wildlife conservation officer

Online illicit wildlife trade thriving

2015-12-16T20:43:00.000-08:00

A screen grab of a Facebook group in which a user posted a slow loris for sale.

KUALA LUMPUR: As illegal wildlife traders seek to expand their businesses, they have resorted to promoting wildlife animals online. Kanitha Krishnasamy, Southeast Asia programme manager for Traffic, a wildlife trade monitoring network, said in Malaysia, trade via social media, Facebook in particular, was growing.

In January, the Wildlife and National Parks Department (Perhilitan) detained seven suspects aged between 19 and 30 in Op Taring. Sixty-four totally protected animals were seized, including sun bear cubs and leopard cat cubs. “In July, Perhilitan officers arrested a man and his accomplices in Klang by setting up a meeting at a hotel via social media. “They rescued two baby Orang Utans, which were to be sold for RM40,000,” Kanitha told the New Straits Times. However, she said online trade was relatively new in Malaysia and there were difficulties in monitoring due to the frequency and sheer volume of wildlife being traded. “Anyone can sit in their home anywhere in the world and place an order for any totally protected animal without having to meet up.

The items are shipped out with just as much ease.” Kanitha said since online trade via social media often took place in closed groups or forums, enforcement depended on information from the public that had access to such information. “Therefore, we urge the public to report suspicious activities. The volume and frequency are high and no agency can deal with the problem alone. “Collaboration with police and the Multimedia and Communications Ministry is crucial.” Kanitha said poaching and wildlife trade were thriving in Malaysia as it was a key consumer and trader (import, export and transit country).

However, she said, a number of species took a bigger hit, such as tigers, deers (Sambar and Barking species), pangolins, sun bears, freshwater tortoises and turtles. “In June, the Malayan Tiger moved from ‘Endangered’ to ‘Critically Endangered’ classification under the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List. “This is the same category that the Sumatran rhinos and leatherback turtles are in. If we don’t do something, we know how this will end for Malaysia’s iconic animal. “Sabah and Sarawak face similar challenges.

Wildlife consumption and trade continue to be an issue. For example, trade involving bear parts and products, such as gall bladder, is more prominent in East Malaysia than it is in the peninsula.” Meanwhile, Sabah Wildlife director William Baya said online trade was not rampant in the state, but it was harder to stop the practice.

Baya cited an example of a Facebook group that advertised the trade of protected wildlife. “The authorities have been monitoring this group said to be trading Sunda clouded leopard, sun bears, slow loris, pangolins, hornbills and owls. “Only one case has been traced, apprehended and prosecuted with the help of an agent provocateur.” A check by the NST found a number of Facebook groups advertising protected wildlife as pets, such as “Free/jual/beli/swap haiwan peliharaan (Labuan)” (Free, sell, buy and swap pets) and “Laman jual beli haiwan peliharaan” (Pets trading website).

Some groups were closed. The groups, some with thousands of followers, were selling endangered species, such as slow lorises, civet cats, turtles and parakeets. Sellers even provided their contact numbers and pictures of the animals to attract buyers.

Source : nst.com.my

Muslim Council Issues Fatwa Against Poaching

2015-12-16T18:38:00.001-08:00

A Malaysian state’s religious ban on illegal hunting mirrors one Indonesia issued last year.
By Jani Actman, National Geographic

If a country wants to crack down on wildlife crime, it usually focuses on strong laws, effective enforcement, and widespread public support. But if those don’t work, there’s another tool in the box: religion.

Enter the fatwa, or Islamic edict. In November, the fatwa council in Terengganu, a state in northeastern Malaysia, issued one that prohibits the state’s approximate 970,000 Muslim residents from poaching.

Islamic clerics and scientists put the fatwa together out of concern over the fate of the vulnerable sambar deer and its predator, the critically endangered Malayan tiger, hunted for its supposed medicinal properties and in retaliation for killing villagers’ livestock.

“People can escape government regulation. But they cannot escape the word of God,” Hayu Prabowo, chair of the Council of Ulama, Indonesia’s top Muslim clerical body, told National Geographic last March. That was after the council issued a fatwa prohibiting illegal wildlife trafficking in Indonesia, marking what’s believed to be the first one invoked to protect wildlife.

Terengganu’s fatwa, first reported by Malaysian newspaper New Strait Times, declares the illegal hunting of a species to extinction to be haram, or forbidden. It highlights the tenets of Islam that call on Muslims to protect Allah’s creations and forbid followers from hunting any species to extinction. Read more.

Three detained, RM50,000 endangered species seized

2015-12-16T18:30:00.000-08:00

Photo credit: sharimi.com

HULU TERENGGANU: Three people, including a woman, were detained by the Terengganu Wildlife and Parks Department for being in possession of RM50,000 worth of endangered wildlife of various species, following three separate raids.

