Inside the Lives of Butterfly Traders | National Geographic

[@NatGeo]

Traders have been known to catch as many as five to ten thousand butterflies a day. What are your thoughts on the capturing and trading of butterflies?

[@JoseDaPrimo]

National Geographic horrible I love butterflies they're harmless and the definition of beautiful!!

[@ghislainemaxwellofficial6083]

I think it’s a terrible practice. Butterflies aren’t meant to be traded like merchandise. They’re wild animals.

[@luciomanuel6361]

What is being done about it??

[@MeliponiculturaenCostaRica]

I thought it was a video on how to catch and breed them... not how they killed their biodiversity

[@shadowrider1533]

Fly so free butterfly,how it was meant to be.

[@biodiversiteavecpassion7448]

It's much nicer to see butterflies alive in nature.

[@brandonvilla2420]

Alexandre Beyeler - Biodiversité avec Passion i agree

[@wendyrowland7787]

No excuses when we can catch these beautiful insects on film.

[@randomhuman2602]

Yeah I don't see the appeal of having dead butterflies on your wall. You want butterflies? Breed them. Or catch them and let them go.

[@theworthysoul]

Random Human probably best to not catch them in the first place since their wings are very likely to get damaged from nets or handling.

[@jasonmartin2939]

Yes

[@AzlianaLyana]

This breaks my heart. They're beautiful insects that plays a major role in the environment and ecosystem. Something like is bound to get the ecosystem off balance, and they will see changes in their environment, sooner if not later. I don't blame them entirely as people who buy these are equally responsible for this act of cruelty. As a tourist, I would rather see a colorful landscape, with butterflies flying around, rather than seeing them frozen... unnaturally. Thanks for sharing National Geographic.

[@mylifeeventsletsenjoy5883]

Azliana Lyana u took the words from my mouth....I too feel the same!!! How cruel it is😭😭😭

[@yashdarira2712]

Exactly omg i just hated watching every second of this

[@marc0321]

Chalk this one up to the western world. People are so stupid. Let's put a tree and butterflies in a piece of glAss for display. Really? Think about that, literally. How stupid are people?

[@MeliponiculturaenCostaRica]

Yes and I thought it was a video on how to catch and breed them...

[@forthesakeofvoyerism]

I hope someone picks up on this and starts collecting butterflies for conservation purposes, perhaps even relocating them away from such unnecessary practices.

[@MedhaSuper]

Humans are never satisfied untill they kill a beautiful creature and make some money out of it. This is sick, to kill such lovely creatures and make them as decorations. They don't need to beautify our homes. They already make this earth beautiful.

[@rezinolddeepak1926]

Medha l desai how can v stop this???

[@MedhaSuper]

Rezinold Deepak , when people stop purchasing such artifacts, and if people are educated about it, then slowly these will stop. But it won't stop untill there is greed.

[@kokkinikautichilipipperia9242]

True but they were gotta live up to 3 days anyway://

[@redtornado6741]

Such an innocent creature. Why kill it?

[@lepidlover0557]

Like fr, just buy the ones from butterfly sanctuaries that die NATURALLY. Not go out and kill them yourselves 😠😠😠

[@annieannie477]

It's heartbreaking. But then, these people also have to feed themselves. Rich people should stop buying decorative butterfly items to stop this vicious cycle.

[@annieannie477]

M Bojangles S...I think you either didn't read my comment well or didn't watch the ending part of the video where those butterflies were killed. Honey, if there is no demand for butterflies the poor can look for other sources of income. It's not like catching those beautiful butterflies and killing them is the only source of income in the world.

[@bonbonS1969]

Heartbreaking? These are bugs.

[@iamveryloser]

its more than just bugs. its depleting a local ecosystem.

[@rayadinatapsj424]

Lol not all of the butterfly will be glued but some was realesed to stay the nature

[@bonbonS1969]

@@chockalingamn3315 I'm not surprised you would compare yourself with a bug. You obviously can't think.

[@stoicforall]

Why not just make a butterfly farm and breed them there? This is nothing but sheer exploitation.

[@1Fresh_Water]

There are some of those in the Amazon, places where they breed them just to sell to collectors and stuff.

[@stainlesssteel3162]

I second this.

