12 pangolin saved from wildlife trafficking syndicate

NONG KHAI, July 19 -- Thailand's Mekong Riverine Operation Unit rescued 12 endangered pangolins – commonly known as ant eaters – and arrested one wildlife smuggler, Thai authorities said Thursday.

Capt Samart Srimuang, chief of the Operations and Intelligence Division of the Nong Khai-based Mekong Riverine Operation Unit, said the detainee was identified as Pongsak Thongbot, 28. He was arrested while driving his pickup truck carrying the endangered species in Rattanawapi district.

The suspect confessed that he was hired to transport 12 scaly ant-eaters from the southern province of Chumphon to Nong Khai. He said that he was to deliver the endangered species to an unidentified party near the Mekong River who would smuggle them across the border, according to the officer.

Pangolin scales and pangolin flesh are in high demand in Vietnam and China as medicine although their international trade is banned.

The smuggling and sale of pangolins is prohibited under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, or CITES. 

Source: mcot.net

Probe cries fowl on Solomons smuggling

This 2011 picture shows parrots at what wildlife group TRAFFIC calls a breeding facility in the Solomon Islands. Picture: AFP Source: AFP

MORE than 54,000 wild birds, including critically endangered species, were laundered through the Solomon islands into the global wildlife trade between 2000 and 2010. 

 

The birds, classified as "captive-bred" to skirt wildlife trafficking laws and in the main not native to the islands, were exported mostly to Singapore and Malaysia from where they were sold to other parts of the world, wildlife group TRAFFIC said in a report. "Between 2000 and 2010, more than 54,000 birds, mainly parrots and cockatoos, were imported from the Solomon Islands and declared as captive-bred," said the report, launched in Singapore.

"Yet local authorities confirmed to TRAFFIC that the Solomon Islands is not known to have substantial bird breeding facilities," it added. TRAFFIC said Singapore and Malaysia accounted for 93 per cent of all birds imported from Solomon Islands between 2000 and 2010. Malaysia however has suspended its bird imports and TRAFFIC is urging Singapore to do the same. "Singapore should follow Malaysia's lead in suspending bird imports, not only from the Solomon Islands but anywhere else if there is a lack of clarity as to their legal origin," said TRAFFIC's Southeast Asia deputy director Chris Shepherd.

The birds included vulnerable, endangered and critically endangered species such as the Yellow-crested Cockatoo, which cannot be traded under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna, or CITES. In addition, a majority of the birds were not native to the Solomon Islands but are found in Indonesia or Papua New Guinea. The absence of records showing the Solomon Islands had imported the birds indicated that they had been caught in the wild, TRAFFIC said.

Shepherd said the smugglers were deceiving authorities to gain access to the global pet trade. "Declaring exported birds as being captive-bred has all the hallmarks of a scam to get around international trade regulations," he said in the report.

Source:  news.com.au

Experts report highest elephant poaching and ivory smuggling rates in a decade

Elephant poaching levels are the worst in a decade and recorded ivory seizures are at their highest levels since 1989, according to a report published today by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). The findings, largely based on information submitted by governments, will be presented and discussed at the 62nd meeting of the CITES Standing Committee to be held in Geneva from 23 to 27 July 2012.

The report analyses data from the CITES programme on Monitoring the Illegal Killing of Elephants (MIKE), IUCN’s data on the status of elephant populations, the Elephant Trade Information System (ETIS) managed by TRAFFIC, and the CITES trade database managed by the UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC). These authoritative sources of information have shown a very close correspondence between trends in elephant poaching and trends in large-scale ivory seizures, detecting essentially the same patterns at different points in the illegal ivory trade chain.

“We need to enhance our collective efforts across range, transit and consumer states to reverse the current disturbing trends in elephant poaching and ivory smuggling," says Mr John E. Scanlon, 

CITES Secretary-General, commenting on the report. "While being essential, enforcement efforts to stop wildlife crime must not just result in seizures – they must result in prosecutions, convictions and strong penalties to stop the flow of contraband. The whole ‘enforcement chain’ must work together.”

According to ETIS data, three of the five years in which the greatest volumes of ivory were seized globally occurred in 2009, 2010 and 2011. In 2011 alone, there were 14 large-scale ivory seizures—a double-digit figure for the first time in 23 years, when ETIS records were first compiled. They totalled an estimated 24.3 tonnes of ivory; more than in any previous year. Large-scale ivory seizures (those involving >800 kg of ivory in a single transaction), typically indicate the participation of organised crime.