Department deputy director Suhainah Pejalis@Farhana said that her officers seized 40 turtles and 20 frogs (katak demam) following two raids at a pig abbatoir at Wakaf Tapai in Marang on Dec 7 and 8. "We picked up a man and a woman, both aged 60, at the same abbatoir on those two days. They did not have any valid licence to trade in wildlife. We believe the catch will be sold to local restaurants," she said. Suhainah added in the third raid yesterday (Monday), her officers detained a 27-year-old man at his home in Seberang Takir, Kuala Nerus for dealing in protected species via online sales. The officers, she said, had kept watch on his unlicensed activities for a month and they managed to recover a hornbill and three burung murai batu (humming bird).

All three cases are being investigated under the Wildlife Protection Act, 2010 (Act 716) which upon conviction under Section 60(1)(a) has a fine of not more than RM50,000 or maximum two years jail, or both. "For this year alone, we have made ten arrests under the Act for various offences. The biggest offender was a man from Besut who was fined RM30,000 for being in possession of ten pythons, three giant tortoises, nine leatherback turtles and 26 katak demam.

Source: nst.com.my

Malaysian businessmen smuggled orangutan skulls, bird beaks, into U.S., Portland prosecutors allege

2015-12-13T19:54:00.005-08:00

A langur monkey skull (left). | An orangutan skull (right).

The head of a Rhinoceros Hornbill

Eoin Ling Churn Yeng (left) | Galvin Yeo Siang Ann (right)

By Bryan Denson | The Oregonian/OregonLive

Two Malaysian businessmen appeared in Portland federal court Monday to confront charges that they illegally smuggled orangutan skulls and other parts of protected wildlife into the U.S.

Federal agents arrested Eoin Ling Churn Yeng, 35, and Galvin Yeo Siang Ann, 33, Friday after they flew into Portland to meet with a business associate who last August became a cooperating witness in an undercover federal wildlife investigation, according to a federal criminal complaint.

The two fell under investigation in 2013 by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration after what the government describes as a routine cargo search turned up mandible of a a Helmeted hornbill. The beak of the large bird was being shipped to a home in Forest Grove, the government alleges.

"Helmeted Hornbills are listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act and protected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora," better known as CITES, government prosecutors wrote in a news release.

The criminal complaint charges Ling and Yeo of illegally importing wildlife into the U.S., which carries a potential punishment of up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

"U.S. Fish and Wildlife agents initiated an undercover operation named 'Operation Pongo,' which was inspired by the orangutan's genus Pongo,"according to the government news release. "The investigation revealed that Ling and Yeo were co-owners of an online business that regularly smuggled endangered wildlife into the United States from 2004 to 2015." Read more

Source: oregonlive.com

Crime Blotter: Orangutan Skulls, Turtle Eggs, and More

2015-12-13T18:58:00.001-08:00

A weekly roundup of wildlife crimes.

By Jani Actman, National Geographic
Every Sunday, we note some of the previous week’s wildlife crime arrests and convictions around the world.

A male orangutan clings to a tree in a national park in Borneo. Two Malaysian citizens are accused of smuggling orangutan skulls and other animal parts into the U.S.
PHOTOGRAPH BY RALPH LEE HOPKINS, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC CREATIVE

IVORY TRAFFICKING: Authorities in Gabon, home to half of Africa’s endangered forest elephants, arrested two men in connection with the seizure of 440 pounds (representing about 20 elephants) of ivory, reportedThe Guardian. One of the men worked for Gabon’s water and forest department.

ORANGUTAN SMUGGLING: Two Malaysian citizens were arrested in Oregon and accused of owning an online business that regularly smuggled endangered wildlife into the United States, announced the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. They allegedly used mail parcels to smuggle orangutan skulls and other animal parts.

LION POISONING: Two herdsman from the Masai Mara National Reserve in Kenya were arrested for allegedly planting the body of a dead cow laced with poison in response to an earlier lion attack on their herds, National Geographic reported. Eleven vultures and three lions, which were part of the Marsh Pride—a family of cats featured in the BBC documentary Big Cat Diaries—died from the poisoning.

ILLEGAL LOGGING: Law enforcement in Cambodia’s Mondolikiri province arrested five men—two Cambodians and three ethnic Vietnamese—after finding more than 40 lengths of illegally logged wood in their vehicles, according to The Cambodia Daily. The same day, authorities in the Pursat province also arrested two soldiers moving illegally logged wood in the back of a truck.

TURTLE SMUGGLING: Forest officials in Odisha, an eastern Indian state on the Bay of Bengal, foiled an attempt by poachers to smuggle a sack of narrow-headed soft shell turtles, reported The TeCake, a news website in India. The smugglers escaped but left behind at least 12 turtles in good condition.

