You see that pattern with its diamond shapes and you know that you just have to have it. It's exotic and slightly wild looking. It's expensive too, making it the ultimate in luxury items. But before you buy it, you should stop and think about what that gorgeous python bag really costs.
The various python species are among the world's largest snakes. It is in fact their sheer size that makes their skin so desirable. The skins are long and wide, making it possible to cut large pieces. This means that anything made of this type of snakeskin requires fewer seams, making it the perfect exotic leather for items like big handbags, jackets and boots.
The problem is that there aren't many of the snakes left in the wild. CITES, which is the acronym for the Convention on International Trade in Exotic Species of wild fauna and flora, lists them as 'monitored species' or Appendix II species. This basically means that while they aren't on the endangered list yet, trade in them must be strictly controlled to prevent them from becoming endangered.
You cannot trade in python skins without a CITES certificate. In some places even this is not enough. In California, for instance, trade in these skins has been illegal since 1970, while in India the killing of or trading in snakes has been illegal since 1972.
Most of the skins that are issued with CITES documentation are supposedly from snake farms. Environmentalists say that most snake farms are really just a way of getting around the red tape and are still trading in skins that come from wild snakes. They say that farming the snakes is not financially viable and that so-called farmers find it cheaper to just harvest the reptiles in the wild.
There is a huge black-market trade in snakeskin. To keep up with demand and make as much money as possible, hunters are killing more snakes than is viable. This leads to a decline in numbers which not only has a negative impact on the species, but also on the environment. One of the snake's food sources is rats, so where snakes are being killed off too fast, rat populations increase. This in turn has disastrous effects on other species and also on the humans living in the area.
You may also think again about that bag when you find out how the skins are obtained. Sometimes water is forced down the snake's throat, making its body bloat. Other times a nail is simply driven through the snake's head and into a tree, impaling the reptile. Cuts are then made into the skin near the head. Next, the skin is slowly peeled off. All this happens while the reptile is alive. Once the skin is removed, the snake will live in agony for another two or even three days.
Before you fork out for that designer python bag, think about what it really costs. Your purchase has a far bigger impact than you may realize. The snakes, the environment and you will be much better off if you go for faux instead.
The various python species are among the world's largest snakes. It is in fact their sheer size that makes their skin so desirable. The skins are long and wide, making it possible to cut large pieces. This means that anything made of this type of snakeskin requires fewer seams, making it the perfect exotic leather for items like big handbags, jackets and boots.
The problem is that there aren't many of the snakes left in the wild. CITES, which is the acronym for the Convention on International Trade in Exotic Species of wild fauna and flora, lists them as 'monitored species' or Appendix II species. This basically means that while they aren't on the endangered list yet, trade in them must be strictly controlled to prevent them from becoming endangered.
You cannot trade in python skins without a CITES certificate. In some places even this is not enough. In California, for instance, trade in these skins has been illegal since 1970, while in India the killing of or trading in snakes has been illegal since 1972.
Most of the skins that are issued with CITES documentation are supposedly from snake farms. Environmentalists say that most snake farms are really just a way of getting around the red tape and are still trading in skins that come from wild snakes. They say that farming the snakes is not financially viable and that so-called farmers find it cheaper to just harvest the reptiles in the wild.
There is a huge black-market trade in snakeskin. To keep up with demand and make as much money as possible, hunters are killing more snakes than is viable. This leads to a decline in numbers which not only has a negative impact on the species, but also on the environment. One of the snake's food sources is rats, so where snakes are being killed off too fast, rat populations increase. This in turn has disastrous effects on other species and also on the humans living in the area.
You may also think again about that bag when you find out how the skins are obtained. Sometimes water is forced down the snake's throat, making its body bloat. Other times a nail is simply driven through the snake's head and into a tree, impaling the reptile. Cuts are then made into the skin near the head. Next, the skin is slowly peeled off. All this happens while the reptile is alive. Once the skin is removed, the snake will live in agony for another two or even three days.
Before you fork out for that designer python bag, think about what it really costs. Your purchase has a far bigger impact than you may realize. The snakes, the environment and you will be much better off if you go for faux instead.
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