Such criminal organisations may exploit existing networks and trafficking routes developed for their illicit activities in trafficking drugs, arms and humans to also move endangered species. It first provides background about the recent trends on wildlife population declines, and the quantity of wildlife contraband reported, before pointing to reports on the geographic hubs and hotspots of wildlife trafficking routes. While poaching and wildlife trafficking occurs on every continent, a spike in the scale of poaching the African elephant and black rhino, in particular, calls for action to stem the role of transnational organized crime in these illegal markets, and to develop strategies to counter it before the species are lost to extinction.