ENDANGERED SPECIES SALES: A judge sentenced a trader based in Lancashire, England, caught dealing in rare and endangered species—including a dolphin skull and sperm whale’s teeth—to 24 weeks in prison, according to the Lancashire Telegraph.

TURTLE EGG TRAFFICKING: Two people from Hemet, California, have been indicted in connection with the smuggling of more than 900 eggs from olive ridley and kemp’s ridley sea turtles into the U.S. from Mexico, says Fox San Diego. It’s illegal to trade those species or their parts without permission from both governments.

TIMBER SMUGGLING: Police seized 1,000 tons of timber in the state of Kachin and in Sagaing region in Myanmar that was bound for the Chinese border, reported the Myanmar Times. Authorities don’t know the identity of the smugglers.

Fact of the Week: By the turn of the century, the sale of animal skulls and bones by mail-order operations and over the Internet was no longer an obscure hobby, according to the New York Times, which called it a “growing worldwide business.”

Source: This story was produced by National Geographic’s Special Investigations Unit, which focuses on wildlife crime and is made possible by grants from the BAND Foundation and the Woodtiger Fund. Read more stories from the SIU on Wildlife Watch. Send tips, feedback and story ideas tongwildlife@ngs.org.

Court lifts ban on businessman's pangolin scales export license

2015-06-08T20:16:00.000-07:00

By Andante Okanya

KAMPALA - Court has ordered that businessman Smith Ewa Maku be immediately granted an export license for all his stock of pangolin scales, worth billions of shillings.

Justice Elizabeth Musoke of the civil division of the High Court in Kampala dismissed a case filed by environmental lobby group Green Watch Uganda.

The case arose this year on January 23 when the lobby group sued Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) over purported illegal trade in endangered wildlife.

Green Watch had alleged that live pangolins are killed to fuel the lucrative trade.

They based their case on Maku's application to export 7,310kgs (about seven tonnes) of pangolin scales, valued at $4.2m (sh11b). It is part of stock owned by Maku, legally acquired from UWA stores.

But the judge dismissed the case, noting that Green Watch did not adduce any scientific data, and relied on inconclusive newspaper reports, which were speculative.

"I vacate the interim order and order that the license be given. The businessman can go ahead and export all his stock," the judge ordered.

The order in effect lifts the temporary ban imposed in March on UWA from issuing of the license, pending the dispose of the case.

The judgment was delivered in the presence of Maku. His legal team comprised of Richard Kabazzi, Joseph Kyazze, Anthony Kaweesi, and Iga Stephen.

UWA legal team comprised of Chemonges Sabilla, Ali Luzinda, and Annet Tuheisomwe, while Green Watch's lawyer was Samantha Atukunda.

On March 24, the judge allowed Maku to partner with UWA and battle Green Watch, after the businessman had petitioned court, asserting that his economic rights were under threat, because he had been excluded as a defendant. Read More

Source: newvision.co.ug

WIN UP TO $500,000 FOR SCIENCE AND TECH SOLUTIONS TO STAMP OUT WILDLIFE CRIME

2015-06-08T20:06:00.000-07:00

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, on the 45th anniversary of Earth Day, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) announced the Wildlife Crime Tech Challenge to combat illegal wildlife trade. USAID invites organizations and individuals to submit innovative science and technology solutions to help combat the illegal trade in marine and terrestrial wildlife. Successful applicants could win up to $500,000 as well as technical assistance and networking opportunities to scale their solutions.

The Challenge, an initiative of USAID in partnership with National Geographic, the Smithsonian, and TRAFFIC, represents one component of USAID's efforts to support the President's Implementation Plan for the National Strategy to Combat Wildlife Trafficking, unveiled in 2014.

"Today, our Agency is harnessing innovation, data, and public-private partnerships to both protect and manage the environment that supports us," said Acting USAID Administrator Alfonso Lenhardt. "The Wildlife Crime Tech Challenge represents a groundbreaking effort to not only root out poaching and trafficking, but to strengthen the economic and national security of the world's most vulnerable people."

To match the growing scale, pace, and sophistication of wildlife trafficking, the competition will:

Include a three-phase open competition to identify the most promising and innovative ideas

Engage a talented community of solvers from all corners of the globe and all areas of expertise

Provide technical expertise and networking support to help successful applicants develop their solutions

Award Grand Prizes of up to $500,000 to help applicants scale their solution

The Challenge is looking for fresh perspectives from innovators around the world to stem the slaughter of wildlife. The application window opens today, and interested organizations or individuals will have ten weeks to complete a short Concept Note describing themselves, their solution, and how it might scale to achieve greater impact.

Applications must address at least one of four Challenge issues for which innovative science and technology solutions could offer immediate impact:

Detecting transit routes

Strengthening forensic evidence

Reducing consumer demand

Tackling corruption

Judges will evaluate applications based on impact and scalability and invite those with the most promising Concept Notes to move forward in the competition. For more information on the Challenge, please visit our website: https://www.wildlifecrimetech.org.

