Meanings
- uncountableThe capture and smuggling of animals for exploitative purposes, particularly illegally.
Certainly animal trafficking is a cruel prospect, even if one does not account for the animals that are killed just for their parts.
2010 April 12, Meghan Pastor, “The Legal, Moral and Biological Implications of Poaching and Illegal Animal Trafficking on an International Scale”, in Pell Scholars and Senior Theses, volume 47, archived from the original on 31 Jul 20152 more examples
With animal trafficking profits rivaling arms and drug trades, it is imperative for nations across the Americas to collectively tackle this issue through a harmonized, stringent legal framework before countless more species are lost.
2023 December 13, Erick Wilson, “Unleashing the Beast: Confronting Animal Trafficking as Organized Crime in the Americas”, in University of Miami Inter-American Law Review, volume 55, number 1, archived from the original on 08 Feb 2024, page 141All of this clearly shows that this year, live animal trafficking reached its highest recorded level, largely driven by demand for exotic pets.
2025 December 16, Rupendra Brahambhatt, “30,000 Animals Rescued: Operation Thunder Exposes a Global Crime Ring Behind Wildlife Trafficking”, in ZME Science, archived from the original on 16 Dec 2025Synonyms: wildlife trafficking, animal smuggling, wildlife smuggling
Synonyms & antonyms
nounThe capture and smuggling of animals for exploitative purposes, particularly illegally.
Translations
Hindi पशु तस्करी
- पशु तस्करी (paśu taskarī)smuggling of animals
Polish przemyt zwierząt
- przemyt zwierzątsmuggling of animals
Cite this entry
animal trafficking. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/animal%20trafficking
“animal trafficking.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/animal%20trafficking. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “animal trafficking,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/animal%20trafficking.
Source: animal trafficking on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.