[@victoriathomas731]

right, these are sustenance farmers who are just getting by. They don't have the means, but other readers here do point out that you can buy butterflies that are farm raised. Like a mink-ranch. Still cruel on the karmic scale, but leaves the remaining ecosystem more intact.

[@lukefoster1000]

They do in Costa Rica

[@i.cant.sleep.anymore]

@@victoriathomas731 butterfly farms are not comparable to fur farms at all. The butterflies in farms live their whole lifespan in an enclosure about the size of a football field. They reproduce and die, as they would in nature. These creatures only live 7-14 days once they emerge from their cocoon, so after they die the farms collect the butterflies and they can be sold. Fur farms obviously don't do any of that..so butterfly farms are certainly not comparable to the fur trade.

[@jagadishkarki]

The day will come when B for BUTTERFLY will be the thing you can only read and enjoy seeing it in VR....

[@nieshamunroe9494]

Should have been a little longer... I was glued

[@lepidlover0557]

WHY???

[@loganjessey11]

This might be one of the most heartless and depressing things I have ever seen in my life.

[@black_velvet_4354]

They...they kill them!?!? 😭 I thought they only catch them 😭

[@zakiyyasaidah5259]

They have no choice

[@rayadinatapsj424]

No all of the butterfly killed they realese some of them

[@brickmastermason3672]

If this video was about spiders, no one would care!

[@firapolemos3879]

BrickMaster Mason I would, spiders are important to ecosystems just as much as butterflies.

[@brickmastermason3672]

Glad you say that.

[@firapolemos3879]

LagiNaLangAko23 a human is hundreds of times bigger than a spider, they are more scared of you than you are of them. They aren't trying to chase you since you are not food. To spiders (and pretty much all arachnids and insects) you are some big monster that can easily kill them so they want to get the heck away from you so they don't get squashed.

[@firapolemos3879]

LagiNaLangAko23 moth larvae are those little inchworms, right? Like caterpillars. They're not even that fast. The way spiders and some insects scurry and dart around in random directions is a method to throw off predators, including humans (I wouldn't be surprised if they evolved a behavior just to deal with humans). Ever heard of harvestmen (aka daddy long legs)? Hundreds of them clump together into this little mass that looks like a ball of fluff. When something disturbs this mass, they all scatter everywhere at once, resulting in a confused predator or a screaming human XD.

[@Mentally_Chill]

I never knew how they were being treated. Its amazing how they are still keeping ip their numbers with so many catchers and traders around.

[@Mentally_Chill]

This also seems like another problem humans should fix. With butterflies getting caught in the thousands every day they wont be able to pollinate the flowers in the area so then there would be a decrease in vegetables and butterflies and with that farmers would get less money. With less money they wont be able to buy as much and may starve. With that we might not be able to eat as many veggies and the price of then will go up. But this if humans don’t fix it. If we help the bees and butterflies then this will be stopped. But if we dont it goes in a loop and we feel the pain of what we did. (Sorry this is so long )

[@lepidlover0557]

They aren't. Pollinators populations are declining in each continent because of habitat loss, poison,and practices such as this.

[@aa-wi3wt]

Habitat loss is the real problem here, entomologists provide key information because bugs are bioindicators, insects reproduce by tens to hundreds of eggs because they usually have high posibilities to get predated on, by not letting people collect, you don't know how an habitat is doing, same habitats that later get destroyed by forestry companies, cattle activity and mining, like in brazil or chile

[@aa-wi3wt]

Using them for taxidermy instead of research is unjustified tho

[@sujip4010]

It just makes me sad to see that many beautiful butterflies die at once :'(

[@wearealljustclowns]

after all those creatures go through to metamorphosis..the most incredible process we have come to know..and this is the action handed to that discovery..I FKN HATE BEING HUMAN

[@jdrawsshit4837]

Most species only live a week anyway... some of them even just get eaten by bigger animals without mating.

[@paulwalker2401]

A butterfly is amazing beautiful, doesn't have a long life span. Unlike the human which is amazingly destructive

[@Amanak1011]

To kill that type of beautiful creatures made by mother earth is a big crime 😤😠

[@MelodyLiuJade]

It’s just a bug.

