Wildlife Trafficking: Who Does it? Allows it?
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Following the Animal Poaching Trail in Africa and the World
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Nat Geo: Poachers Capitalize on Chaos in Central Africa

Nat Geo: Poachers Capitalize on Chaos in Central Africa | Wildlife Trafficking: Who Does it? Allows it? | Scoop.it
Poachers are capitalizing on the disarray in the Central African Republic (CAR) and appear to be moving freely in a search of elephants.
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What Exactly is Animal Poaching? | Nikela: Funding Wildlife Conservation & Education to Save Wildlife in Africa

What Exactly is Animal Poaching? | Nikela: Funding Wildlife Conservation & Education to Save Wildlife in Africa | Wildlife Trafficking: Who Does it? Allows it? | Scoop.it
Part 2 in the Nikela Series on Animal Poaching, and what its doing to endangered species, rhino, leopards, and primates in South Africa.

 

The most comprehensive understanding of animal poaching and its impact on wildlife was found in Mike Cadman’s, “Consuming Wild Life...

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North Hampshire: Police appeal for information about poachers

POACHERS in north Hampshire kill for fun and seldom for the cooking pot.

 

Cost  to rural community is "great".

 

 

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When will poachers begin to feel force of State?

When will poachers begin to feel force of State? | Wildlife Trafficking: Who Does it? Allows it? | Scoop.it
Where, pray, is the outrage? I ask thus because of the following: One, the news last week that an Administration Policeman and three others had been arrested for being in possession of and trying to sell 40 kilogrammes of ivory to undercover Kenya...
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Long road ahead for perlemoen poachers

Long road ahead for perlemoen poachers | Wildlife Trafficking: Who Does it? Allows it? | Scoop.it

Cape Times - Frank Barends, who is accused of being the mastermind behind a R2.07 billion national perlemoen poaching syndicate, will stay in custody for the remainder of his trial, which could take as long as five years....

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What's at stake for countries allowing wildlife trafficking

Devastating reports of wildlife poaching has once again surfaced in the media. Poaching is seen as a perennial problem as the report also illustrates that environmental crimes are among the most serious and profitable forms of transnational organised crime in Asia.

 

Many countries in the region are richer in natural resources than they are in their capacity to protect them. Growing local demand, as well as growing export markets, have placed great strain on resources unique to the region. Criminal opportunists have placed the global environmental heritage in jeopardy....

Wildlife Margrit's insight:

If more countries would only realize that they are undermining their economies by allow wildlife trafficking... but then, some of these leaders are only concerned about personal gain?

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Jakarta Police Swoop on Endangered Hawk-Eagle Traffickers

Jakarta Police Swoop on Endangered Hawk-Eagle Traffickers | Wildlife Trafficking: Who Does it? Allows it? | Scoop.it

Jakarta Police say they have identified the dealer who supplied endangered and protected animals to a wildlife conservation official charged with illegal trafficking.

 

Adj. Sr. Comr. Sugeng, an investigator with the city police’s special crimes directorate, said on Wednesday that police were now hunting down the supplier but had not yet named him a suspect.

 

“We’ve already obtained the name of the person who supplied these rare animals [to the official]. We’ll question him as a witness once we find him, and once we have sufficient evidence against him, we’ll name him a suspect too,” he said....

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Tanzania: 25 Suspected Poachers Arrested in Kigoma

Tanzanian police have arrested 25 suspected poachers carrying 22 illegal firearms, bullets, bush meat, rabbit hides and hippopotamus teeth, Tanzania's The Citizen reported Wednesday (June 12th).

 

The suspects were apprehended in collaboration with game wardens at the Gombe Stream, Katavi and Mahale National Parks, said Kigoma Regional Police Commander Fraser Kashai.

 

The suspects, all Kigoma residents, will be arraigned in court when investigations are complete.

 

Meanwhile, non-profit organisation Friends of Serengeti has donated 35 million shillings ($21,400) in funds and materials to help Tanzania fight poaching, Tanzania's The Guardian reported.

 

The donation includes 3 million shillings ($1,840) in cash and equipment including two-way radios, binoculars, lights, cameras and tents.

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Illegal wildlife trade flourishes in Sumatra

Illegal wildlife trade flourishes in Sumatra | Wildlife Trafficking: Who Does it? Allows it? | Scoop.it

In a chilly rain on Sunday, in a town just a few kilometers beyond the edge of a protected Sumatran rainforest, a young orangutan sat perched on a piece of plywood....

