2005 Photo Contest, Nature, 2nd prize
Photographer

Patrick Brown

Panos Pictures / OnAsia Images

01 February, 2003

A rare Burmese python rests in the sun at the border between China and Burma. The snake is for sale but until it is sold, tourists pay to have a photo taken with the python around their neck. Asian wildlife is being plundered and trafficked on an unprecedented scale. It is estimated that wildlife traders export 25,000 to 30,000 primates every year, along with millions of birds, reptiles and tropical fish. The animals are kept as pets, and their body parts used for decoration, or for medicinal and magical purposes. Small-time local poachers are caught and jailed, but more powerful, organized traffickers often operate unhindered due to official corruption and inertia.

About the photographer

Patrick Brown

Born in Sheffield, England, Patrick spent his childhood moving to the Middle East and Africa before his family finally settled in Perth, Western Australia. On leaving school, Pa...

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