Take the first step today - sign up to apply!

Apply: https://wildlifecrimetech.org/new_profile

Newsletter sign up: https://wildlifecrimetech.org/get_updates

About the Challenge Team

The Wildlife Crime Tech Challenge is an initiative of USAID in partnership with the National Geographic Society, the Smithsonian Institution, and TRAFFIC. The Challenge is being implemented on behalf of USAID and its partners by Integra LLC, with subcontractor support from PricewaterhouseCoopers Public Sector LLP and Sonjara, Inc.

Source: usaid.gov

KRA Suspends Official Over Sh570 Million Ivory

2015-05-26T21:17:00.000-07:00

By Gilbert Koech

Kenya: A Kenya Revenue Authority officer who handled the Sh570 million illegal ivory shipment seized in Singapore was yesterday suspended.

KRA Commissioner General John Njiraini said in a statement the directors of the exporting company that handled the cargo and the driver of a truck used to ferry the two 20-foot containers containing the wildlife trophy are being sought.

“So far, the truck owner has provided statements to the investigation team but the driver is still at large. The directors of the exporting company have absconded but are being sought,” he said.

Njiraini said other KRA port staff are being investigated for “appropriate actions to be taken after relevant details emerge".

Customs officials in Singapore on Tuesday seized 3.7 tonnes of illegal ivory from Kenya in the second-largest haul since 2002.

The ivory was hidden among tea bags, the haul consisted of 1,783 pieces of raw ivory tusk, four pieces of rhino horn and 22 teeth believed to be from African big cats — cheetahs and leopards and were on the way to Vietnam.

Source: allafrica.com

Kenya: #LastMaleStanding: Meet Sudan, the Last Rhino of his Kind on Earth

2015-05-26T20:17:00.000-07:00

Photo: Ol Pejeta #LastMaleStanding: Meet Sudan

Sudan is the last male of the Northern White Rhino species on Earth.

In the past few days, the story of Ol Pejeta Conservancy’s resident Northern White Rhino has gone viral on social and mainstream media after popular websites The Dodo, Huffington Post, Yahoo and ABC wrote about Sudan being put under armed guard as the last male of his species. According to Ol Pejeta Conservancy, in less than 5 days, the team has received over £50,000 in donations for Sudan’s rangers.

But how did Sudan become the last of his species?

Below is an infographic that details Sudan’s life from birth to present and sheds more light on what has contributed to the decimation of his sub-species.

** Support our EMERGENCY campaign on GoFundMe.com: "Keep Rhino Rangers Safe" **

Source; allafrica.com

Kenya nabs Vietnamese for alleged rhino horn smuggling

2015-05-26T19:57:00.000-07:00

NAIROBI: A Vietnamese citizen has been arrested in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi for smuggling rhino horns out of Mozambique, APA learnt Monday. According to media reports, the arrest however took place, not in Maputo, but in Nairobi as the Vietnamese, named as 47 year old Vuanh Tuan, awas on transit at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport from Maputo and bound for Hanoi.

The head of the criminal investigation police at the airport, when he arrived at Nairobi on board a scheduled Kenya Airways flight from Maputo.

He said the police decided to search his luggage and found seven pieces of rhino horn, rhino tails and lion teeth weighing a total of 12 kilograms.

According to the Kenyan media reports, the value of these illicit wildlife goods amounted to $123,000.

The horns loaded onto the Kenya Airways flight in Maputo almost certainly came from some of the rhinos slaughtered across the border, in South Africa’s Kruger National Park.

Mozambique where many of the poachers hail from, certainly tops the list of poaching activities on the African continent.

Source: customstoday.com.pk

Chinese police chief accused of hunting and killing endangered animals

2015-05-25T19:23:00.000-07:00

Whistle-blower published pictures of dead animals allegedly stored at a police station compound in Qinghai province

Images of some of the dead animals posted on the internet. The police chief, who was not named, is accused of hunting Mongolian gazelle, wild horses and hawks. Photo: SCMP Pictures

Laura Zhou

laura.zhou@scmp.com

The head of a police station in northern China has been arrested and accused of hunting and killing endangered wild animals, according to a media report.

The officer, whose full name was not given, was based in Tianjun county in Qinghai province and is alleged to have killed protected wildlife including Mongolian gazelle, wild horses and hawks, the news website Chinanews.com reported.

He was arrested after messages were circulated on the internet alleging that police officers in the area were hunting endangered animals.

Photographs posted with the reports showed animal bodies allegedly stored in the police station compound or kept in freezers.

Police said they had suspended the officer on Saturday. He was arrested on Sunday.

Forestry police are investigating the case, the report said.

People convicted of killing endangered species of animals in China can face jail terms of over 10 years.

