KRA Suspends Official Over Sh570 Million Ivory

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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