[@Mr.Johnson97]

Melody Liu that's what I'm saying 😂

[@challoner4818]

So are we on the cosmic scale

[@pierrea9509]

Aman Kumar 👌😢

[@Amanak1011]

You want to say that the insects do not have to life much if they are the beautiful creation of earth and if they doomed once are u ready to say bed time story about bugs from your grand grand childrens

[@MelodyLiuJade]

People think it’s sick to kill butterflies, yet they don’t hesitate to kill spiders. Is the butterfly's life worth more to you because it’s pretty and you like-y? You’re just being self serving, killing when it’s convenient to you and rewarding yourself for being “just” when you protect species on a whim.

[@Coconut7403]

Melody Liu not to defend anyone who kills spiders but the quantity of butterflies they kill is the disturbing part

[@PantsB4Squares]

Melody Liu Thank you for speaking some truth in these comments. I knew before the video was over what the comments would look like. Bunch of hypocrites living in their moral bubble. Its funny that its not life per se they care about. Its wether its cute, fuzzy, beautiful or has been in Disney movies which influence their feelings.

[@jameswhite9127]

I think it's the purposeful hunting in a manner undisclosed in the video, of whether it's a sustainable practice. Vs reactionary revulsion killings, of a spider crawling up your leg.

[@babygirlgibbs]

How sad.😢💔

[@mikeveis9531]

The butterfly on the thumbnail is Papilio blumei, the Sapphire Tailed Swallowtail. Beautiful

[@ianwolter6142]

I find it better if they were actually breeding the butterflies and moths, and then sell the dead ones while releasing part o fthem into the nature as well, sounds much more friendly with the balance in nature

[@brickmastermason3672]

I agree that this is sad, but these people are dirt poor and are trying to support their families. I have to say, I'd rather see some butterflies die than a family of humans starve.

[@PantsB4Squares]

BrickMaster Mason Thats what it comes down to. But watch how many people on their moral throne will say something snarky like, "better some humans die, then the insects" But give the person saying that the opportunitie to sacrifice their life for the butterflies, it all flips. Its just a game of *i have better and higher morals then you, im so great look at ME*

[@brickmastermason3672]

I agree, but that's not what I'm trying to do.

[@PantsB4Squares]

LagiNaLangAko23 i agree. The problem is at the rate they are removing them from their role in the habitat. Not the practice itself. Anything is bad in major excess

[@annalisa14]

Have you seen the king of Indonesia ???? King of Brunei 🇧🇳? Richest on the planet ? Let’s see if we can get him to subsidize his humans so that the worlds butterflies 🦋 can proliferate Undisturbed. Eh ??

[@annalisa14]

Add in a good amount of human birth control in both genders.

[@missmirchi5594]

after watcng dis cnt cntrol my tears.

[@trixiemattelswig849]

They should learn how to farm/breed them before taking THOUSANDS out of the wild everyday

[@shikhagupta3543]

It is not good to kill those beautiful insects. Please stop killing those beautiful creatures.

[@YourTechHelper]

As a butterfly conservationist i hate to see this ! This just broke my heart 💔 this should be banned as soon as possible

[@jerseycarter6979]

That is very sad sick and disgusting. They are beautiful animals and they need to be left alone.

[@HoneyDubey23]

😢 Please let them live 🙏🏼🐛🦋

[@jdrawsshit4837]

Its either the bug dies or the family starves.Pick one.

[@TheQueenIsWatching6517]

@@jdrawsshit4837 The family starves lol. Easy choice

[@NewMessage]

Gotta catch 'em all..

[@debopriyabanerjee9509]

In the very first case, shown in this video (0:43), two butterflies, one female and another male was in mating condition.. they were about to bring their younger ones in this world.. and these heartless and brainless monsters did not even spare them in that condition too.. how desperately the poor souls were trying to come out of that net... Karma wont spare you.. you monsters too will face such horrific kind of death.. just wait and watch

[@gmdgamingboy8933]

Let nature live instead of killing them

[@minion2995]

Butterflies are amazing! 🦋

[@pumpkinpatch5]

As someone who collects pinned butterflies, I don’t agree with taking them from the wild. Butterfly farms exist to avoid this and yet it’s still going on. Not good. Not ethical. I can understand native peoples just trying to survive, but butterfly harvesting, rather than farming, will harm native populations in the long run. Also, showing the dome of butterflies at Deyrolle, the famous Paris taxidermists is stupidly misleading and the usual wokery. Deyrolle deals with either antique specimens or farmed, not harvested. Duh.