Photographs were published in the media in China earlier this month of a rare sighting in the wild of Mongolia gazelles.

The animals are protected by law, but numbers have dwindled in the Inner Mongolia region of China because of hunting and their loss of habitat.

Source: scmp.com

First rehabilitated sun bear returns to the wild in Sabah

2015-05-25T19:17:00.000-07:00

Wong Siew Te gently lifting a sedated Natalie in preparation for her health check and transportation. — Pictures courtesy of Sabah Wildlife Department and Borneon Sun Bear Conservation Centre

Natalie was transported to her new home in a Lahad Datu forest reserve by a helicopter provided by Layang-Layang Aerospace Sdn Bhd.

The field crew carried Natalie to the release spot.

Natalie's first moments of freedom in the wild.

KOTA KINABALU, May 25 — Natalie, the sun bear in Sabah who was rescued after poachers killed her mother, became the first to be released into the wild after she returned to the reserve forests of Lahad Datu last week.

Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre (BSBCC) founder Wong Siew Te said Natalie, who arrived at the centre in December 2010 aged three months, has come of age in the four and a half years under their care and that the rare sun bear is now ready to fend for herself.

“Releasing her was a moment of bittersweet joy,” Wong told Malay Mail Online today.

“I cared for her like a daughter. I had brought her for walks in the forest, fed her, taught her what food to identify and played with her. It was sad to let her go but I know she belongs in the forest,” he added. Read More

Source: themalaymailonline.com

South African rhino survives horrific attack by poachers

2015-05-25T18:53:00.000-07:00

Veterinarians in South Africa removed maggots and dead tissue from Hope, a 4-year-old rhino attacked by poachers, and applied dressing and fastened a fiberglass cast with steel screws.SUZANNE BOSWELL RUDHAM — AP

Read more here: http://www.sunherald.com/2015/05/25/6244662/south-african-rhino-survives-horrific.html#storylink=cpy

BY CHRISTOPHER TORCHIA

Associated Press

JOHANNESBURG — The rhino’s rescuers gave her a name: Hope.

Poachers in South Africa had darted the rhino with a tranquilizer and hacked off her horns while she was sedated, leaving the animal with a horrific wound covering much of her face. A couple of days later, staff on a wildlife reserve found the grievously injured rhino – alive.

Last week, veterinarians operated on the 4-year-old female, a rare survivor of increasing attacks by poachers who killed more than 1,200 rhinos last year in South Africa, home to most of the world’s rhinos. They removed maggots and dead tissue, applied dressing and fastened a fiberglass cast with steel screws. The wound measures 19.6 by 11 inches, the biggest of 10 similar cases that the team has treated in the last three years.

“If we can save Hope and she can go back and produce more offspring, then in her lifetime she would have contributed to the survival of the species,” said Dr. Gerhard Steenkamp, a veterinarian from the University of Pretoria. He is a member of Saving the Survivors, a South African group that treats rhinos with gunshot wounds, facial gouges and other injuries inflicted by poachers.

Demand for rhino horn is high in parts of Asia where it is seen as a status symbol and a cure for illness despite a lack of evidence that it can heal.

The rhino called Hope was attacked in Lombardini, a wildlife reserve in Eastern Cape province where several rhinos were poached recently.

Hope’s nasal bone was badly fractured and part was removed, exposing the sinus cavities and nasal passage. Surgery occurred May 18 after the rhino was transferred to another reserve. It could take at least a year for Hope’s wound to heal after multiple treatments, Steenkamp said.

It cost $75,000 to treat Lion’s Den, a rhino with a similar but less severe injury, and Thandi, a rhino whose horns were hacked off in 2012, recovered and gave birth in January, according to Saving the Survivors.

Group spokeswoman Suzanne Boswell Rudham said Monday of Hope: “She’s doing really well.”

Source: sunherald.com

Plan protects Malayan tigers too

2015-05-21T19:18:00.000-07:00

PETALING JAYA: The animal that symbolises Malaysia – the Malayan tiger – has leapt into the 11th Malaysia Plan.

With not more than 350 of this large cat still roaming our forests, the Government plans to increase its numbers along with other endangered species such as the elephant, sambar deer (rusa) and the gaur (seladang).

One such existing initiative that will be intensified is the 1Malaysia Biodiversity Enforcement Operation Network (1MBEON), which aims to curb wildlife poaching. Spearheading the programme are the National Resources and Environment (NRE) Ministry as well as the Defence Ministry.

The NRE’s Department of Wildlife and National Parks director of ex-situ conservation division Fakhrul Hatta Musa revealed that the programme has managed to cripple several poaching syndicates since its inception last year.

“Our aim is to stop poachers from harming protected wildlife,” Fakhrul Hatta said.

Fakhrul Hatta explained that 40 officers from the NRE and 60 army personnel patrol the forest reserves in Malaysia. So far, the programme has conducted five operations, successfully nabbing at least 10 poachers.

