Another dose of bad news about poaching,
wildlife and environmental crimes from
around the world …
in the spotlight today ……………………
Star tortoises seized at airport. INDIA / MALAYSIA…AGAIN
Despite monthly confiscations of tortoises enroute to malaysia, no one in Malaysia, as far as we know, has ever been prosecuted for importing tortoises in the past couple of years. Pets shops and zoos MUST know who is the MR BIG of the tortoise trade but no one in the PERHILITAN (wildlife department) seems either capable or willing to capture him. YET ANOTHER CITES SCANDAL. Over the past 20 years or so Malaysia has been an international hub for the illegal wildlife trade, but has never once been punished by CITES for its mass-violations of the convention. So, we can blame CITES for this ongoing trade in illegal wildlife. What’s Achim Steiner going to do about it? We suspect the same as CITES and Perhilitan – NOTHING.
http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Kochi/star-tortoises-seized-at-airport/article7524706.ece
No 484 Wildlife Trade News: 12th August 2015
MALAYSIA: Only 3 of 8 companies pledge ‘No Deforestation’, says NGO. August 11, 2015. FOTO director says deforestation will decimate the natural habitat of orang-utans and endanger people’s lives by causing massive flooding. http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2015/08/11/only-3-of-8-companies-pledge-no-deforestation-says-ngo/
Will China’s Falling Yuan Impact Illegal Wildlife Trade? http://annamiticus.com/2015/08/11/will-chinas-falling-yuan-impact-illegal-wildlife-trade/
LAOS: China’s Gamblers Pouring into King Roman’s Casino in Golden Triangle
EXTRACT: A recent probe by campaign group the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) found visitors could openly buy products from endangered species including tigers, leopards, elephants, rhinos and bears.
Restaurants offered sauteed tiger meat, bear paws and live pangolins on their menus.
“One business kept a live python and a bear cub in cages, both of which were available to eat on request,” the NGO’s investigators found.
During AFP’s visit in early April, the businesses allegedly unmasked by the EIA investigation were no longer open.
As a signatory to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), Laos is supposedly committed to stopping illegal wildlife trafficking and clamping down on the illegal ivory trade.
But the convention is widely flouted.
Animal rights workers say both Laos and China have a responsibility to ensure the special economic zone does not become a haven for the illicit wildlife trade.
“The Chinese businesses and consumers are exploiting weak enforcement in Laos, but the Laos government can’t pretend they are ignorant of what is going on,” says Debbie Banks, from EIA. http://www.chiangraitimes.com/chinas-gamblers-pouring-into-king-romans-casino-in-golden-triangle.html
250 Scientists Unite to Call for Tighter Ivory Controls on World Elephant Day
Letter sent to President Obama in support of U.S. ivory ban http://yubanet.com/usa/250-Scientists-Unite-to-Call-for-Tighter-Ivory-Controls-on-World-Elephant-Day.php#.VcrX__kXEsc
Wildlife in India is screaming for help: Valmik Thapar http://wap.business-standard.com/article/pti-stories/wildlife-in-india-is-screaming-for-help-valmik-thapar-115081100539_1.html
THAILAND: Forest rangers charged for soliciting $4,600 bribe in wood trafficking case
THAILAND: An investigation into using wild animals as photographic props in holiday resorts http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/world/wild-animals-as-photographic-props.html#cr
Many Countries Have Banned Wild Animals in Circuses … but Who’s Lagging Behind? http://www.onegreenplanet.org/http://www.onegreenplanet.org/animalsandnature/banning-wild-animals-in-circuses/
MALAYSIA: Police inspector charged with graft over illegal logging https://www.malaysiakini.com/news/308155
PHILIPPINES: LEYTE: Councillor, village chief face illegal logging raps http://www.tempo.com.ph/2015/08/11/leyte-councilor-village-chief-face-illegal-logging-raps/
INDIA: Staff crunch a boon for poachers in sanctuary http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bhubaneswar/Staff-crunch-a-boon-for-poachers-in-sanctuary/articleshow/48435138.cms
Indonesia arrests four men over Sumatran tiger killing
http://nation.com.pk/snippets/11-Aug-2015/indonesia-arrests-four-men-over-sumatran-tiger-killing
INDIA: India loses 41 tigers in 7 months Read more at:
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/48446348.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst
Trophy hunting fuels Asian lion bone trade http://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2015-08-11-trophy-hunting-fuels-asian-lion-bone-trade/#.VcmrRPkXEsc
The horror of ‘canned lions’: Undercover investigation reveals how majestic beasts are being bred like ‘farmyard chickens’ just so hunters can choose which animal they want to kill for £31,000 from a CATALOGUE
- ‘Canned hunting’ attracts 1,000 tourists a year to South Africa’s reserves, where lions become ‘farmyard chickens’
- Prospective hunters receive a ‘catalogue’ to choose the exact animal they want to kill, priced from £3,500 to £31,000
- Hunters from abroad, like Cecil the lion killer Walter Palmer, bag themselves a ‘trophy’ to take back to their homes
- Animal rights activists call it ‘unceremonious slaughter’ but canned hunting bosses say it boosts lion numbers
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3020102/Canned-lions-bred-South-Africa-shot-hunters-bows-arrows-36-000-time.html#ixzz3iZoqCQiY
Who Should Be Appointed ‘UN Special Envoy Against Wildlife Trafficking’?
