Your daily dose of bad news … a never ending story …about poaching, wildlife and environmental crimes …
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in the spotlight today ……………………
Vanishing Species: International Experts Find Fault with CITES ‘Documents’. EXTRACT: Wild animals imported to Armenia are not only circumventing monitoring by the customs inspectorate but also that of the veterinary inspectorate. Charles Mackayhas been working for the United Kingdom’s Revenue and Customs for the past 36 years and has served as a CITES expert for the past twenty. When Hetq asked Mr. Mackay how he would react to such a document in the case of the United Kingdom, he said, “Seeing all this, we would immediately raise the alarm and respond by sending inquiries to the exporter country. This is an unacceptable and invalid document.”http://hetq.am/eng/news/58899/vanishing-species-international-experts-find-fault-with-cites-documents.html (NA comment: Given Armenia has been flagged here frequently, we wonder if the CITES Secretariat have done anything about this illegal trade and bogus documents? CITES does have a highly paid ‘enforcement officer’, so what do you think he does based on all the infringements you read about every day? In other words, do you see any CITES enforcement of the convention happening? Do you?)
CITES ISN’T WORKING – IS IT? HAS IT EVER?
Look at the news and maybe question ‘how can it have got this disasterous for wildlife when so much of it is supposedly protected under the CITES Convention’?
No 355 Wildlife Trade News 13th March 2015
Malaysia’s blood ivory remains unaccounted for http://www.malaysiakini.com/letters/291801
Malawi Could Be Next to Torch Ivory Stockpile .
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(NA comment: Are these baby apes more victims of China’s ‘legal’ ape trade facilitated by a Chinese CITES office that turns a blind eye to such criminal activity helped by a very PRO-China CITES Secretariat? What do you think?) http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/china/11466194/Chinese-reality-show-under-fire-for-forcing-elephants-to-have-pedicures.html
We must keep up pressure on China to end the ivory trade
Mass produced ivory products on sale in a shop in China. Photograph: Resson Kantai-Duff/Save The Elephants http://www.theguardian.com/environment/africa-wild/2015/mar/12/keep-up-the-pressure-on-china
"In buying ivory, the Chinese people may not b directly killing elephants, but by not buying ivory they can directly stop the killing” Richard Leakey
Rhinos being moved from high-risk areas to undisclosed locations on 50/50
LIFE FOR WELL PAID PEOPLE – SOME, NO DOUBT, WITH EXPENSE ACCOUNTS, TALKING ABOUT SAVING WILDLIFE. One year on what has United for Wildlife Achieved? Can you name one thing? We can only think of the money it has all cost.
While unpaid forest guards in Karnataka are barely making ends meet.
Left: Life for guards protecting tigers in India – despite hundreds of millions of dollars raised to ‘Save the Tigers’. Where has the money gone?
Namibia: Illegal Harvesting of Forest High http://allafrica.com/stories/201503120359.html
Government corruption in South Africa contributes to overfishing http://phys.org/news/2015-03-corruption-south-africa-contributes-overfishing.html
17 tiger deaths in six states this year http://indianexpress.com/article/india/17-tiger-deaths-in-six-states-this-year/
Botswana: Poaching Incidents Worry Police extract: Maun — A senior police officer has decried the alarming rate at which people are caught with elephant tusks and other wildlife products in his policing area. Senior Superintendent Chabaesele Kesupetswe said the incidents were increasing at a fast rate, adding that Batswana connived with foreigners in poaching activities. He said poaching had become a serious threat to the country’s economy, adding that if not stopped it could deplete the countries wildlife resources. http://allafrica.com/stories/201503120145.html
The MUTANT animals being specially bred… so they can be shot by big game hunters: South African ranchers charge 100 times as much for the ‘honour’ of shooting unusually-coloured animals
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2991391/The-MUTANT-animals-specially-bred-shot-big-game-hunters-South-African-ranchers-charge-100-times-honour-shooting-unusually-coloured-animals.html#ixzz3UBVvAkVk
A Palm Oil King Develops a Green Conscience Wilmar International’s chairman is cleaning up the industry that made him a billionaire. extract: Kuok’s change in thinking has been gradual and owes much to pressure from shareholders and environmental activists. About two years ago, Norway’s Government Pension Fund Global, the world’s biggest sovereign wealth fund, dumped shares in Wilmar and 22 palm companies, citing environmentally harmful industry practices. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-03-12/wilmar-chairman-pushes-palm-oil-industry-to-clean-up
2.9 million whales slaughtered in 100 years http://wildlifenews.co.uk/2015/03/2-9-million-whales-slaughtered-in-100-years/
Malaysia’s blood ivory remains unaccounted for
