News > Wildlife Trafficking News
October 2007 News
Cyprus pursues illegal bird hunters
Larnaca, Cyprus, Oct 31, 2007 (BBC) - There are 50,000 hunters in Cyprus - but only 100 people are registered as active birdwatchers. Until a few years ago, there was a big mismatch between those hoping to protect wild birds, and those trying to shoot them. In the past decade, Cyprus has made dramatic progress in reducing illegal hunting and trapping.
Special force to tackle poaching
Lucknow, India, Oct 29, 2007 (Express India) - The Forest department is all set to deal with the wildlife mafia. Apart from regular raids to check poachers, the department is setting up a special task force to deal with offenders. The force will be actively supported by NGOs like Wildlife SOS and the Wildlife Protection Society of India. With tigers, peacocks and even the state bird of UP, saras, figuring high on the poachers' list, the state is facing an extensive problem.
West and Central African Primates Imperiled by Hunting, Habitat Loss (Audio File Available)
Dakar, Senegal, Oct 29, 2007 (Voice of America) - A new World Conservation Union report says a large number of the world's endangered primates are at risk of extinction in West and Central African countries. Experts say hunting for bushmeat is threatening the animals' survival in poor countries.
Primates: Extinction Threat Growing For Mankind's Closest Living Relatives
Oct 29, 2007 (Science Daily) - Mankind's closest living relatives - the world's apes, monkeys, lemurs and other primates - are under unprecedented threat from destruction of tropical forests, illegal wildlife trade and commercial bushmeat hunting, with 29 percent of all species in danger of going extinct, according to a new report.
Related News:
Supreme Court notice to Centre, Gujarat on lion poaching
New Delhi, India, Oct 29, 2007 (Sify News) - The Supreme Court on Monday sought response from the Centre and Gujarat government on a petition seeking CBI investigation into the killing of lions in Gir forest by poachers allegedly for selling their bones for making medicines in China.Poachers back in Kalahandi forest
BHAWANIPATNA, India, Oct 27, 2007 (Express News Service) - Poaching of elephants in Kalahandi in the recent time has shocked wildlife lovers. Organised poachers, it seems, have once again become active.
On the Conch Trail
Halifax, Canada, Oct 26, 2007 (The Chronicle Herald) - An international smuggling drama begins to unfold in a Halifax courtroom next month as two Florida business owners stand accused of illegally importing and exporting hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of endangered queen conchs.
One more rhino killed as poaching continues in Kaziranga
Kaziranga, India, Oct 25, 2007 (Inda Associated News Service - IANS) - Poachers killed an endangered one-horned rhino at the Kaziranga National Park, taking the toll of the giant pachyderms slaughtered so far this year to 17.
Updated November 2, 2007
Cyprus pursues illegal bird hunters
Larnaca, Cyprus, Oct 31, 2007 (BBC) - There are 50,000 hunters in Cyprus - but only 100 people are registered as active birdwatchers. Until a few years ago, there was a big mismatch between those hoping to protect wild birds, and those trying to shoot them. In the past decade, Cyprus has made dramatic progress in reducing illegal hunting and trapping.
Special force to tackle poaching
Lucknow, India, Oct 29, 2007 (Express India) - The Forest department is all set to deal with the wildlife mafia. Apart from regular raids to check poachers, the department is setting up a special task force to deal with offenders. The force will be actively supported by NGOs like Wildlife SOS and the Wildlife Protection Society of India. With tigers, peacocks and even the state bird of UP, saras, figuring high on the poachers' list, the state is facing an extensive problem.
West and Central African Primates Imperiled by Hunting, Habitat Loss (Audio File Available)
Dakar, Senegal, Oct 29, 2007 (Voice of America) - A new World Conservation Union report says a large number of the world's endangered primates are at risk of extinction in West and Central African countries. Experts say hunting for bushmeat is threatening the animals' survival in poor countries.
