Anson Wong's wife case up for mention May 8

Photo source: TRAFFIC

BALIK PULAU: The magistrate's court fixed May 8 for mention in the case involving Cheah Bing Shee, the wife of notorious wildlife trafficker Anson Wong, for allegedly keeping five protected elongated tortoises without a special permit.

Magistrate Muhammad Najib Ismail fixed the date for the case which was mentioned in his court in the absence of Sessions Court judge Caroline Bee Majanil, who was away.

Cheah, who is also the manager of Rona Wildlife, along with the company and its director K. Muthukomar, had all been charged in December last year with keeping three protected male elongated tortoises and two protected female elongated tortoises.

They had claimed trial to committing the offences on a private premises at lot 157, Mukim 1, Pantai Acheh, Balik Pulau, about 1.30pm on Nov 24 last year.

The first offence, under Section 68(1)(a) of the Wildlife Conservation Act 2010, carries a maximum RM100,000 fine, three years' jail or both. The second offence, under Section 70(1) of the same Act, carries a maximum RM300,000 fine, maximum 10 years' jail or both.

During proceedings, Ramesh Raj, who appeared for Cheah, Muthukomar and the company, requested further documents from the prosecution. Deputy public prosecutor Charanjit Singh Mahinder Singh prosecuted.

The prosecution of the trio has come on the heels of a year-long investigation by Al Jazeera's Steve Chao into the illegal wildlife trade, with a focus on Wong and Cheah.

Titled Return of the Lizard King, the documentary by Chao on the network's 101 East, infiltrated Wong's network from Madagascar to Thailand, to Indonesia and to Malaysia, uncovering the trade in Radiated tortoises, which are the second most endangered species in Madagascar.

Dubbed the "Pablo Escobar of animal trafficking", Wong has been arrested twice by authorities, and did time behind bars in the US and Malaysia, totalling eight years.

In 1998, Wong was detained by US agents who had lured him to Mexico in an investigation lasting five years. He was later convicted for smuggling endangered species and sentenced to 71 months in jail.

After being released from US prison, Wong's continued involvement in smuggling was confirmed in 2010, when his bag broke open while in transit to Jakarta, revealing 95 boa constrictors.

Wong was later freed in February 2012 without serving the full sentence.

Source: New Straits Times

Women jailed after they tried to smuggle endangered iguanas through Heathrow Airport in socks

Two women have been jailed for attempting to smuggle 13 endangered iguanas through Heathrow Airport - by concealing them inside socks.

Romanian nationals Angla-Alina Bita, 26, and Vitora-Oliva Busca, 24, were arrested after Border Force officers carried out checks at Heathrow Terminal five on February 3. Isleworth Crown Court heard the pair arrived on a flight from the Bahamas and were due to fly on to Düsseldorf, Germany.

The iguanas were wrapped in individual socks and stuffed into a suitcase. One of the reptiles died during the journey.

They were found to be extremely dehydrated and have since been given specialist care by experts in the UK, with the aim to return them to their natural habitat in the Caribbean.

The creatures were later identified as San Salvador rock iguanas – a species so rare only a few are known to be in existence.

Source: Evening Standard - News

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Exotic Animals for Sale Price List

Wildlife Trafficking

 ** Click to view value source

1. Illegal Wildlife Trade Value:                                                $19 Billion
• African Elephants Poached per Day :                  Nearly 100 per day
• Number of Rhinos Killed in 2013 :                                             1,004
• Price of Elephant Ivory :                                     $850 per kilo in Asia