Each operation, he said, lasts 18 days with the budget for food, staff allowance and transportation costs setting his department back by RM50,000 each time. “We always need more officers to have more regular patrols,” he said.

So far, 1MBEON has managed to save wildlife with an estimated street value of RM500,000 from being poached.

Source: thestar.com.my

Mexican pet shop slammed online for selling exotic animals on Facebook.

2015-05-19T19:57:00.000-07:00

Exotic creatures: This young tiger is being sold for 60,000 Mexican Pesos, or $3953, by the Obsidian Reptiles in San Luis Potosi. The store was investigated by Mexico's Federal Attorney for Environmental Protection but they were cleared of any wrongdoing

Endangered: This photo appears to show a five-month-old female panther. The pet store is advertising it for sale at 90,000 pesos or $5930

Allegations: The same panther is seen sitting in the front of a car. Visitors to the site say the animal is 'beautiful' but others are concerned that some of the species are being sold illicitly

Confined: Three of the Bengal tiger cubs purportedly for sale are pictured inside a cage on the pet store's Facebook page

Range of species: A chameleon is perched on the finger of one of the pet shop employees. They are selling it for just $112

Advertised: This 'brush ears female' monkey can be purchased for 38,000 Mexican pesos, or $2504. The store insists what they do is legal and have denied any wrongdoing

On offer: This animal is being sold through the Facebook for just $2635 (40,000 Mexican pesos). It is described on the page as a baby lion

Illicit deal: This reptile is advertised as a Nile monitor lizard. It's not known how much it is being sold for

For sale: These Coati - Mexican members of the raccoon family - are also being advertised on the page. People ask for the price in the comments before a deal is struck through Facebook messaging

Perched: This iguana is being sold for $350. Employees at the store tried to prove the legality of their trade by publishing 'satisfactory' results from a recent inspection

A pet shop selling endangered animals through their Facebook page has been allowed to continue its operations, despite an investigation by the Mexican government and a flood of complaints from animal rights activists. Panthers, lions, tigers and other protected species are being sold by the Obsidian Reptiles in San Luis Potosi, central Mexico.

They were the subject of a probe by the Federal Attorney for Environmental Protection following criticism on social media, but authorities insist they are powerless to shut them down. The market was flooded with the species after a ban was implemented in Mexico on certain circus animals in March.

The sick adverts even offer discounts and bargain weeks on certain animals. For example, a female panther, advertised as being five months old, has a $3896 price tag. But there are allegations the advertised animal is actually jaguar - an endangered cat.

The advert on the Facebook page said: 'Female panther, five months. Promotion, from 90,000 Mexican pesos to 60,000 Mexican pesos. 'Unique opportunity. Legal documentation'.

The pet shop was also selling a male African lion that was 22 days old and they posted a picture of it sitting outside their shop.

They also boasted of having Bengal tigers for sale. They wrote in one post: 'Still available Bengal tiger offspring, month-and-a-half-old, friends, they are delivered with a guide to operation and maintenance, microchip, their documentation and advice for life.'

The huge list included prairie dogs, which are also on the list of endangered species of the Secretariat of Environment and Natural Resources.

The shop owners claim to have legal documents proving they were able to sell the animals and have denied any wrong doing. Read More.

Source: dailymail.co.uk

249kg of pangolin scales seized by Shanghai customs

2015-05-19T19:31:00.000-07:00

Around 249 kilograms of pangolin scales were confiscated by customs officials at the Pudong International Airport—making this the largest ever seizure of animal products in the city.

Pangolins, for those unfamiliar, are scale-covered mammals sometimes referred to as a scaly anteaters. They're rare, adorable and hunted in China for their tough armor, which is believed by Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioners to help cure cancer and asthma, among other ailments. The creatures can fetch up to 5,000 yuan per kilogram.

This load of scales was transported in nine black suitcases, which were seized on March 27 after officials spotted the animal products in an X-ray scanning machine, Shanghai Customs said yesterday.

A man and woman were detained by officials while picking up the suitcases from the luggage claim area. They said they'd been paid by a man surnamed Feng, who was helping a partner in Nigeria to deliver the scales to China.

Just 10 days later, customs officials stopped another person attempting to smuggle 25 kilograms of pangolin scales for someone who was working for the same man in Nigeria, surnamed Qiu.

Source: shanghaiist.com

Authorities seize 3.7 tonnes of illegal ivory headed for Vietnam

2015-05-19T18:52:00.000-07:00

1,783 pieces of raw ivory tusks were seized by the AVA. Photo: AVA/Singapore

SINGAPORE — The shipment from Kenya was declared as tea leaves, but upon closer inspection, it was found to contain about 3.7 tonnes of illegal ivory, making it the second largest seizure of illegal ivory by the local authorities since 2002.

