By: Kyle Xu

When you think of animals forcefully taken or hunted, you would probably imagine elephants, rhinos, eagles, pangolins, or even tigers. But one unlikely suspect happens to be on this list: corals.

Poachers often remove corals from their habitat using a hammer and chisel in reefs in Indonesia, Fiji, Tonga, Australia or the Caribbean. This is happening all over the world. These corals are brought to aquariums for one purpose: to be sold.

Starting from the 1970s to the present, people have been stealing coral and selling them to aquariums, who might not even realize they are purchasing illegally trafficked creatures. And although corals seem like plants, they are actually tiny invertebrates. When stolen from their homes, many corals obtain sickness on their way to aquariums, where they will be sold. By the time they arrive at their destination, most are near death.

Removing corals, which are a vital part of reef habitats, endangers entire reefs. Corals filter water and provide homes for uncountable species of fish and marine animals. When they are removed, reefs face a chance of dying.

Corals were the third-most poached wildlife group throughout the world between 1999 and 2018, representing 14.6 percent of all species stolen. According to Ashley Skeen, a senior wildlife inspector for the US Fish and Wildlife Service, “The U.S. is the primary market for marine corals.”

More than 25 species of coral are threatened under the Endangered Species Act, and are protected by federal law, according to NOAA Fisheries. Under stress, they produce a layer of mucus to protect themselves. However, being in small bags of water, the corals dirty their own water with the mucus, making it harder for them to live and triggering even more stress. This continues in a spiral. Since most are transported in bags filled with water, they end up causing contamination of their own water and end up dying.

The corals are also hard to return to the wild; If a poacher is caught, the corals must be taken care of until the poacher is found guilty or released. It’s even harder to relocate corals to their native reef.

Thankfully, the US Fish and Wildlife Service is helping to return corals. And although it proves difficult and messy, progress returning corals and catching poachers is gradually improving. And it’s important to know that stolen corals don’t always die. For some corals, the transition to the aquarium is tough, but after adjusting to their new habitats, they are able to thrive.