Perhilitan nabs seven ‘Facebook’ illegal wildlife traders. MALAYSIA (NA COMMENT: It’s taken the historically useless Perhilitan office years to get around to doing this, but will the offenders be prosecuted and fined? You can expect a revelation soon about the scale of the wildlife trade in Malaysia condoned by Perhilitan. This same office represents CITES and yet it is infamous for its complicity in the illegal wildlife trade – not that CITES have ever appeared to care one jot.) http://www.thestar.com.my/News/Nation/2015/03/13/Facebook-wildlife-traders-nabbed/
MESSAGE TO CITES OFFICIALS/MA’s FROM NATURE ALERT
GREENPEACE
Zambian police arrest 2 ivory smuggling suspects http://www.spyghana.com/zambian-police-arrest-2-ivory-smuggling-suspects/
Conservationists announce program to protect East Africa’s largest elephant population http://news.mongabay.com/2015/0312-sharpp-elephant-protection.html
Animal hunting in Pakistan deserves no applause
Italian hunter Boieti Gian Carlo with his prized catch. —Dawn
EXTRACT: An Italian national flew 5,157 kilometers to Pakistan, travelled 234 miles north to Gilgit-Baltistan, trekked through the mountainous terrain to a secluded wildlife conservatory near the Pak-China border, and paid $8000 to fatally shoot a sheep. http://www.dawn.com/news/1169312/animal-hunting-in-pakistan-deserves-no-applause
ZAWA stuck with $9.2m ivory http://www.times.co.zm/?p=52860
Elephant Anjalee is on her way to Auckland Zoo. http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/CU1503/S00307/elephant-anjalee-is-on-her-way-to-auckland-zoo.htm
Pakistan fined Qatari prince $250,000 each for hunting falcons
http://paktribune.com/news/Pakistan-fined-Qatari-prince-250000-each-for-hunting-falcons-273361.html
Jumbo protection scheme to be launched. THAILAND
http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/general/495798/jumbo-protection-scheme-to-be-launched
Brazil Creates Police Unit to Battle Illegal Logging in Amazon http://brazilbusiness.einnews.com/article__detail/254487778?lcode=-usuDQ8DGH26hHnpvUOenA%3D%3D
Going Green: Can Palm Oil Be Good for the Environment? http://www.bloomberg.com/news/videos/2015-03-13/going-green-can-palm-oil-be-good-for-the-environment-
Poachers kill rhino in Kaziranga, horn sawed http://www.indileak.com/poachers-kill-rhino-in-kaziranga-horn-sawed/
TAKE A LOOK AT AN ‘INDUSTRY’ CONDONED BY OFFICIALS IN VIETNAM, CHINA AND LAOS. ALL OF WHOM HAVE SOMEHOW MANAGED TO ESCAPE CITES SANCTIONS FOR MANY YEARS – WHICH IS WHY THINGS HAVE GONE FROM BAD TO WORSE – ISN’T IT?VIETNAM SHOWS NO INTEREST IN ARRESTING RHINO HORN KINGPIN DEALER…..WHY WOULD THEY?
THIS SLAUGHTER IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THE PRO-CHINA CITES CONVENTION IS NOT ENFORCED – ISN’T IT?
‘Poachers’ in Aravalli Hills area of Gurgaon use poison goats to kill leopards http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/leopard-poaching-poison-goats-gurgaon-big-cats-aravalli-hills-area/1/423572.html
Victory for lions as Australia announces ban on bringing animal trophies into country http://www.heraldsun.com.au/leader/south-east/victory-for-lions-as-australia-announces-ban-on-bringing-animal-trophies-into-country/story-fngnvmhm-1227261574340
Man sentenced for role in maiming mountain lions, bobcats to make ‘hunts’ easier for clients. USA http://fox13now.com/2015/03/12/man-sentenced-for-role-in-maiming-mountain-lions-bobcats-to-make-hunts-easier-for-clients/
Pangolin scales dealer makes court bid. Uganda (NA comment: BTW the King of Uganda and his mother were filmed in a UK documentary last week staying in a $10,000 a night Dubai hotel while he was buying bespoke clothes. How much foreign aid does Uganda receive?) http://www.newvision.co.ug/news/665739-pangolin-scales-dealer-makes-court-bid.html
30 Red Sanders workers arrested in Chittoor District
Indonesia palm oil battle pits farmers against big plantations http://www.eco-business.com/news/indonesia-palm-oil-battle-pits-farmers-against-big-plantations/
Timber trouble: Karakoram forest cover vanishing. PAKISTAN http://tribune.com.pk/story/852410/timber-trouble-karakoram-forest-cover-vanishing/
New report: commercial agricultural expansion fueling illegal logging and land conflicts in Myanmar http://news.mongabay.com/2015/0312-gfrn-dasgupta-ag-expansion-fueling-illegal-logging-in-myanmar.html
Local land rights may be in danger from push for palm oil in Liberia http://news.mongabay.com/2015/0311-gfrn-cannon-local-land-rights-threatened-by-palm-oil-in-liberia.html
Vacancy: Rare opening for an EIA Investigator (Mandarin speaking) http://eia-international.org/vacancy-rare-opening-for-an-eia-investigator-mandarin-speaking
Please note: This daily newsletter has evolved from an intended single species niche target audience news report, into what is now a more general wildlife news report to a very large and widespread audience consisting of CITES, EU, UNEP, and other government officials with an interest in these issues, as well as media worldwide, NGO’s scientists and concerned members of the public. Our aim is to keep as close as possible to collating and distributing reports related to deforestation and the illegal wildlife trade.
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