The daily dose of bad news for conservationists with details on wildlife and environmental crimes
from around the world

in the spotlight today ……………………

Industrial-Scale Tiger Farms: Feeding China’s Thirst for Luxury Tiger Products EXTRACT: At July’s CITES Standing Committee meeting, Chinese officials finally admitted what the world has known for some time: they are licensing sales of tiger pelts. In 2013, EIA revealed that legally-issued permits are regularly reused, making it disturbingly easy to launder skins from tigers killed in India and elsewhere. (NA comment: Will the CITES Standing Committee and Secretariat give China a “Merit Award” for this activity and openly defying CITES, yet again? Another CITES – CHINA debacle?)

Tiger carcasses in cold storage at Xiongsen Tiger and Bear Park,

Guilin, China. Photograph by Belinda Wright /Wildlife Protection Society of India.

http://newswatch.nationalgeographic.com/2014/10/21/industrial-scale-tiger-farms-feeding-chinas-thirst-for-luxury-tiger-products/

No 245 Wildlife Trade News 23rd October 2014

Pandas get VIP treatment, but not orang-utan – Jennifer Yeap – (Malaysia) See more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/sideviews/article/pandas-get-vip-treatment-but-not-orang-utan-jennifer-yeap#sthash.LTuP3px1.dpuf

Ten including cop to face MACC in connection with illegal logging (Sarawak/Malaysia) http://www.thestar.com.my/News/Nation/2014/10/23/Crime-illegal-logging-MACC/

Cop nabbed, illegal logging ring in Sarawak busted http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/278380

Johor Forestry Officers Queried (Malaysia) http://malaysiandigest.com/news/524368-johor-forestry-officers-queried.html

‘Get tough on syndicates’ (Malaysia) http://www.thestar.com.my/News/Nation/2014/10/23/Get-tough-on-syndicates-Tunku-Aziz-Political-sanction-needed-to-tackle-illegal-logging/

South African Environment Minister: ‘We Appreciate Western Help Against Poaching — But We Need Asia’s’ extract: Earlier this month, 137 cities took part in a global march against the poaching of rhinos and elephants, amid an alarming surge in killings of the endangered species. South Africa saw a huge swell of support for the movement, with 18 rallies staged across the country, while the United States hosted 39. In China and Vietnam — the world’s largest buyers of ivory and rhino horn respectively — there were none. https://news.vice.com/article/south-african-environment-minister-we-appreciate-western-help-against-poaching-but-we-need-asias (NA comment: Doesn’t this illustrate, again, the lack of real concern and commitment from China and Vietnam?)

Legalizing Ivory Trade: Taking to New Heights a Dangerous Policy Proposal

Ivory stockpile in Tanzania, courtesy of National Geographic Television. http://newswatch.nationalgeographic.com/2014/10/22/legalizing-ivory-trade-taking-to-new-heights-a-dangerous-policy-proposal/

Stopping the smuggling of elephant tusks at HCMC’s airport (Vietnam)

Pieces of elephant tusks are discovered in a box unloaded from a plane at Tan Son Nhat Airport in Ho Chi Minh City. Tuoi Tre http://tuoitrenews.vn/features/23472/stopping-the-smuggling-of-elephant-tusks-at-hcmcs-airport

Increasing land use exposing wildlife to poachers (Kenya) http://www.capitalfm.co.ke/news/2014/10/increasing-land-use-exposing-wildlife-to-poachers/

Govt urged to take steps to save Tesso Nilo (Indonesia)

Cleared land: Locals living near the Tesso Nilo National Park in Riau use slash-and-burn methods to clear land, which they later use to plant corn, tuber and other vegetables. (JP/Bambang Muryanto) http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2014/10/22/govt-urged-take-steps-save-tesso-nilo.html

Greenpeace

Illegal Logging Ravaging the Last Forests, Activists Say (Cambodia)

extract: “ ….denounced the trade, which deforests Cambodia and sends timber to China and Vietnam. http://www.voacambodia.com/content/illeal-logging-ravaging-the-last-forests-activist-say/2492309.html (NA comment: How can these two countries remain in CITES while breaching the Convention on a daily basis? Is someone protecting them? Is China given preferential treatment by the Secretariat?)

