There is a black market for illegal skin trade.

There is a black market for illegal skin trade.

The trafficking and unsustainable trade in wildlife commodities such as elephant ivory, rhino horn, pangolin scales, tiger bone, bear bile, and rosewood are causing unprecedented declines in some of the world's most charismatic, as well as some lesser-known, wildlife species.

The United Nations estimates that global illegal wildlife trade is worth between $7 billion and $23 billion a year, making it one of the most profitable criminal enterprises.

A prized pelt could fetch as much as $20,000. Because of this black market trade, tigers are, unfortunately, often worth more dead than alive, and poor people living in the tiger's native range frequently turn to poaching to supplement their income. As a result, tiger numbers have plummeted.