The seized shipment --- which also included four pieces of rhinoceros horns and 22 pieces of canine teeth, believed to be from -- is estimated to be worth S$8 million.

The goods were shipped in two 20-footer containers from the African country and were transiting through Singapore for Vietnam, the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) and Singapore Customs said in a joint media release today (May 19).

Upon inspecting the containers, the AVA uncovered 1,783 pieces of raw ivory tusks, whole and cut, concealed among bags of tea dust; as well as the rhinoceros horns and canine teeth. Further investigations into the shipment, which was seized last week, are underway. Read More

Source: todayonline.com

'Shocking' scale of pangolin smuggling revealed

2015-05-14T00:27:00.000-07:00

By Ella DaviesReporter, BBC Nature

Official records show that pangolins are being illegally traded on a "shocking" scale, according to a report. The globally threatened animals are sought for their scales which are used in traditional Chinese medicine.

Annual seizures have been estimated at roughly 10,000 animals but experts warn the illegal trade is far greater Chinese enforcement officials worked with researchers from the UK to assess the extent of the problem.

Zhao-Min Zhou, from the Public Security Bureau for Forests in China's Yunnan province, worked with researchers from the University of Oxford to analyse official records of pangolins seized from smugglers.

The findings are published in the journal Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment.

"The numbers of pangolins traded are shocking, and all the more so considering the pharmaceutical pointlessness of the trade. This trade is intolerably wasteful," said Prof Macdonald, director of the University of Oxford's Wildlife Conservation Research Unit (WildCRU), and a co-author of the paper.

He praised the leadership of Mr Zhou in the study, which gives conservationists the first glimpse of official records of seizures. Read more

Source: bbc.co.uk

Monkey business: theft of rare primates from French zoo mystifies police

2015-05-12T19:34:00.000-07:00

A zoo in France is appealing for the return of 17 rare monkeys stolen by suspected animal traffickers over the weekend.

The seven golden lion tamarins and tensilver marmosets were taken from the Beauval Zoo, about 200 km from Paris, by what officials have described as ‘‘experts” who cut through a glass window to break into the enclosure.

The thieves were not picked up by security cameras and also managed to evade extra night patrols

Zoo Director Rodolphe Debord said he was very worried for the monkeys’ wellbeing: “These are extremely fragile animals that need specific care.” He said they are “rare, threatened monkeys,” adding that they had specific dietary requirements. One of the animals, which are the property of the Brazilian government, was being treated for an injury to its tail.

Investigators believe the carefully planned operation was carried out by a gang commissioned by a collector or criminals involved in trafficking exotic pets.

Responding to the theft, a France-based environmental group, Robin des Bois said there had been a rise across the world in the smuggling of rare monkeys since 2011.

Source: http://www.euronews.com

Marine engineer among 13 held for smuggling Indian pangolins to China

2015-05-12T19:26:00.000-07:00

A baby Pangolin. (Getty images)

BHOPAL: In a major breakthrough Madhya Pradesh forest department on Monday arrested 13 people including a Kolkata-based marine engineer and a corporator involved in smuggling Indian pangolins to China and Vietnam.

Accused have allegedly confessed to poaching and trafficking of 100 pangolins from Madhya Pradesh to China in the last 12 months. Officials confiscated 2 kg pangolin scales from their possession. Blood, meat and scales of pangolins are sold to traditional medical practitioners at a premium in south eastern countries.

Those arrested from Kolkata have been identified as Jamal Iqbal, 59, and his son Danish, 24. Eleven others including an independent corporator were arrested from Chhindwara district.

While Jamal is into leather business, his son Danish was studying marine engineering and was arrested three days before completion of his course.

Chief conservator of forest (CCF), Chhindwara, Chitranjan Tyagi told TOI Jamal had developed a large pangolin poaching network in Madhya Pradesh with the help of Nafeez Ahmad, an independent corporator in Chhindwara. Read More

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com

A New Tool To Combat Wildlife Trafficking in Vietnam

2015-05-12T18:59:00.000-07:00

A customs officer uses WildScan to identify a protected Hamilton’s turtle

WildScan was first launched in Thailand last year, but the new availability of the application in Vietnamese language and its upgrade to include many additional species and information related to Vietnam, will support ongoing efforts to tackle the illegal wildlife trade in Vietnam. The launch is the beginning of a pilot phase to test the upgraded application, and continue to improve it based on feedback and suggestions from relevant agencies.

The mobile application contains a unique identification function, high resolution photos and critical information for over 300 endangered species and illegal wildlife products commonly trafficked into and throughout Southeast Asia, as well as essential animal care instructions and a simple reporting system. It is designed to enable frontline wildlife law enforcement agencies to efficiently and accurately identify, report, and handle animals and animal products caught in the illegal wildlife trade, without the need for large reference books.