China and Thailand are the two primary destinations for illegal ivory consignments exported from Africa according to the seizure data. Seizures of large ivory consignments in Malaysia, the Philippines and Viet Nam since 2009, were believed to be in transit to China and Thailand. Some African and Asian countries have made significant efforts to enhance enforcement. For example, China conducted earlier this year a major operation which resulted in the seizure of 1,366.3 kg of ivory and the arrest of 13 suspects. Most of the ivory smuggling containers leave the African continent through Indian Ocean seaports in East African countries, primarily Kenya and the United Republic of Tanzania.

“Evidence is steadily mounting which shows that African elephants are facing their most serious crisis since international commercial trade in ivory was generally prohibited under CITES in 1989,” said Tom Milliken, TRAFFIC’s Elephant and Rhino Programme Leader and the Director of ETIS.

These findings are matched by data on poaching levels in Africa from the CITES MIKE programme. MIKE has documented a steady increase in levels of elephant poaching across the continent since 2005, with the levels in 2011 being the highest since monitoring began in 2002. Poaching levels are increasing in all countries where African elephants occur, and may be leading to dramatic declines in some populations, but particularly in Central African countries, where poaching levels are highest. This was brought to international attention earlier this year by the killing of hundreds of elephants in Bouba Ndjida National Park in Cameroon.

“The MIKE analysis shows poaching to be highest where human livelihoods are most insecure and where governance and law enforcement are weakest,"  said Julian Blanc, who coordinates the MIKE programme. "It also suggests that poaching is driven by demand for ivory in East Asia. The number of African elephants poached in 2011 alone could well run into the tens of thousands.”

Information collected by IUCN corroborates the MIKE findings that poaching is an immediate danger to elephant populations across the continent. There are disturbing indications that the illegal killing of elephants has increased in recent years in Asia too, although data are hard to obtain.

“There is a pressing need for governments and other stakeholders involved with wildlife conservation to properly assess the amount of Asian elephant ivory that is entering trade,” said Simon Hedges, Co-chair of the IUCN Species Survival Commission’s Asian Elephant Specialist Group.

An additional pressure on Asian elephants, also apparently increasing, is the illegal international commercial trade in live wild elephants for the circus trade in China and the tourist trade in Thailand.

The critical situation in Africa demonstrates the urgent need to implement the African Elephant Action Plan, which was created by all African elephant range States under the auspices of CITES in 2010. The plan envisages investing USD 100 million over three years into elephant conservation efforts, and an African Elephant Fund was launched in August 2011 at the 61st meeting of the CITES Standing Committee.

“Having sustainable elephant populations in Africa will require a shared vision and a highly strategic and collaborative investment of time and resources along the entire ivory supply chain," said Holly Dublin, Chair of the IUCN/SSC African Elephant Specialist Group, at a recent African elephant range States meeting. "Without this we will all lose what we cherish the most – the icons of Africa – our elephants.” 

At the international level, creative and innovative responses to this crisis are required. The use of modern traceability systems, including DNA forensics in cases of wildlife trafficking has already proven to be very effective. DNA evidence has been used successfully in a number of rhinoceros-related cases in South Africa and it is routinely forming a part of numerous criminal investigations. In any case, enforcement efforts to stop wildlife crime must be coordinated. This is why the work of the recently-established International Consortium to Combat Wildlife Crime (ICCWC) is essential to support and coordinate enforcement actions across international borders.

Source: iucnredlist.org

e-Commerce companies declare zero-tolerance towards illegal online wildlife trading

e-commerce representatives sign a zero-tolerance towards illegal wildlife trade declaration. Image :© TRAFFIC

Beijing, China, 8th June 2012—15 of the leading e-commerce sellers operating in China, including Alibaba, Taobao, and Tencent, have signed a declaration stating they have a zero-tolerance policy towards their services being used to conduct illegal wildlife trading.

The statement says sellers and buyers must comply with all aspects of China’s Wild Animal Protection Law and regulations under CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) governing the trade in wildlife goods.

The declaration was issued following a workshop on controlling online illegal wildlife trade organized by the National Forest Police Bureau of the State Forestry Administration (SFA) in collaboration with TRAFFIC earlier this month.

More than 30 participants from the National Forest Police of SFA, Network Security Bureau of Ministry of Public Security, Wildlife Conservation Department of SFA, China’s CITES Management Authority, e-commerce websites and TRAFFIC attended.