Primates: Extinction Threat Growing For Mankind's Closest Living Relatives
Oct 29, 2007 (Science Daily) - Mankind's closest living relatives - the world's apes, monkeys, lemurs and other primates - are under unprecedented threat from destruction of tropical forests, illegal wildlife trade and commercial bushmeat hunting, with 29 percent of all species in danger of going extinct, according to a new report.
Related News:
Supreme Court notice to Centre, Gujarat on lion poaching
New Delhi, India, Oct 29, 2007 (Sify News) - The Supreme Court on Monday sought response from the Centre and Gujarat government on a petition seeking CBI investigation into the killing of lions in Gir forest by poachers allegedly for selling their bones for making medicines in China.Poachers back in Kalahandi forest
BHAWANIPATNA, India, Oct 27, 2007 (Express News Service) - Poaching of elephants in Kalahandi in the recent time has shocked wildlife lovers. Organised poachers, it seems, have once again become active.
On the Conch Trail
Halifax, Canada, Oct 26, 2007 (The Chronicle Herald) - An international smuggling drama begins to unfold in a Halifax courtroom next month as two Florida business owners stand accused of illegally importing and exporting hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of endangered queen conchs.
China Arrests Man Over Smuggling of Bears' Paws
Shanghai, China, Oct 26, 2007 (Reuters) - China's police have arrested a man on suspicion of smuggling 64 bears' paws -- often for consumption in the country as a delicacy or traditional medicine, the Xinhua news agency reported on Thursday. The paws, with a total estimated value of 320,000 yuan (US$42,666), were found on October 14 when a Chinese man surnamed Ling was found to be carrying them in a van on the way to southern China's Hunan province from the neighbouring Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, it said.
One more rhino killed as poaching continues in Kaziranga
Kaziranga, India, Oct 25, 2007 (Inda Associated News Service - IANS) - Poachers killed an endangered one-horned rhino at the Kaziranga National Park, taking the toll of the giant pachyderms slaughtered so far this year to 17.
CNN launches “Planet in Peril” series with animal trafficking in Thailand (PDF)
Bangkok, Oct 25, 2007 (USAID Press Release) – Efforts to stem illegal animal trade by the USAID-funded ASEAN Wildlife Enforcement Network’s (ASEAN-WEN) were highlighted in CNN’s four-hour series “Planet in Peril” broadcast globally on October 24 and 25. ASEAN-WEN’s chief of party Steve Galster was featured with the Thai Wildlife Crime Task Force as it raided Bangkok’s Chatuchak Market to rescue endangered animal species. Galster helped CNN correspondents Anderson Cooper and Jeff Corwin film illegal wildlife trade in Burma, and poaching and illegal logging in Cambodia.
Lawsuit puts spotlight on exotic animal trade
Chesapeake, US , Oct 25, 2007 (The Virginian-Pilot) - An exotic pet trade drama is expected to unfold in Chesapeake Circuit Court today when a Deep Creek woman who breeds and sells capuchin monkeys will ask the court to lift a tuberculosis quarantine on her animals.
Conservationists warn almost a third of all primates in danger of extinction
Bangkok, Thailand, Oct 25, 2007 (Canadian Press) - Almost a third of all apes, monkeys and other primates are in danger of extinction because of rampant habitat destruction, the commercial sale of their meat and the trade in illegal wildlife, a report released Friday said. Of the world's 394 primate species, 114 are classified as threatened with extinction by the World Conservation Union.
Related news:
Primates in Trouble, Says Report on 25 Rarest (AP)
25 Most Endangered Primates Photo Gallery (Part 1 of 2) (National Geographic)
Primates teeter on brink of extinction (Reuters)
Primates in peril: 25 species facing threat of extinction (TimesOnline)
The edge of oblivion: conservationists name 25 primates about to disappear (The Guardian)
Protection or Profit? Wildlife Farming in China
China , Oct 23, 2007 (Reuters) - Farming wild animals like bears, crocodiles and tigers has been promoted as a means of saving endangered species by proponents in China, while detractors argue that farms stimulate the illegal wildlife trade and threaten the survival of animals in the wild. Read the full article for history and current statistics related to wildlife farming in China.
