Your daily dose of bad news about poaching, wildlife and environmental crimes from around
the world ….
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in the spotlight today ……………………
Growing threat of wildlife trade. MALAYSIA. EXTRACT: Malaysia stands at the epicentre of the international network of illicit trade. It is identified as a transit point for ivory smuggling before it reaches Hong Kong, Japan, Vietnam, Thailand and China. (NA comment: Despite which, it is still allowed to remain a member of CITES. Is CITES looking like the Mafia to you? i.e. looking after ‘their own?) http://www.nst.com.my/node/79718
No 377 Wildlife Trade News: 7th April
Plane passenger caught with ‘zoo’ in her suitcase including snakes, turtles and LEOPARD . INDONESIA/RUSSIA. EXTRACT: Customs seized 55 snakes, 35 lizards, seven turtles, six lemurs, and two monkeys all stuffed into the suitcase of a female traveller, it was revealed today.
READERS WILL RECALL NATURE ALERT’S RECENT REPORTS DOCUMENTING HOW EASY IT IS TO BUY SUCH WILDLIFE IN JAKARTA’S MARKETS. INDONESIAN AND CITES AUTHORITIES HAVE KNOWN ABOUT AND ACCEPTED THIS FOR AT LEAST 20 YEARS. http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/plane-passenger-caught-zoo-suitcase-5453248
CITES ISN’T BEING MADE TO WORK – IS IT?
Dubai Municipality to destroy ivory seized from smugglers. (NA comment: While Malaysian authorities continue to block any independent inspect of what’s left of its ivory stocks…..despite a recent visit from the CITES Secretariat. CITES isn’t working, is it?)
http://www.thenational.ae/uae/dubai-municipality-to-destroy-ivory-seized-from-smugglers
Proof of Shark Fins Being Shipped From Costa Rica to Hong Kong Via the USA
EXTRACT: “Costa Rica’s disregard for international laws designed to protect endangered wildlife coupled with the U.S. government’s failure to enforce prohibitions on illegal shark fin shipments spells disaster for scalloped hammerhead populations,” said Doug Karpa, legal program director with Turtle Island Restoration Network. “These unique sharks could go extinct in our lifetime if we don’t end this illegal trade.”
“We warned the Costa Rican officials that these exports would occur in violation of the ESA, but the higher authorities of the Ministry of Environment decided to proceed with the exports anyway,” said a concerned Randall Arauz of PRETOMA. “We blew the whistle and alerted the U.S. authorities as well, with no positive response either.”
CITES ISN’T WORKING – IS IT?
Timber by the numbers. CAMBODIA. EXTRACT: All of the shipments from Sihanoukville were sent initially to Hong Kong; however, using container-tracking websites of shipping companies employed to handle the cargo, it appears there were two major end destinations for the wood: Shanghai and Singapore. When asked about its measures to ensure illicit goods did not pass through its facilities, a spokesman for Hong Kong customs admitted that it relied almost entirely on checking companies’ paperwork and rarely performed physical inspections. “Authorities there and in mainland China need to urgently halt the import of all Cambodian … luxury timber until regulatory systems are in place to prohibit the import, trading and processing of illegally harvested timber.”
Try Pheap company trucks loaded with lumber in Stung Treng’s Thma Keo commune try to negotiate a muddy road in October last year. Heng Chivoan http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/timber-numbers
CITES ISN’T WORKING – IS IT?