Following the workshop, all the e-commerce company representatives read and signed the ‘Commitment to zero-tolerance of illegal online wildlife trade’, as a demonstration of their determination to stop illegal online wildlife trading.

 

The signed declaration

 The declaration roughly translates as:

We all live on the same planet, and a healthy environment is good for you and your family. Conserving biodiversity and maintaining a healthy environment are important for future generations. However, through the actions of people, increasingly rare wildlife species are suffering because of illegal trade. The rapid development of the internet has taken illegal wildlife trade into the virtual world. The illegal online trade in endangered species violates China's Wild Animal Protection Law and Criminal Law, as well as CITES, and seriously damages natural resources and negatively impacts on bio-diversity conservation. Furthermore, it also interrupts the normal and legal operation of auction and related websites. Today, we all state our promise that we will adopt zero-tolerance towards illegal online trade in tiger, rhino and elephant products. We will strictly comply with relevant laws and regulations through effectively filtering and screening illegal trade information in endangered species, actively reporting this information to enforcement agencies, and dealing seriously with illegal users. Please join us in protecting earth's beautiful creatures.

Although wildlife law enforcement efforts in China have led to gains in policing physical markets for wildlife, the availability of illegal wildlife goods online has been gaining ground, as evidenced by the booming popularity of the internet and the burgeoning number of websites where ‘high profile’ animal species or parts, such as elephants, rhinoceroses, tiger and marine turtles, are illegally offered for sale.

In April 2012, TRAFFIC found 3,389 advertisements for tiger bone, elephant ivory, rhino horn and hawksbill turtle products being offered through 15 Chinese-language e-commerce sites and associated auction websites and chat rooms.

China’s wildlife law enforcement authorities are taking positive steps to tackle the issue, through sustained intensive enforcement actions and by holding interagency workshops on the control of illegal online wildlife trade.

In April this year, China’s Forest Police filed 700 relevant cases, shut down 628 online shops and deleted 1,607 pieces of information relating to illegal trade of wildlife from websites.

Mr Zhang Libao, director of the Wildlife Crime Division of the National Forest Police, speaking at this month’s workshop advised participants that websites providing a platform for illegal wildlife trading are liable to punishment according to Article 22 of the Wild Animal Protection Law and Article 341 of the Criminal Law. He also said Forest Police would conduct sustained action against wildlife crime, particularly online trade in tiger bone, rhino horn and ivory.

Mr Wang Weisheng, a Division Chief of the Wildlife Conservation Department of SFA, told participants: “All commercial trade in tiger bone and rhino horn, in any form, has been totally prohibited since 1993. Ivory trade is allowed only in 136 accredited physical shops, so all online trade in ivory products is illegal and thus prohibited.”

He urged e-commerce companies to screen all information relating to these three species in particular, to keep scrutinizing their sites for evidence of illegal wildlife trade as a priority and to collaborate with enforcement agencies to deter online wildlife crime.

Mr Wang Huiyuan from the Network Security Bureau of the Ministry of Public Security noted how illegal online wildlife trade undermined internet security.

“New regulations coming into force mean that websites facilitating illegal online wildlife trade must take full responsibility for their actions.”

Ms Xu Ling, TRAFFIC’s Senior Programme Officer in China, spoke about the dynamics of illegal online wildlife trade and analysed the key difficulties in tackling it. She told website representatives about various code words and hidden messages used by those trafficking wildlife products to hide their tracks online.

“Those operating e-commerce websites and associated online exchanges should make greater efforts to delete all suspect information, provide information on wildlife trade regulations to potential online shoppers, and provide a way for the public to report suspected illegal or fraudulent trade to servers and authorities,” said Ms Xu Ling.

Alibaba.com, the best known B2B e-commerce website in China, has taken a lead in combating illegal online wildlife trade by effectively screening information on all protected animals (and their derivatives) listed in the Wild Animal Protection Law and CITES.

During the meeting, Mr Draper Denial, a representative of Alibaba International, spoke about the company’s experience in popularizing and implementing national and international wildlife protection laws. In particular, he spoke of the following measures undertaken to deter illegal online wildlife trade on Alibaba and Taobao: announcement of a list of species banned from sale; popularization of wildlife conservation knowledge for staff and users; effective filtering using key words; regular double-checking of online material; and establishment of a reporting and quick response system supported by volunteers and non-governmental organizations.

Representatives from two antique collection websites noted their companies would be strictly complying with relevant laws and regulations, taking measures to delete illegal information, and advising all their users to take environment and biodiversity matters into serious consideration.