[@wilsongerman374]

4:07 save it up, cuz that's how the humans r going to appreciate the natural ecosystem !!!! Let's worth it !!!

[@ashiqkv218]

That ending though, nicely done, says a lot about our world.

[@igor-ry4jc]

Making this kind of item should be a crime, no joking

[@andikajaya5435]

these people hunt the butterfly just for their life survival. they didnt damage nature they collected few butterflies and didnt destroyed them. they used safety thing to catch. and these people smart nature keeper. dont blame them. they arent guilty

[@assssaaasasass]

And the guy said that he was doing it because he heard that someone was buying it. People here really likes to be overdramatic.

[@bergfish7328]

Admittedly, i would absolutely love that butterfly tree glass dome if i saw it BUT it's good to have been shown the, much darker, story behind it. Thank you

[@nehamananda5967]

Humans are cruel to each and every creature on this Earth.

[@sagarm571]

Tragedy of the commons...

[@berthavillalobos8163]

Well this made me sad, thanks alot!

[@slixx008]

I'll never get the urge of people to kill for a collection

[@zos4711]

So sad...... I remembered before my town place flooded with worm and after 2weeks flooded of flying butterflies.. so beautiful

[@AnitaSharma-re7ix]

This is just cruelty towards insect also have right to live

[@sallyandersen8729]

That's terrible. Leave nature alone. These lovely Butterflies beautify the earth.

[@bakaneko9741]

That GIANT decrepit butterfly sign looks like something out of TWD

[@trexeater101]

What is TWD?

[@bakaneko9741]

@@trexeater101 The Walking Dead

[@iamthesenate8825]

Make a farm! You can make your house a butterfly farm if you want money, and you don’t even need to catch them.

[@vivillon9324]

I thought this video was gonna be about breeding and establishing beautiful butterflies, but this, this is just depressing to see all these beautiful creatures being killed for profit 😢

[@PrasanthPrasanthpraveen]

😢😢😢😩😩 We are losing our planet earth

[@rampg1008]

Ohhhh no

[@PantsB4Squares]

Ohh no? What happened?

[@zane17760]

When done in moderation, with proper labeling and special consideration for any species of conservation concern, butterfly and insect collections in general are a wealth of knowledge for conservation efforts and population trends, as well as many branches of study such as taxonomy, anatomy, and genetics.

[@deltalegacyone]

Based.

[@annasobczak9510]

Those butterflies are gorgeous! It’s so horrible that they kill them!!

[@tysonyouts5011]

I have traveled extensively especially in Central America where the choices of income are drugs deforestation for cattle or deforestation for coffee plants. The last choice is keeping the jungle in tact and breathing and keeping some so that there are always more. I have a close friend that has been purchasing coffee plantations and allowing the jungle to grow back and he makes his income hiring the villages to help him breed butterflies in greenhouses. The butterflies he breeds go to live butterfly houses in the United States as well as people who collect them and frame them. It doesn’t require bureaucracy to preserve forest. Sometimes it just takes capitalism. If one female monarch butterfly lays 200 eggs then in nature less than a dozen survive to an adult. If I take all 200 eggs and I only succeed in raising 150 of them up to an adult then I can keep about 30 males and release over 120 into the wild. This is a 1,200% increase over nature. So my breeding and collecting causes forest restoration as well as replacing many butterflies who die from pesticides so we can have cheap food.

[@k8ecupcakes]

This was informative and insightful perspective thank you! I'm trying to make a living off of displaying butterflies and I have a deep love for them I literally started doing it because a butterfly flew over my dog when he was passing away and I hold that moment as the most spiritual moment I've ever experienced in my entire life. I preserve them for the love of them not the money necessarily even though you do have to pay to live in the world we live in today and it's really unfortunate because you have to choose between integrity and paying your bills it seems like at every turn so when I watch this video I was completely shattered to know that my butterflies that come from a company that supposedly is so ethical blah blah blah but maybe they actually are I don't know I need to look into it more but I'd love to know your friend's company just because it sounds like they're doing good things and they're not just greed driven

[@justsomeone6119]

MUCH MORE BEAUTIFUL IN NATURE

[@ShashankSingh-yj4dw]

This was heartbreaking😢😢

[@viiiderekae]

Lol I have seen a wild specimen of the butterfly in the thumbnail Twice in my life

[@bluepansy3636]

That butterfly on the thumbnail is an endemic species to Sulawesi Island, called Papilio blumei, unless you've been to Sulawesi before then it's impossible unless you see it preserved in a frame 😅😅

[@EuDouArteHipHopArtCulture21]

butterfly's and humans should live in peace

[@Melody_Bird]

Honestly, I'd buy one.