Chain-free enclosure for CNP elephants. NEPAL http://www.ekantipur.com/2015/04/07/capital/chain-free-enclosure-for-cnp-elephants/403773.html
How Animals Grieve
http://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/H/bo12233936.html
Attempt to seize Oruwala elephants engaged in Polo results in jumbo encounterhttp://newsfirst.lk/english/2015/04/attempt-to-seize-oruwala-elephants-engaged-in-polo-results-in-jumbo-encounter/88130
Tanzania: Success of Anti-Poaching Drive Commendable but . . . http://allafrica.com/stories/201504060351.html
Scaly anteater poachers nabbed in Zimbabwe http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/Scaly-anteater-poachers-nabbed-in-Zimbabwe-20150406
Mexican fishermen stealing America’s fish: Illegal, unregulated fishing a huge problem Read more: http://www.bizpacreview.com/2015/04/06/mexican-fishermen-stealing-americas-fish-illegal-unregulated-fishing-a-huge-problem-192874#ixzz3WYCCq12L
Pangolin scales deal raises questions. UGANDA http://www.newvision.co.ug/news/666685-pangolin-scales-deal-raises-questions.html
Money allocated to prevent attacks by wild elephants didn’t reach Batticaloa http://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=13&artid=37719
Indigenous Communities Embracing Ecotourism. KALIMANTAN/INDONESIA http://thejakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/indigenous-communities-embracing-ecotourism/
World’s forests more vulnerable than thought, says Prince Charles http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/4fe503d8-db91-11e4-86a8-00144feab7de.html#axzz3Wb8T11f4
Palm oil companies, NGOs endorse new deforestation-limiting toolkit http://news.mongabay.com/2015/0406-mrn-morgan-new-toolkit-tells-companies-where-they-should-not-clear.html
Aceh’s purge of illegal oil palm at 3,000 hectares and counting http://news.mongabay.com/2015/0406-jacobson-illegal-oil-palm-purge-aceh-tamiang.html
Salat Nusa Island to be transformed into new orangutan habitat. KALIMANTAN / INDONESIA http://www.antaranews.com/en/news/98375/salat-nusa-island-to-be-transformed-into-new-orangutan-habitat
Inter-agency cooperation needed to curb poaching. MALAYSIA http://www.malaysiakini.com/letters/294507
None of us imagined it would end like this – chasers become rescuers at sea http://tvnz.co.nz/world-news/none-us-imagined-would-end-like-chasers-become-rescuers-sea-6278588
Sea Shepherd rescues crew from ‘poaching’ vessel sunk off west Africa – video http://www.theguardian.com/environment/video/2015/apr/07/sea-shepherd-rescue-vessel-west-africa-bob-barker-sam-simon-video
3 arrested for tiger poaching near Tadoba sanctuary http://www.business-standard.com/article/pti-stories/3-arrested-for-tiger-poaching-near-tadoba-sanctuary-115040601274_1.html
The call of the wild I sincerely believe that spring hunting is a perversion of the natural order which has caused untold damage to Malta’s wildlife over the years. http://www.maltatoday.com.mt/comment/blogs/51505/the_call_of_the_wild#.VSNsFJMXEsc
‘Canned hunting’ methods threaten ethical standards of Texas hunters
Read more: ‘Canned hunting’ methods threaten ethical standards of Texas hunters – MRT.com: Culture http://www.mrt.com/life/culture/article_537d4168-dc9f-11e4-8312-5f3980031a6f.html#ixzz3WbBsD3L3
Bylaws planned for conservation in West Papua http://www.radionz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/270553/bylaws-planned-for-conservation-in-west-papua
Islands in focus: W. Papua naming itself conservation province – See more at: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/04/07/islands-focus-w-papua-naming-itself-conservation-province.html#sthash.HpLB49Ao.dpuf
Tip-off uncovers tiger poaching near Tadoba http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/nagpur/Tip-off-uncovers-tiger-poaching-near-Tadoba/articleshow/46830181.cms
Mounted tiger produced in court, creates a stir http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/noida/Mounted-tiger-produced-in-court-creates-a-stir/articleshow/46830269.cms
Kenya Terrorism Crackdown Threatens NGOs, Wildlife, Media http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1310693-kenya-terrorism-crackdown-threatens-ngos-wildlife-media/
Tirupati Encounter: 20 Smugglers Killed
http://www.gulte.com/news/37588/Tirupati-Encounter-20-Smugglers-Killed
20 red sander smugglers shot dead in Chittoor http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/andhra-pradesh/20-red-sander-smugglers-shot-dead-in-chittoor-encounter/article7076614.ece
VN to earn $60.4m from firms for forest services VietNamNet Bridge – Viet Nam hopes to collect a total of VND1.3 trillion (US$60.4 million) from a programme titled Payments for Forest Environmental Services (PFES) this year. http://english.vietnamnet.vn/fms/environment/127387/vn-to-earn–60-4m-from-firms-for-forest-services.html
Who’s to blame for forest loss in Borneo timber concession? http://news.mongabay.com/2015/0406-indonesia-gfrn-bmh-kalbar.html
Kaiduan dam in Borneo meets fierce opposition. SABAH/MALAYSIA – AGAIN. http://news.mongabay.com/2015/0406-gaworecki-kaiduan-dam-borneo-opposition.html
Thai authorities seize ‘illegal’ bears from Tiger Temple
