•    200 tusks seized in Tanzania – The Scotsman
In the largest haul of its kind in recent history, Tanzanian police have seized more than 200 elephant tusks hidden in a coffin and in fertiliser bags, pointing to rising poaching in the east African country. The tusks appear to have been taken to order for a particular customer. The 214 tusks are estimated to be worth about £820,000.
30/10/2012

•    Live cheetahs being smuggled into Kuwait as pets  – Kuwait Times
Once considered exclusive to Sheikhs (ruling family members) and wealthy businessmen, there is a rising trend among Kuwaitis wishing keep cheetahs as pets. Cheetahs are believed to be being smuggled to Kuwait from Saudi Arabia where they arrive from Africa via Yemen.
30/10/2012

•    Closer cooperation between Thailand and the US after illegal ivory trade linked to funding of guerrilla groups  – Bangkok Post
The USA has called upon Thailand to crack down on the illegal wildlife trade, citing the illicit business as a major money maker for armed guerrilla groups. Under Thai law, the ivory trade is illegal except that which is certified by the Provincial Administration Department. Certified ivory must be from elephants in captivity. The issue of the illegal trade of African tusks will top the agenda of the 16th Conference of the Parties to CITES hosted by Thailand in March 2013.
30/10/2012

•    Australian department stores go fur free – The Canberra Times  
In a world first, all major Australian department stores and several significant retail chains have opted to be fur free, effective immediately. The retailers have all signed the Fur Free Pledge.
27/10/2012

•    Smuggled tiger cubs seized in Thailand – ABC News
A Thai man has been arrested with 16 tiger cubs in his pick-up truck while driving near the Thai/Laos border. The cubs were not believed to have been taken from the wild and have been entrusted to officials of the National Park, Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department. Thailand, is considered to be a hub of international smuggling and is one of just 13 countries with any wild tiger population. Worldwide estimates are that there are only 3,200 tigers left in the wild.
27/10/12

•    Shinglebacks saved from export – Australian Customs Service
A 36-year-old Japanese man appeared before the Perth Magistrates Court charged with attempting to smuggle nine shingleback skinks out of Australia contrary to section 303DD of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. The maximum penalties for offences are 10 years imprisonment or a fine of AUD$110,000 or both. He was remanded in custody to appear before court next month.
25/10/12

•    Rhino poaching in South Africa reaches record high in 2012  – The Guardian
Latest statistics regarding rhino poaching in South Africa show that 455 rhinos have been lost to illegal killings, already surpassing the 2011 total of 448. The street value of rhinoceros horns has soared to about $65,000 a kilogram, making it more expensive than gold. The poaching is driven by the use of their horns in Chinese medicine and a spreading belief in south-east Asia – unfounded in science – that they cure cancer. This rate of illegal killing is considered to be likely to lead to population decline.
16/10/2012

•    Hong Kong intercepts one of the largest shipments of illegal ivory in history  – The New York Times
1,209 elephant tusks and ivory ornaments weighing more than 8,400 pounds have been seized by the Hong Kong Customs and Excise Department. The ivory was hidden inside two containers shipped from Tanzania and Kenya. This single haul equates to more than 600 dead elephants. Hong Kong officials estimated the value of the seizure at 26.7 million Hong Kong dollars, or just under $3.5 million.
16/10/2012

•    25 species on brink of extinction – Latinos Post
The International Union for Conservation of Nature released a report finding that 25 primates are on the brink of extinction. The monkeys, langurs, lemurs and gorillas are in danger due to illegal trafficking and deforestation. The study further reported that more than half of the world's 633 types of primates are in danger of becoming extinct because of "human activity".
15/10/2012

•    Tanzanian proposal to sell ivory stockpile branded ‘ludicrous’ – The Guardian
Tanzania has formally applied to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) to allow it to sell more than 100 tonnes of ivory to Japan and China.The East African country also proposes to downlist the protection of its elephants from the highest category to allow trade in elephant hunting trophies, raw hides and live animals. Environmentalists have labelled the proposal "ludicrous", warning it comes at a time when elephant poaching is escalating and evidence suggests previous one-off sales have driven further hunting and the illegal trade in ivory.
9/10/2012

•    US intelligence teams to focus on wildlife trafficking  – The Guardian
The underground trade in animal parts thought to generate $15bn a year for sophisticated smuggling networks, has been elevated to the status of a security threat by US authorities, rather than sidelined as primarily an environmental concern.  Hillary Clinton said she and Barack Obama planned to talk about trafficking of endangered animals at the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit in Phnom Penh next week.
08/10/2012

•    African elephants facing extinction in 10 – 15 years  – ABC News
Demand for ivory trinkets by China's wealthy has pushed the price of elephant's tusks to record highs, leading to tens of thousands of elephants being slaughtered each year. This is higher than any time in the previous two decades. It is estimated that if current rates of poaching continue the African elephant will be wiped out in 10-15 years. Africa’s ivory wars are increasingly militarised as poachers are becoming more heavily armed. There have also been recent instances of military being involved in illegal killing of elephants.
8/10/2012