[@nilimakumari3831]

This is so disheartening. We humans can't even spare these little, beautiful and magical beings !!! Is there nothing that the Indonesian government can do about this?@National Geographic

[@AnimalsAndReports]

That was painful to watch... such beautiful creatures - there's no hope for mankind

[@grinfacelaxu]

Wings of butterfly is to fly! Poverty crushes!! Ornaments of rich are sometime merciless!!!

[@Bhujili]

First half is nice to watch, catching them..but second half killing is unpleasant.....

[@futureaests2170]

there is nothing nice about watching these creatures getting caught. the wings are extremely sensitive.

[@ahonaabrar1754]

it breaks my heart💔💔😭😭.....Butterflies looking beautiful when it alive in nature.....we should must stop killing butterflies.....they're symbol of beauty......

[@jdrawsshit4837]

They arent even endangered.yes some species are but the family of lepidoptera as a whole is probably even in overpopulation.

[@tysonyouts5011]

I understand that they are a symbol of beauty. The reality is butterflies or aggressively territorial alcoholic rapists. This is been well documented. Knowing this causes me to think that a stately tree would be a better representative. Just my opinion mind you

[@user-chardonneret]

WOW

[@maxymax4212]

Bruh do u really like to kill every butterflies?

[@nearh.2532]

this video is scarring for a person who is terrified of butterflies such as myself

[@inasmazinatulmufidah7945]

Please, butterflies must be alive in nature, we can see them beautifully in nature

[@anjubiyar9911]

Overall all over world.. Continue this type of of things.. I think big deal to nature and nature rules this type of things damage her food Chen and structure ....😕😕😕

[@anjubiyar9911]

Ok

[@corey-bird3489]

They'll eventually wish they hadn't done this...

[@Rojobrono]

Why must in indonesia?

[@Bb-te3hg]

Rojobrono Channel Corrupt government, poor people, garbage economy, high crime tolerance, lots of forests and animals. Do I need to say more?

[@nursaraswad8886]

R0t at1on ur answers so cruel. Come to indonesia and u will know how live and life in indonesia. Dont judge badly my country. I respect for all tourist who visit my region. Rojobrono just ask why national geo took location indonesia about killing butterfly ? Not how life and live .. Thx

[@clairenzh]

Aswad Nursar if you say you love your country, then start facing its reality.

[@nursaraswad8886]

Clarissa Santoso kamu indonesia ? Siapa lg yg mau membela negara ini ? Indonesia korup ? Apa iya umum ? Indonesia miskin ? Kamu terima ? Kalau miskin ente tak akan bisa komentar disini.. Banyak kejahatan ? Terus baik nya mana ? Jgn terlalu overproud dgn negara org yg bebas dan kaya. Lihat negara sendiri.. siapa lg yg majuin kalo tak dari warganya. Contoh kontribusi bela negara mu jgn oknum negara mu ! Negara lain komen buruk ente adem ayem. Enjeh2 ..

[@clairenzh]

Aswad Nursar The country doesn’t need defending. Its nature does - those that are oppressed, those that cannot speak for themselves.

[@retnogita]

This is sick!

[@arfeenjanjua3261]

Why those people killing beautiful butterflies😢

[@ravinclean8916]

This is quite a familiar seen the poor destroying their environment so that they can survive without knowing the worth of what they have.

[@Rmainconnect]

Guess they never heard of the Butterfly Effect....

[@Lee-hz2wl]

i dont like there being killed but feeding your family is a priority so i understand and would be doing the same thing if i was in there shoes

[@megha6691]

Shame on this guy.... can't he just leave evn small insect !!! Poor butterflies...

[@whabazoo107]

Megha Anand I kill cockroaches, spiders and ants.

[@Killykat]

Shame on the ones who bought it.

