A butterfly. A paper. The Internet. Extinction

Indonesia is home to some of the rarest butterflies in the world. Call it ignorance from my side, but I had not known about illegal butterfly trading until now. I have known about several animals and plants being illegally traded, but I had not heard of butterflies. Thanks to the internet, I am now well endowed with information and I am so intrigued by what one can always learn.

I haven’t met or heard of anyone who hates butterflies. These creatures that morph from caterpillars into the most beautiful forms, are so pleasing to the eyes. People collect sneakers, vinyl records, stamps, cars, toys and so on. But a butterfly collection? It has been fascinating and morbid at the same time, seeing such beautiful butterflies being sold as collectibles.

So many colors! The most exotic ones are sold on the black market by smugglers, just like any other illegal stuff.
‘We do butterfly hunting to earn a living. The butterflies live for a like a month and die anyways, so there’s no much difference’ said a kid who had dropped from school due to financial constraints. ‘The rarer the butterfly, the more expensive it is’ he continued, as he explains of the most expensive butterfly he has ever caught.

The butterflies are then shipped overseas, whereby their wings are folded and then placed in triangular papers which are meant to slip easily from the customs. In as much as the international treaty: CITES and European Union are vigilant when it comes to the export and import of the butterflies, at times they have little control on what passes through the legal radar.

While local breeding is highly encouraged on the sale of the butterflies, to reduce illegal hunting of wild butterflies, it still poses a challenge on being able to identify butterflies bred in captivity and those caught in the restricted areas.

With climate change and loss of habitats, butterflies are on the blink of extinction. Genetic mutation causes some butterflies to be quite rare and unique, making them more susceptible to the illegal trading.
Experts say that contributing to data helps to push forward the conservation of butterflies, since they have a role to play in the ecosystem.

So, the next time you spot a butterfly, make sure to appreciate it.