Human couriers for tortoises
Petaling Jaya, Malaysia, Oct 21, 2007 (The Star) - Smugglers appear to be exploiting the legal loopholes in Malaysian wildlife law as human couriers boldly carry exotic tortoises through Customs, knowing that they can get away with it.
Money From Animal Trafficking Fuels Terrorism, Says Maneka Gandhi
New Delhi, India, Oct 19, 2007 (Bernama – Malaysian National News) - The ceaseless demand for exotic animal food and animal skin luxury goods continue to fuel the trafficking of animals, and money from this illegal trade is being used to fund terrorism activities, according to Maneka Gandhi, an ardent animal activist in India.
CNN Video - Planet in Peril - Southeast Asia
Asia, Oct 19, 2007 (CNN) - Southeast Asia is the center of the illegal animal trade. It is a multibillion-dollar business, and Bangkok, Thailand, appears to be at the hub of the black market. One trafficker there says profits are huge, at least double what he invests. Some animals are sold alive; some are killed and the parts are sold. Tourists and locals can buy exotic birds and other animals openly in markets. Police have netted some criminals but often fail because criminals at the markets are alerted to impending raids. And officers are prevented by law from entering locked-up shops. In Myanmar, pelts from endangered leopards can sell for as much as a few thousand dollars.
Sierra Leone report upsurge in elephant poaching
Freetown, Sierra Leone, Oct 18, 2007 (AFP) - Authorities in Sierra Leone on Thursday expressed concern at the upsurge in elephant poaching after at least 10 jumbos were killed in the past two months in the West African country for meat and illicit ivory trade.
Ministry for enhanced war on wildlife crime
Tanzania , Oct 18, 2007 (Daily News) - The Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism has called upon wildlife law enforcement agencies to join forces and put in place contemporary measures of countering wildlife crime, lest certain species risk extinction.
Ivory worth Rs. 150,000 seized in Orissa, India
Bhubaneswar, India, Oct 18, 2007 (Earth Times) - Forest officials in Mayurbanj district have seized ivory worth Rs. 150,000 from a smuggler.
Beak reprieve for hornbill
Calcutta, India, Oct 18, 2007 (The Telegraph) - The endangered hornbill, the state bird of Arunachal Pradesh, has been given a fresh lease of life. The beak of the hornbill is traditionally used to adorn the headgear of Nyishi and Wancho tribes living in the eastern and western parts of Arunachal Pradesh, but a senior forest officer is promoting a fibre beak alternative.
Four arrested in Asiatic lions poaching case
Ahmedabad, India, Oct 16, 2007 (Sahara Samay) - Eight Asiatic lions, found only in certain parts of the state, were poached for their body parts in Bhavnagar forest region and also inside the sanctuary in Gir forest of Junagadh district.
Poaching and Population Threaten India's Tigers
Phalodi Quarry, India, Oct 16, 2007 (Washington Post) - Several factors have contributed to the decline of tigers in India, including a growing human population. There is also a demand for tiger parts from places such as China, where tiger skins priced at $12,000 and more are used for luxury clothes and wall hangings, and where equally pricey tiger bones are used in traditional medicines. Compounding the problem, wildlife activists say, is a pro-development Indian government more concerned with the economy than the environment.
Tiger thought extinct spotted in China
China, Oct, 15, 2007 (IFAW Press Release) - For the first time in more than 20 years, a South China tiger (Panthera tigris amoyensis) has been spotted in the wild. IFAW remains cautious to the news, because while experts estimate the continued existence of a handful of individuals, scientists have regarded the South China tiger functionally extinct for years. Indeed, IFAW believes that special interests' attempts to repeal China's domestic trade ban on tiger products remains the biggest threat not only to the future of the South China tiger, but to the few remaining tigers in the wild of China and in other adjacent tiger range habitats.