[@lepidlover0557]

@@whabazoo107 Cockroaches, spiders, and ants aren't threatened and can become invasive in your homes. BUTTERFLIES are important aspects to nature because like other pollinators, they are responsible for the food production and reproduction of plants. They are also indicators of a healthy environment because of their fragility. Less butterflies means an unhealthy ecosystem

[@Broken-Flesh]

Well this was a bummer. 😞

[@birdscapingindustries]

Habitat!!!! At least these people keep the habitat intact they don't remove native plants or spray pesticides to capture these beautiful insects like they do here in the United States. Here in the states its getting harder and harder to find pollinators in general because of habitat loss and pesticide use. So don't criticize these people for hunting butterflies that the European made a market for besides in these countries where natural habitat is strong insects produce by the millions in a day. And at least the kids in the video are learning the importance of the natural world by going out and having fun capturing insects and not destroying their environment

[@Asingh1999]

How would these people feel being hanged on someone else's walls for display??!!

[@jdrawsshit4837]

How would you feel not being able to support your family without butterfly hunting?

[@-horrorstories7368]

I was looking for a video of raising a butterfly, when I see this, that's break my heart💔.

[@BumbleBeeBeeRock]

Tragedy. Ignorance knows no bounds.

[@mauryfer1]

Tore my heart😥

[@dr20231may]

What's the need to preserve anything in this universe? Is there anything better then preservation?

[@eelast]

I hate these people, I hate this entire video, I hate to seem them unnatural blablabla....Do you even Indonesian? Do you even know how they're living? Why you just decide to hate and erase the reality of something you don't exact try to UNDERSTAND? They're living among nature everyday, their resources are from nature. Butterflies isn't like fuel, they'll produce another generation everyday and this butterflies captor know what they should take from nature and not. So, note this. How can you assume they just exploiting their own resources of living without ever thinking about how they afford their another days? Haven't you know that the job in this isn't only officer, police, doctor, scientist, employee? There are butterflies captor, maggot digger, fisherman, plants collector, etc. What they do? THEY'RE JUST TRYING TO LIVE! Thank you. An Indonesian.

[@theghostrider430]

He says that he cant sustain life without catching butterflies. Like what have you been doing otherwise ? all other people who catch them? If the cycle has to stop, Butterfly enthusiasts, Museums should stop buying.

[@bi-bibabyblue9649]

*oh dear... a common bluebottle*

[@imWillJ]

Amos 4: 13 " He who forms the mountains, who creates the wind, and who reveals his thoughts to mankind, who turns dawn to darkness, and treads on the heights of the earth- the Lord God Almighty is his name. "

[@nokia6630videos]

The smart ones will figure how to breed/farm them

[@Azaan-su2mx]

I don’t want to see it 😢

[@jalynpetocz8859]

I would only buy from butterfly houses where the butterfly died naturally :(

[@Azaan-su2mx]

No

[@Erbalaiza]

Poor Indonesia. From palmoil to butterflies, one of the most biodiverse hotspots on this planet is just getting systematically ravaged by the so called 'developed' countries. Seems like its only going to stop when the last butterfly is dead and the last jungle patches are cleared for palm oil plantations.

[@SpookyMimi]

Fun fact , butterflies can’t see their own wings .

[@601salsa]

Is there any way to encourage breeding butterflies

[@lepidlover0557]

Learn of the butterflies in your area, find out what their hostplants are, then plant them.

[@tadwilson9563]

Butterflies are very beautiful animals

[@lovebugLarge]

This is so heart breaking

[@antonp6917]

Natutal harvesting. Simply beautiful.

[@lepidlover0557]

No, it isn't. Pollinators are already having a hard time due to habitat loss and poison being sprayed on the habit that IS available to them. This only adds onto it 😒

[@ranadeep7462]

Feeling sad to see these beautiful creatures being caught and sold

[@sitinabilah3325]

My name is Siti Nabilah from Smk Bakti Nusa, Bogor Regency, with permission to comment. In my opinion, catching and trading butterflies should not be done, because it will indirectly lead to the extinction of these butterflies. That is all and thank you.

[@07vineet]

A few dollars here and there for the locals, a few thousand dollars for that Parisian taxidermist. Why not bring those Parisian butterfly enthusiasts to Indonesia to see the living butterflies instead? Would be better off for the local economy. Ecotourism!

[@infinitescience2699]

in my childhood i tried to catch butterflies !😭

[@kyu_cat]

This video is strong