The latest meeting is part of a longer-term campaign led by TRAFFIC and WWF to encourage e-commerce websites to commit to not selling illegal wildlife products, with the aim to reduce both availability and demand for such contraband.

According to Dr Shi Jianbin, Head of TRAFFIC’s China Programme: “TRAFFIC is co-operating with online providers and wildlife enforcement authorities to heighten awareness among potential buyers and sellers about illegal online wildlife trade.

“Results of TRAFFIC’s monitoring of suspected online illegal wildlife trade will be passed on to relevant wildlife enforcement authorities for further investigation, as well as to e-commerce companies to help them in improving their strategies to prevent illegal trade.”

 

Source:  TRAFFIC’s

Man jailed for smuggling iguana meat into U.S.A.

A Las Vegas man who tried to sneak 115 oven-ready iguanas into the United States from Mexico has been sentenced to two years in prison for illegally importing the reptiles, authorities said on Thursday. A federal judge ordered Eliodoro Soria Fonseca, 38, to serve 24 months in prison, the U.S. Attorney’s office for the Southern District of California said.

Fonseca was arrested as he tried to cross into California through the Otay Mesa port of entry, south of San Diego, last June with the iguana meat packed in coolers. A search found the beheaded, skinned, and deboned bodies of 115 green iguanas weighing 159 pounds (72 kg) hidden beneath fish in the coolers.

“According to admissions in his guilty plea, the defendant imported the iguana meat for the purpose of serving it as food to humans,” the attorney’s office said in a press release.Green iguanas are eaten in Mexico and Central America. They are enjoyed in stews or roasted and served in tacos or flautas, usually with condiments. Some recipes recommend parboiling the reptiles first.

But iguanas are also regulated by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). While they are not endangered, CITES say they may become threatened if trade is not tightly controlled. Fonseca, who said he obtained the iguanas in Nayarit in western Mexico, had neither an import license from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service nor any CITES permit from Mexico’s wildlife management authority.

According to sentencing documents, a researcher working for an iguana conservation program in Mexico concluded that removing more than 100 iguanas from the Nayarit area essentially “means that the local population was technically wiped out.”

Source:  (By Wango Wango) http://horn.so

“Frankenstein” taxidermist sentenced to 20 months

Enrique Gomez De Molina used parts of endangered birds and other animals to create bizarre “Frankenstein” hybrids  © DOJ

 

Washington, USA, 2nd March 2012–A taxidermist based in Miami Beach, Florida, has been sentenced to 20 months in jail for his role in trafficking endangered wildlife.

Between late 2009 and February 2011, Enrique Gomez De Molina had attempted to import a range of wildlife species into the US without the required permits.

He used the parts to create bizarre “Frankenstein” hybrids he sold as art.

The wildlife included a wide range of species including skins of kingfishers, birds-of-paradise, skulls of babirusa and orangutans, a King Cobra, a pangolin and hornbills.

After receipt, De Molina would incorporate the various wildlife parts into taxidermy pieces at a studio in downtown Miami.

He offered these pieces through galleries and on the Internet for prices ranging up to USD80,000.

De Molina’s trafficking included numerous species and shipments, involving contacts in Bali, Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines, Canada and China.

The imports were in contravention of both CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna) and federal laws.

Despite the interception of two shipments in late 2009 that were ultimately forfeited by De Molina and abandoned, he continued to solicit protected wildlife from his suppliers via the Internet, and to select specific animals from photographs to be provided to him.

The parts or carcasses of the wildlife he selected would then be shipped to him without the permits or declarations required by law.

 “Mr De Molina trafficked in highly endangered species in violation of the law, disguising commercial exploitation of endangered species as artwork,” said Ignacia S. Moreno, Assistant Attorney General for the Environment and Natural Resources Division.

“Today, Mr. De Molina has been held fully accountable for his illegal actions, which are prohibited by both U.S. and international law.”

De Molina was also sentenced to one year of supervised release to follow his prison term, a USD6,000 fine and ordered to forfeit all of the smuggled wildlife in his possession.

 “The Department of Justice and US Fish & Wildlife Service are both to be congratulated for bringing this criminal to justice and for the severity of his sentence, which will send out a strong signal to others that trafficking in endangered species will not be tolerated,” said Crawford Allan, Director of TRAFFIC North America.

“Using endangered wildlife to create hideous art pieces was a crime in every sense of the word.”

Source:  traffic.org