Environment Canada investigation into illegal importation of 30,000 pieces of African elephant ivory leads to prosecution
Richmond, Canada, Oct 12, 2007 (Environment Canada Press Release) - Yuk Ming (Peter) Ho of Richmond, British Columbia received a $9,000.00 fine yesterday after pleading guilty in Richmond Provincial Court to illegally importing over 30,000 pieces of African elephant ivory. Mr. Ho was also ordered to pay a further $9,000.00 to TRAFFIC (a division of the World Wildlife Fund [sic]) to support programs for the conservation of the African elephant, and to forfeit all of the ivory seized during the investigation which wildlife officers have estimated to be worth over $100,000.00 at the retail level.
Canadian and U.S. Wildlife Officers Break-Up Major Endangered Species Smuggling Ring - Record-Breaking 27 Metric Tonnes of Meat Confiscated
Canada, Oct. 11, 2007 - Environment Canada's Wildlife Enforcement Division along with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries Service officers have dismantled a major smuggling organization of queen conch meat, an internationally protected endangered species. The smuggling operation is believed to have been responsible for illegally importing and/or exporting119, 978 kilograms (263,953 lbs, the equivalent of nearly seven fully loaded semi trailers) of queen conch (Strombus gigas) meat from several Caribbean and South American countries to Canada and the United States.
Bo Derek to Receive Guardian Angel Award for Saving the Tigers
Tampa, USA, Oct 11, 2007 (Financevisor.com) - Bo Derek will be appearing at Big Cat Rescue's Fur Ball to receive the Guardian Angel Award for her work to save the tiger. President Bush recently appointed Bo Derek as a special envoy on wildlife trafficking as part of the State Department's new Coalition Against Wildlife Trafficking, which is enlisting help from other countries to fight an estimated $10 billion annual black market in wildlife and wildlife parts, second only to trafficking arms and drugs.
Seven Delhi elephants get micro-chipped
New Delhi, India, Oct 10, 2007 (India Times) - Seven captive elephants in the Delhi area have been micro-chipped by an NGO as part of efforts to regulate the trafficking and exploitation of the animals.
3 men held over poaching
Kuala Lipis, Malysia, Oct 10, 2007 (NSTonline) - Three men had a nice thing going -- by day they laboured on a plantation and by night they earned some "overtime" by poaching. That is until someone reported them to the Wildlife Protection and National Parks Department (Perhilitan).
Coalition Against Wildlife Trafficking Event With Bo Derek
Washington, DC, Oct 9, 2007 - Assistant Secretary of State for Oceans, Environment and Science Claudia McMurray and Special Envoy of the Secretary of State for Wildlife Trafficking Issues Bo Derek will conduct a series of outreach events to raise public awareness about the illegal global trade in wildlife during a two day visit to Miami and southern Florida, October 10-11, 2007.
Also see:
Bo Derek visits South Florida to save endangered wildlife (WSVN Channel 7, Miami)
Bo Derek Wants Animal Trafficking To Stop (CBS4, Miami)
1980s Sex Icon Defends Wildlife In Miami (NBC News Channel 6, Miami)
Bo Derek in town (Miami Herald)
Dolphin swims in troubled waters - Tribals kill genial creature for its oil
Calcutta, India, Oct 9, 2007 (The Telegraph) - Estimates by the district forest office and NGOs had pegged the total population of river dolphins in Narayandar and Kashipur at 60 two years ago. But environmentalists say that the spurt in dolphin poaching in these two habitats has put a question mark on the very survival of the species in these parts. Dolphins are hunted for their oil, which is believed to have medicinal properties that help in the treatment of disorders of the nervous system.
Indian authorities destroy animal skin
New Delhi, India, Oct 9, 2007 (NDTV) - The Wildlife Department in Jammu and Kashmir has destroyed animal skins and garments valued at around Rs 50 crore. The authorities say all these pieces were surrendered by furriers in Kashmir after the government banned the fur trade.
Handling of ivory stocks in dark
New Delhi, India, Oct 6, 2007 (The Tribune) - Ivory or white gold, the most sought after asset of a tusker, is not burnt in India after its death. It becomes government property and is stocked in godowns run by state wildlife departments. About 400 elephants die ever year and 20 are poached, according to estimates of the ministry of environment and forests.