Coral poaching by Chinese boats off Japan islands rising

http://news.asiaone.com/news/asia/coral-poaching-chinese-boats-japan-islands-rising

Wildlife Photographer of the Year Awards (see what we are losing, because of China) http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/29722935

Namibia’s plan: Pay off poachers, save wildlife http://edition.cnn.com/2012/10/23/world/africa/namibia-eye-on-conservation/?hpt=wo_mid

Farmer shoots ‘eyes in the night’, kills collared leopard (S. Africa)

The dead leopard.
Image by: Landmark Foundation http://www.timeslive.co.za/scitech/2014/10/22/farmer-shoots-eyes-in-the-night-kills-collared-leopard

Cameroon: Forest Governance – Monitoring, Evaluation Mechanism Underway http://allafrica.com/stories/201410220930.html

Human-elephant conflict in Sri Lanka claims lives of over 60 people and 250 elephants annually http://www.colombopage.com/archive_14B/Oct22_1413961236CH.php

Rare northern white rhino dies in Kenya; only six remains worldwide

photo: Nature Alert http://www.wallstreetotc.com/rare-northern-white-rhino-dies-in-kenya-only-six-remains-worldwide/210878/

PH ethnic tribes lauded for role in forest conservation (Philippines) http://www.rappler.com/science-nature/environment/72786-ph-ethnic-tribes-conservation-practices

Photographer’s heartwarming images of baby primates that show astonishing similarities between apes and humans Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2803161/i-wanna-like-photographer-s-heartwarming-images-baby-primates-astonishing-similarities-apes-humans.html#ixzz3Gt2RgOT2

India’s largest dam given clearance but still faces flood of opposition The 3000MW Dibang dam, rejected twice as it would submerge vast tracts of biologically rich forests, is to be cleared – but huge local opposition could still stall the project http://www.theguardian.com/environment/india-untamed/2014/oct/22/indias-largest-dam-given-clearance-but-still-faces-flood-of-opposition

New Marine Protected Area proposed for Myanmar http://phys.org/news/2014-10-marine-area-myanmar.html

Tamil Nadu, Centre claim Andhra Pradesh red sanders http://www.deccanchronicle.com/141022/nation-current-affairs/article/tamil-nadu-centre-claim-andhra-pradesh-red-sanders

Vietnam moves to reduce demand for wildlife products – See more at: http://news.asiaone.com/news/asia/vietnam-moves-reduce-demand-wildlife-products#sthash.aE8qbxWC.dpuf

Authorities Confiscate Illegal Rare Wood; Smugglers Escape (Cambodia) http://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/authorities-confiscate-illegal-rare-wood-smugglers-escape-70674/

Chimps filmed raiding farms to find food (Uganda) http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-29724600

Saving Asia’s Endangered Cats http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1034476-saving-asias-endangered-cats/

Amazing moment ape named Kanzi built a fire and roasted marshmallows Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2803946/I-wanna-eat-like-Amazing-moment-ape-named-Kanzi-built-fire-roasted-marshmallows.html#ixzz3GwYQq091

Animal Planet Greenlights ‘Meet The Orangutans’ From Blink Films (Malaysia) http://www.tvwise.co.uk/2014/10/discovery-greenlights-meet-orangutans-blink-films/

For Bhutan, it Takes a Community to Save the Snow Leopard http://newswatch.nationalgeographic.com/2014/10/23/for-bhutan-it-takes-a-community-to-save-the-snow-leopard/

NGOs want logging tycoon stripped of licences (Cambodia) http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/ngos-want-logging-tycoon-stripped-licences

Zambia: ‘Tread Carefully On Hunting Quotas’ http://allafrica.com/stories/201410230179.html

Kenya: Increasing Land Use Exposing Wildlife to Poachers http://allafrica.com/stories/201410230193.html

Legal Trade In Horn Would Improve Protection Of The Rhino
Read more at http://www.redorbit.com/news/science/1113262699/legal-trade-in-horn-would-improve-protection-of-rhino-102214/#Qh4SrVhwBeKQBew1.99

Racing to Save the Cheetah http://www.bignewsnetwork.com/index.php/sid/226947623

Steps to conserve greater adjutant stork demanded

http://www.assamtribune.com/scripts/detailsnew.asp?id=oct2314/state050

Sea Shepherd ship ready to monitor Japan http://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/auckland/news/nbnat/1692538077-sea-shepherd-ship-ready-to-monitor-japan

Saving the survivor: China scrambles to keep the finless porpoise from extinction http://news.mongabay.com/2014/1022-sri-vance-finless-porpoise.html