Venus flytrap poaching threatening plants existence in the wild

THERE is some serious poaching taking place and it has nothing to do with elephants or rhinos. Believe it or not, there is a sinister world of Venus flytrap poaching.

THE word poacher floods the mind with images of elephants and rhinos.

But did you know it is illegal to poach Venus flytraps?

While they can be purchased in nurseries across the globe, Venus flytraps are extremely limited with only 35,000 plants remaining in the wild.

Over the past century much of the Venus flytrap’s natural habitat has been lost to development, resulting in the iconic plant being restricted to 120 kilometres of swamps and bogs in south-eastern North Carolina.

To ensure the Venus flytrap’s future in the wild, all of the remaining sites of the plant are now owned by environmental organisation the Nature Conservancy, the North Carolina government and the U.S. military.

Director of communications for the Nature Conservancy told Scientific America that due to the limited numbers, poaching of the plant had become a common practice.

“What makes this poaching so sad and stupid is that the people who are doing it are local folks,” she said.

“They’re not making much money off it. There are selling the bulbs for maybe 25 cents. It’s an incredibly stupid thing that they’re going to wipe out this wonderful thing in nature.”

Ms Crane said while the plant can grow extremely well in captivity, it would be tragic to see them cease to exist in their natural habitat.

“This is a plant that Darwin himself called one of the most amazing plants in the world. We think that we need to educate people about how special they are,” she said.

Previously those caught poaching the carnivorous plant would be charged under a misdemeanour and face the maximum penalty of a $50 fine.

However, a law change last December ensures that those caught stealing Venus flytraps will now be charged with a felony.

Earlier this month, four men earned the distinction of being the first to face felony charges under the law.

The men, aged 22 to 49, were allegedly caught with 970 of the plants and if convicted, they face up to 29 months in prison and fines.

Wildlife experts are working to replant the recovered plants in the same area from which they were taken.

Originally published as Venus flytrap poaching threatening plants existence in the wild