The Vietnamese upgrade of WildScan and its launch in Vietnam was supported by the Biodiversity Conservation Agency (BCA) under the Vietnam Environment Administration (VEA) and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MONRE); working in collaboration with Freeland, a Bangkok-based counter trafficking organization; under the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) funded Asia’s Regional Response to Endangered Species Trafficking (ARREST) program. Read More

Source: http://english.vietnamnet.vn

Eco-viaducts are built to facilitate movements of wildlife, but do they work?

2014-09-22T11:49:00.000-07:00

A black giant squirrel utilising a wildlife crossing beneath a viaduct.

Banded leaf monkeys photographed under a viaduct – Gopalasamy Reuben Clements

Eco-viaducts are built to facilitate movements of wildlife, but do they work as such? With that question in mind, biologist Dr Gopalasamy Reuben Clements embarked on a research with the Wildlife and National Parks Department.

Between 2011 and 2013, he monitored animal movements through camera traps at 10 viaducts each at the Aring-Tasik Kenyir road in Terengganu and at the Gerik-Kupang road which traverses the Bintang Hijau Range in Perak and Kedah. (Only three of the viaducts were specifically built for animal crossings; the rest are normal viaducts which can also function as such because of the passageway underneath.)

Gopalasamy found the animal crossings being used by almost half the mammal species recorded in nearby forests.

“However, this does not mean that the viaducts are effective crossing structures because some species were recorded just once under the viaduct during our entire study. Also, the same number of species may be crossing the road without the viaduct,” says the associate professor at Kenyir Research Institute in Universiti Malaysia Terengganu. Read more

Source: thestar.com.my

World Rhino Day 2014

2014-09-22T11:19:00.000-07:00

Birthday package of snake and toads

2014-09-20T19:12:00.000-07:00

IPOH: The Perak Wildlife and National Parks Department (Perhilitan) has seized a “birthday present” containing a viper, 12 toads and various insects at the post office here.

State Perhilitan director Fakhrul Hatta Musa said the gift-wrapped package with words “Happy Birthday” and Selamat Hari Jadi written all around it had three separate transparent plastic containers to keep the animals and bugs.

“The Malaysian Quarantine Inspection Services Department uncovered the animals with a scanner during a routine check at the post office today (Friday) at about 10.30am.

“We discovered that the animals were kept inside the supposed birthday present,” he told a press conference here yesterday.

He said the package, which had been shipped from Taiwan, arrived at the post office on Thursday. Two of the transparent containers for the reptile and amphibians had holes poked in them to allow air in. “We believe that the animals were meant to be kept as pets.

The other box contained the insects which are believed to be used as food for the animals. “We are not sure about the market value for these animals but it is wrong to smuggle them in without permits from the authorities,” he said, declining to reveal the address of the recipient.

Fakhrul Hatta added that they would investigate the matter with other agencies. “The birthday box is a new method used by smugglers to confuse us. “This is the first time we encountered such modus operandi,” he said.

He said anyone found guilty of importing or exporting such animals can be fined a maximum of RM100,000 for each animal and not more than RM1mil on aggregate. They could also face a maximum jail term of seven years together with the fine, he added.

Source: thestar.com.my

No place to hide for Africa's pangolins amid China buying spree

2014-09-17T19:14:00.000-07:00

A giant pangolin walks in the woods in Lope National Park in Gabon in this picture provided by Panthera September 14, 2013.
CREDIT: REUTERS/LAILA BAHAA-EL-DIN/PANTHERA/HANDOUT VIA REUTERS

Slaughtered pangolins are seen on the ground after they were seized by the authority, at an underground garage in Guangzhou, Guangdong province September 11, 2014.
CREDIT: REUTERS/STRINGER

(Reuters) - Alongside dirt roads twisting through the dense tropical forests of Gabon, the scaly bodies of lifeless long-snouted pangolins dangle from sticks stuck in the ground by hunters.

The pangolin, a mammal that looks like an anteater but has the tough scales of a crocodile, has long been prized in central Africa as a bushmeat delicacy.

But growing demand for it from Asia, where pangolin scales are used in Chinese medicine to help women lactate and to cure skin disorders, now threatens to hasten its demise and rob African countries of a precious resource.

Conservationists say the demand boom is due to declining wild populations in Asia as well as high numbers of Chinese workers in Africa's resource and timber sectors, located in remote regions of the continent's interior.

The example of Africa's elephants, whose numbers have been slashed by demand from Asia for their ivory, have prompted conservations to mobilize to protect the pangolins.

"It's always been ivory but the new pressure is on the pangolin," said Lee White, the British-born head of Gabon's national parks agency, which runs the 13 national parks covering just over a tenth of the country's territory.

"We're looking out for workers here putting out orders for pangolin and we've had to train sniffer dogs at the ports." Read more

Source: http://uk.reuters.com