Your daily dose of bad news about poaching, wildlife and environmental crimes from around the world
in the spotlight today ……………………
[WATCH] Hunters decry ‘unfair’ decision to close spring hunting season. MALTA Joe Perici Calascione: ‘How can 9,500 hunters be blamed for the actions of a handful of hunters?’ (NA COMMENT: 9,500 hunters on the tiny island of Malta blasting birds from the sky, for ‘fun.’ Sick people, aren’t they? WHY DOES THE EU PERMIT THIS WHEN THE BIRDS ARE NOT EVEN NATIVE TO MALTA? SAME OLD STORY – COWARDLY, WEAK, IMPOTENT, OVERPAID OFFICIALS http://www.maltatoday.com.mt/news/national/52341/hunters_decry_unfair_decision_to_close_spring_hunting_season#.VT-1RZMXEse
No 395 Wildlife Trade News: 29th April
Chinese delegate to elephant conference asks about buying trunk and penis http://wildlifenews.co.uk/2015/04/chinese-delegate-to-elephant-conference-asks-about-buying-trunk-and-penis/
Chinese timber smugglers face additional charges. MYANMAR http://www.mmtimes.com/index.php/national-news/14152-chinese-timber-smugglers-face-additional-charges.html
Indonesian National Police Seize Major Shipment of Pangolins, Arrest Smuggler. EXTRACT: the seizure of a shipment of pangolins headed to China and valued at approximately 1.8 million US dollars (USD). (NA comment: Why don’t we see similar arrests in China?) http://newsroom.wcs.org/NewsReleases/tabid/13614/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/6715/April-27-Indonesian-National-Police-Seize-Major-Shipment-of-Pangolins-Arrest-Smuggler.aspx
Traffic Southeast Asia An officer holds up some of the 2,400 pig-nosed turtles rescued by Bali Police from a bus plying the Jember-Denpasar route. The bus driver and assistant were detained. The turtles, found only in Indonesia’s Papua province and northern Australia, are protected by law but commonly smuggled for the pet trade. Over 5,000 were seized in Bali this January.
https://www.facebook.com/Trafficsea?fref=ts
Leuser Park authorities still trying to move thousands of squatters. SUMATRA http://news.mongabay.com/2015/0428-jacobson-leuser-squatters-westsumatra.html
Deforestation continues for palm oil, says WWF http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/04/29/deforestation-continues-palm-oil-says-wwf.html
Selective logging leaves more dead wood in rainforests http://news.mongabay.com/2015/0428-logging-dead-wood.html
‘Sarawak practising selective logging’ http://www.theborneopost.com/2015/04/29/sarawak-practising-selective-logging/
Fishing lobby pushed Australia to opt out of protection of five shark species. Documents reveal the recreational fishing industry’s concerns held more sway over the government’s decision than scientific or conservation advice http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/apr/28/fishing-lobby-pushed-australia-to-opt-out-of-protection-of-five-shark-species
Orangutans’ reprieve: EuroParl votes to limit biofuels http://www.theecologist.org/News/news_round_up/2848021/orangutans_reprieve_europarl_votes_to_limit_biofuels.html
Commentary: The Great Conservation Fallacy. INDONESIA Can we stop pretending that some people who live close to nature have magically acquired the skills and insights to control their individual actions for the common environmental good? http://thejakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/opinion/commentary-great-conservation-fallacy/
Palm oil is a major driver of peatlands destruction in Indonesian Borneo http://news.mongabay.com/2012/0427-palm-oil-impact-borneo.html
Army to build road along border in Kalimantan (NA COMMENT: A disaster in the making for wildlife and the environment.)http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/04/29/army-build-road-along-border-kalimantan.html
CONVENTION ON INTERNATIONAL TRADE IN ENDANGERED SPECIES
OF WILD FAUNA AND FLORA TWENTY-EIGHTH MEETING OF THE ANIMALS COMMITTEE. Invitation request for organizations and the private sector *
Tel Aviv (Israel), 30 August–3 September 2015 http://cites.org/sites/default/files/notif/E-Notif-2015-024-A3.pdf
Actress Neethu Agarwal arrested in red sanders smuggling case
Red sanders smuggler Ravi Somu booked under PD Act http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/andhra-pradesh/red-sanders-smuggler-ravi-somu-booked-under-pd-act/article7150285.ece
Conservation stakeholders hammer out priority actions to fight wildlife crime in Kenya
TRAFFIC’s Sam Weru presenting during the symposium © TRAFFIC http://www.traffic.org/home/2015/4/28/conservation-stakeholders-hammer-out-priority-actions-to-fig.html
Africa, made by China http://www.nzherald.co.nz/element-magazine/news/article.cfm?c_id=1503340&objectid=11439888
Elephants in America disappearing as zoos close popular exhibits http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-elephants-zoos-disappearing-20150428-story.html
Soldier turned conservationist: Damian Manda’s anti-poaching activism http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/breakfast/soldier-turned-conservationist-damian-mandas/6426790
IFAW and WCS Investigation Reveals Thriving Ivory and Wildlife Trade on Craigslist http://www.virtualpressoffice.com/publicsiteContentFileAccess?fileContentId=1982617&fromOtherPageToDisableHistory=Y&menuName=News&sId=&sInfo=
2 Orphaned Elephants Arrive in Their New Sanctuary Home and Run With Joy! (VIDEO) http://www.onegreenplanet.org/news/orphaned-elephants-arrive-in-their-new-sanctuary/
Norway Now Has Animal Rights Cops … Why Doesn’t the U.S.?! http://www.onegreenplanet.org/news/norway-instates-animal-rights-cops/
What We Are Doing to Ensure Smuggled Animals Found in Suitcases Get a Second Chance. EXTRACT: On April 1st, customs officers at Moscow’s Domodedovo airport detained a Russian citizen who arrived from Doha, Qatar with a suitcase full to the brim with wild animals. The woman was quickly taken into police custody for trying to smuggle 108 exotic animals into the country.
Farming snails to save the world’s rarest gorillas http://news.mongabay.com/2010/0428-hance_gorilla_snail.html
Central board hears cries of ailing temple jumbos http://www.deccanchronicle.com/150429/nation-current-affairs/article/central-board-hears-cries-ailing-temple-jumbos
Local Craigslist Ads Are Fueling the Slaughter of Elephants Worldwide
https://www.takepart.com/article/2015/04/28/craigslist-fueling-illegal-ivory-trade-poaching