• EXOTIC ANIMALS PRICE in U.S. DOLLARS

• Abalone:$52 per kilogram
• African Grey Parrot:$2,000
• Arowana Fish:$20,000
• Australian Lizard:$7,500
• Baby Elephant in Thailand:$7,000
• Bear - Complete :$4,500 in Taiwan
• Bear Bile:$200,000 per pound
• Bear Paws:$50 for set of 4
• Black Cockatoo:$31,000 in Australia
• Butterfly (Queen Alexandra):$8,195
• Chimpanzee (Live):$50
• Clouded Leopard:$5,700 in China
• Dog Meat:$29 in Vietnam
• Elephant:$28,200
• Elephant Tusk:$1,800 in Vietnam
• Frog Legs:$11 for a dozen pairs in France
• Geckos from New Zealand:$1,300 in Europe
• Geckos in the Philippines:$2,300
• Gila Monster:$1,500
• Gorillas:$400,000
• Iguanas:$10,600
• Ivory:$850 per kilo in Asia
• Ivory with Carvings:$3,000 per kilo
• Komodo Dragon:$30,000
• Leopard:$5,000
• Leopard Tortoise:$403
• Monkey in Europe:$123
• Monkey in Thailand:$55
• Orangutan:$45,000
• Owl:$250 in India
• Pangolin:$1,000
• Pangolin - Meat:$300 per kilogram
• Pangolin - Scales:$3,000 per kilogram
• Panther:$5,000
• Ploughshare Tortoise:$4,000
• Polar Bear Skin:$7,760 to $9,930
• Puppies trafficked from Ireland:$255 to $1,275 in the UK.
• Rhino Horn Dagger:$14,000
• Rhino Horns:$97,000 per kilogram
• Rhino Horns (Crushed for medicine powder):$10 in Vietnam
• Shark Fins:$100 per kilogram
• Sloths:$30 in Colombia
• Snake Venom:$215,175 per liter
• Snakes (Banded kraits):$2,190 in India
• Snow Leopard Pelt:$1,000 in Afghanistan
• Spotted Salamander:$103 on the Internet
• Tiger (Dead):$5,000
• Tiger (Live):$50,000
• Tiger - Baby:$3,200
• Tiger Bone:$2,000
• Tiger Bone Wine:$88
• Tiger Penis:$1,300
• Tiger Remains:$70,000 in China
• Tiger Skin:$35,000
• Tortoises:$10,000 in Madagascar
• Totoaba Fish - Bladder:$200,000 in China
• Turtle - Chinese Golden Coin:$20,000
• Turtle Eggs:$1 in Costa Rica

       Source:havocscope.com

Pangolins: The most illegally trafficked mammals in Asia

Inside the illegal wildlife trade

Pangolins are trafficked by land and sea in Southeast Asia and China. As supplies dwindle in the region, pangolin is also being sourced from Africa, experts say. Source: Education for Nature Vietnam

Sources: TRAFFIC, South Africa and IUCN. Note: Rhino numbers are for South Africa only.

THE MOST TRAFFICKED MAMMAL YOU'VE NEVER HEARD OF.. Read more

Three Chinese arrested for smuggling rhino horns

An endangered black rhino in Namibia

April 2014: Three Chinese nationals, found with 14 rhino horns and leopard skins hidden in their luggage, have been arrested as they tried to board a flight to Hong Kong from Namibia.

The horns had been wrapped in foil and plastic before being hidden in clothes. They were about to board a flight to Johannesburg with a connection onto Hong Kong as their final destination.

The three Chinese, Li Xiao Liang (30), Li Zhi Bing (53) and Pu Xu Nin (49), have been charged with possession of and export in controlled wildlife products.

“This is a very serious case and it is receiving the full attention of the Ministry of Environment and Tourism because these foreign nationals were found in illegal possession of products of animals which are protected in Namibia,” said Deputy commissioner Edwin Kanguatjivi from the Namibian police.

Pu Xu Nin told the magistrate at the first hearing that he had no connection with the other two accused and had no wildlife products in his possession. The magistrate, Jermaine Muchali , told him that he would have to stay in custody while police continued with their investigations and until the future court case.

"This is shocking news and we are trying to establish the origin the rhino horn. There have been very few poaching cases reported in Namibia in the areas where we support the desert adapted black rhino so we are keen to find out more about the source," said David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation CEO, Sally Case.

Source: wildlifeextra.com