Poaching haunts Sierra Madre doves
Tuguegarao City, Philippines, Oct 6, 2007 (Inquirer) - The endemic species flame-breasted fruit dove (Ptilinopus marchei) found at the Peñablanca protected area and at the Northern Sierra Madre natural park are helping regreen forests as they help in dispersal of seeds. Their number, however, is dwindling due to rapid hunting and selling at the markets as pets, environmentalists said.
Gunned down for fashion: The animal whose fur is worth more than gold
UK, Oct 5, 2007 (Daily Mail) - Before shahtoosh became fashionable in the early 1990s, more than a million chiru – small antelope - roamed the Tibetan plateau. Of these vast herds only about 75,000 antelope now remain, with an estimated 20,000 killed each year by poachers. Shahtoosh is so light and valuable that it has become almost a parallel currency in the Himalayas and is used to pay for guns, drugs and other illegal wildlife products. Wildlife experts say that it is a key part of a complicated transaction that involves tiger bones being smuggled into China, via Tibet, where they can fetch huge prices as a black market medicine. In return, the smugglers are paid in shahtoosh to take back to India, where the market for the fine wool is booming.
Novel way to curb tiger poaching
Nagpur, India, Oct 4, 2007 (Times of India) - In a novel programme in the Pench National Park and Tiger Reserve, the forest department will set dummy traps -- which look like steel traps generally used by poachers to snare tigers -- in prime areas and ask the field staff to hunt down all of them within four hours. The wooden traps would be laid by some unidentified forest officials.
Officers start crash course on identifying rare reptiles
Singapore, Oct 4, 2007 (Asia-Pacific News / Deutsche Presse-Agentur) - Officers are undergoing a crash course on identifying rare reptiles aimed at stopping the illegal wildlife trade through Singapore, news reports said on Thursday. Jointly organized by TRAFFIC Southeast Asia and the Singapore Zoo, the course's focus is on four main groups of animals - snakes, turtles and tortoises, lizards and crocodiles.
Sierra Leone steps up efforts to save chimpanzees
Freetown, Sierra Leon, Oct 3, 2007 (AFP) - Authorities and wildlife activists in Sierra Leone on Tuesday stepped up efforts to save chimpanzees from extinction in the impoverished west African state where they are traded for meat and as pets.
China Growth Seen Raising Threat to Tigers
London, UK, Oct 3, 2007 (PlanetArk) - China's economic boom is fuelling demand for endangered species ranging from tigers to African timbers even though Beijing imposes the death penalty for wildlife crimes, the head of a UN watchdog said on Tuesday.
Venomous Snakes for Sale
US, Oct 3, 2007 (Slate.com) - A U.S. grand jury indicted a Las Vegas man last Friday for attempting to sell venomous reptiles over the Internet. While searching his home, U.S. Fish and Wildlife agents seized cobras, rattlesnakes, and even seven Eastern green mambas. Is it ever legal to sell a deadly snake? Yes.
Turtles unlimited
Kolkata, India, Oct 2, 2007 (Business Standard) - Kolkata-based Turtle Ltd, the menswear ready-made garments company, has taken up the task of saving turtles in the country, particularly in Orissa and Gujarat. It has joined hands with WWF India and the Wildlife Society of Orissa (WSO) to fund projects on turtle conservation.
30kg ivory found on train
Guwahati, India, Oct 2, 2007 (The Telegraph, India) - Government Railway Police today seized 30kg ivory from the Down Brahmaputra Mail at Guwahati railway station. No arrests could be made as the courier must have fled on spotting the policemen.
Melbourne in worldwide fight to save the tiger
Melbourne, Australia, Oct 1, 2007 (The Age) - Yesterday was International Day of the Tiger, designed to draw attention to the species, which has been ravaged by habitat loss and poaching.
Cash to catch rhino poachers
Guwahati, India, Sep 30, 2007 (The Telegraph) - The Kaziranga National Park authorities are chanting "cash to catch" mantra to contain the spurt in poaching. The move followed after 17 rhinos fell prey to poachers this year. Officials of the game reserve today announced cash awards for providing information on poachers.