The Culture of Poachers

2min Snip

00:00

Play full episode

Summary

Transcript

Episode notes

The Venus Flytraps has some federal and state protections, but there's just not enough information to actually call it threatened or endangered. The culture of poachers is pretty similar to that of other black markets. They'll tell you, say, I've been in there, this is where they're gonna go,. This is the time of day they're gonna do it. It's literally like a turf war.

Every year for the past few years, tens of thousand of flytraps have gone missing – from the wild, from gardens, from nurseries. And, really, nobody knows where they go. What’s cropped up in rural North Carolina is essentially a Venus Flytrap crime ring — with lackies, middle men, and a mysterious end buyer who’s perpetuating the market.

Say hello on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Sign up for our occasional newsletter, The Accomplice. Follow the show and review us on Apple Podcasts: iTunes.com/CriminalShow.

We also make This is Love and Phoebe Reads a Mystery.

Artwork by Julienne Alexander. Check out our online shop.

Episode transcripts are posted on our website.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices