Amazon To Take Down All Animal Specimen And Hunting Equipment From Its Website

After animal rights activists filed an online petition, American online retailer Amazon agreed to stop their sales of animal specimen and hunting equipment which are banned under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.

The petition was made by a non-governmental organization (NGO) Wildlife SOS based in New Delhi, India a couple of months ago. The petition has been supported by thousands of people to date. Wildlife SOS, a group that campaigns for the humane treatment of animals, said sea horses, star fish, rare beetles and butterflies were available for sale on the Amazon website, which also sold wildlife trophies including alligator heads, snares, traps and manuals on hunting, sold at prices between Rs 3000 and Rs 5000 online.

Amazon told Hindustan Times on Monday that they were coordinating with sellers to take down the products. "It seems incredulous that a company would list items like wild animal specimens that are listed under protected species in India. We hope Amazon will take these down immediately, respect India's laws and wildlife conservation efforts," said Kartick Satyanarayan, co-founder of Wildlife SOS.

"We have taken notice of the issue. Selling species like snake, alligator heads is banned as per the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972," said M Maranko, regional director, Wildlife Crime Control Bureau.

According to Tech Times, Rakesh Bakshi, the legal head of Amazon India said that they have taken down more than 400 products that could possibly be used by poachers. "We wanted to ensure that our platform is not misused," Bakshi added. When he was asked if the same products were removed from the international website, Bakshi replied that countries have different laws on the same matter.

Wildlife SOS's petition came after they rescued a sloth bear cub named "Rose," who lost her mother as well as a limb to a snare. Two of Amazon's senior legal representatives then met the group at the agency's New Delhi headquarters. The group explained the unpleasant truth about the hunting products sold on the website and what they can do to animals that accidentally get caught in the traps. They also told the Amazon reps about India's wildlife crime and its long-term effects on the county's natural heritage. The group also showed them a photo of Rose.

"They immediately agreed to begin taking down these items and have enlisted our help in identifying them," said Wildlife SOS co-founder Kartick Satyanarayan.

The NGO wrote on Facebook about them receiving a written confirmation from Amazon saying that it has agreed to take down items from their website. The news represents a big victory, not only for Wildlife SOS, but also for all the animals whose lives have been wrecked by poaching and devices related to such activities.