Black markets: If it’s worth stealing, it will be stolen

South Africa has become renowned for its black markets dealing in natural resources such as poached succulents, cycads, and bush lilies. Recently, an obscure item added to this list was sungazer lizards smuggled in teddy bears labeled as "gift teddies and candies." The most recent seizure involved 418 parrot eggs followed by 50 more eggs a month later.

While some may prefer eating parrot eggs scrambled, it is clear that people would prefer to keep them in their natural habitat. East London has made an entire industry out of the dodo egg despite the fact that nobody has seen the bird in over 300 years. Succulents are not rare, but certain species may be. Buyers in Asia are unlikely to appreciate the difference between a Spekboom and a Jade Plant as much as a South African appreciates the difference between an 87 and an 88 Bordeaux.

It is likely that many of the eggs wouldn't have survived even if they weren't smuggled, so it would be better to either make them unobtainable in South Africa or make them so easily obtainable that smuggling becomes unnecessary. The question remains: if there is such demand that people are willing to go to extreme measures to obtain the product, why not flood the market with sustainable alternatives?