EXTRACT: Not that they will, but if the Secretary-General’s advisors wish to contact me, I have three possible candidates in mind. And don’t worry; I am not one of them.
About the author: John M. Sellar OBE FRGS is the author of The UN’s Lone Ranger: Combating International Wildlife Crime. He was an officer in the Scottish Police Service from 1973 until 1997, during which period he served as a detective (investigating murders, rapes and human rights abuse cases) and ultimately was officer-in-charge of an area where royal security played a major part of his remit. He then moved to the United Nations and, until 2011, was Chief of Enforcement for the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), where he assisted countries in combating wildlife crime. Now retired, he undertakes work as an Anti-Smuggling, Fraud and Organized Crime consultant. http://annamiticus.com/2015/08/10/who-should-be-appointed-un-special-envoy-against-wildlife-trafficking/
UAE shutting out ivory smugglers http://gulfnews.com/news/uae/environment/uae-shutting-out-ivory-smugglers-1.1564733
Uganda: UWA Demands Heavy Penalty for Poachers http://allafrica.com/stories/201508110336.html
Southern African states work to save forests http://southafrica.info/africa/timber-110815.htm#.VcoROPkXEsc
THAILAND/CAMBODIA Rosewood, weapon seized after clash http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/crime/651988/rosewood-weapon-seized-after-clash
HK Customs seizes suspected dried swim bladders of totoaba fish at airport http://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/201508/10/P201508101047.htm
USA: Brooklyn Seafood Seller Caught Trafficking Shark Fins. Victims included hammerheads, grey sharpnoses, broadfins and blacktip reef sharks. http://patch.com/new-york/windsorterrace/brooklyn-seafood-seller-caught-trafficking-shark-fins
Hong Kong must stop being the weakest link in efforts to end the bloody ivory trade. Elizabeth Quat says the alarming spread of elephant slaughter in Africa shows up the city’s key role in keeping alive the ivory trade http://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1848509/hong-kong-must-stop-being-weakest-link-efforts-end-bloody
INDIA: Six red sanders smugglers nabbed. http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/andhra-pradesh/six-red-sanders-smugglers-nabbed/article7523949.ece
INDIA. Tamil Nadu forest officials arrest man for poaching endangered pangolin http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/Tamil-Nadu-forest-officials-arrest-man-for-poaching-endangered-pangolin/articleshow/48426392.cms
Without India, you can forget about achieving a sustainable palm oil sector. All eyes are on India, the world’s largest palm oil importer, and whether companies can help shift consumers towards sustainable choices http://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2015/aug/10/india-palm-oil-sustainability-deforestation-unilever-greenpeace?CMP=share_btn_tw
WWF and Partners Secure Protection for Critical Sumatran Rain Forest Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation supports effort to protect one of the last viable habitats for endangered elephants, tigers and orangutans – See more at: http://3blmedia.com/News/WWF-and-Partners-Secure-Protection-Critical-Sumatran-Rain-Forest#sthash.cGjeDsWi.dpuf
USA. The Proposed 4(d) Rule on Ivory and How Each of Us Can Help Ensure a Future for Elephants http://voices.nationalgeographic.com/2015/08/11/the-proposed-4d-rule-on-ivory-and-how-each-of-us-can-help-ensure-a-future-for-elephants/
Will RSPO’s new standards drive deforestation out of the palm oil industry? http://www.businessgreen.com/bg/analysis/2421607/will-rspos-new-standards-drive-deforestation-out-of-the-palm-oil-industry
CYPRUS: Bird trapping ‘lowest ever detected during spring seas
http://famagusta-gazette.com/bird-trapping-lowest-ever-detected-during-spring-season-p29133-69.htm
INDIA: Forest guard shortage makes it hard to check poaching http://www.hindustantimes.com/dehradun/forest-guard-shortage-makes-it-hard-to-check-poaching/article1-1379123.aspx
FIJI: Poachers help themselves http://www.fijitimes.com/story.aspx?id=317416
Destination Botswana: 100 South African rhinos moving to foil poachers http://news.mongabay.com/2015/08/destination-botswana-100-south-african-rhinos-moving-to-foil-poachers/
Costa Rican police rescue yet another sea turtle from poachers
http://www.ticotimes.net/2015/08/11/costa-rican-police-rescue-green-sea-turtle-patrol
In Congo, refuge is a fragile one for gorillas http://www.latimes.com/world/africa/la-fg-virunga-gorillas-20150811-story.html
USA. Napa vintner pleads guilty to wildlife trafficking http://www.sfgate.com/crime/article/Napa-vintner-pleads-guilty-to-wildlife-trafficking-6438959.php
REDD+ in Brazil: Coordination needed. Now http://blog.cifor.org/31744/redd-in-brazil-coordination-needed-now#.VcrYufkXEsc
SUMATRA/INDONESIA Seven Illegal Loggers Arrested! http://www.profauna.net/en/content/seven-illegal-loggers-arrested#.VcrZTPkXEsd
