggage of a Russian tourist.And smugglers of exotic animals don't mind parting with a handful of dollars, as they earn fantastic profits from the sale of ``live commodities'' in their baggage.According to Russian media reports, about 10 groups of dealers have divided up the capital's market among themselves. Exports are booming, mainly to Western Europe and the Mideast, with the goods reaching their final destination by plane, ship or train. However, over half of the smuggled animals remain in Russia, according to Moscow animal preservationist Igor Chestin.Besides Moscow, another key spot in the network of Russian smuggling of exotic animals is Siberia. According to newspaper reports, thousands of unpaid workers in oil enterprises in northern Russia, plunder falcon nests in the Taiga and transport the young birds to Moscow.Smugglers of birds of prey in Moscow, reportedly invite to their homes dollar-laden sheikhs from the Middle east, where a well-trained hunting falcon fetches several hundred dollars.