 

“It’s a zoo, but you can buy,” said a woman on the property, The critically endangered orangutan? $200. A leopard cat? $25-$50.

 

A steady rotation is evident. In March, a critically endangered baby sun bear was on the property. About a week later, two other bears sat caged, according to the same eyewitness. None are there now....

 

 

Wildlife Margrit's insight:

Zoos that are also wildlife "stores"!

Sad indeed...

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Illegal assault rifles taking deadly toll on African Elephants

Illegal assault rifles taking deadly toll on African Elephants | Wildlife Trafficking: Who Does it? Allows it? | Scoop.it

KABO, Republic of Congo--AK-47 assault rifles have taken a heavy human toll during civil wars in various African nations, but now the weapons are being used to slaughter African forest elephants.

 

The greater firepower of the rifles has led to a sharp increase in their use by poachers of elephant ivory.

 

An example of some poachers’ deadly handiwork was found in the village of Kabo in the northern part of the Republic of Congo. The village serves as a base for the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), which has been working with the forestry ministry to crack down on poaching.

 

A secure warehouse contained about a dozen elephant tusks that had been seized from poachers. The largest were about 1.5 meters long and weighed about 16 kilograms....

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Kenya: 32 Wildlife Service Officers Suspended Over Poaching

At least 32 Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) senior officers have been suspended to make way for investigations into increased poaching activities in their areas, Kenya's The Standard reported Saturday (June 8th).

 

The suspended officers include those in charge of parks throughout the country as well as several officers at KWS headquarters, said KWS Director William Kibet Kiprono.

 

The officers are suspected of collaborating with poachers and face permanent removal and legal charges if investigations confirm those suspicions, he said.

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Two tiger poachers nabbed, confess to killing five tigers in Melghat

Two tiger poachers nabbed, confess to killing five tigers in Melghat | Wildlife Trafficking: Who Does it? Allows it? | Scoop.it

The two, who were nabbed from Mansar, are part of a 30-member gang, which claims to have killed five tigers in the region over the last one month and sold tiger skins to a trader in North India.

 

NAGPUR: The local crime branch (LCB) has nabbed two tiger poachers belonging to the notorious Baheliya community. The two, who were nabbed from Mansar, are part of a 30-member gang, which claims to have killed five tigers in the region over the last one month and sold tiger skins to a trader in North India.

The operation to nab the poachers was launched on May 30 based on a tip-off to Nagpur IG from New Delhi. Police nabbed the poachers on June 6 while they were finalizing a deal for a tiger skin....

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Philippines destroy Dh36m worth elephant tusks

June 21 event in support of global campaign to stop illegal ivory trade.

 

The Philippines will crush and burn about five tonnes of seized elephant tusks worth 420 million pesos (Dh36.5m), in support for the global campaign to stop the illegal trade of wildlife species....


DENR, or Department of Environemtn and Natural Resources, said the ivory tusks, stored at the Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau (PAWB), were intercepted by customs officials since 2009 in separate operations across the Philippines.

The 1989 Geneva Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) of flora and fauna, to which the Philippines is a signatory, bans the ivory trade, which has been the cause of a massive decline in elephant populations in Africa....


The illegal trade of elephant tusks in and through the Philippines has been given a spotlight since National Geographic investigative journalist and former Washington-based international lawyer Bryan Cristy reported about it in 2012....

Wildlife Margrit's insight:

Glad to hear about this...

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"Caught On The Equator; Finding The Fire Within" by Heather P. Shreve

"Caught On The Equator; Finding The Fire Within" by Heather P. Shreve | Wildlife Trafficking: Who Does it? Allows it? | Scoop.it

Based on a true story, Caught On The Equator is about BEAUTY, and the music within all of us.
It's about being ORIGINAL and THE GIFT of BECOMING who you were meant to be...


As an artist and a teenager, this is my story of discovering an exotic country and the unexpected gifts that lay within.


Join me on a raw and amazing trek to E. Africa, back to 1983 in a country filled with savage beauty but also harboring a savage business- IVORY! Find out how I unknowingly was caught up in both, and how venturing into a place on fire with corruption, struggling to recover from a coup in 1982, showed me a perspective that would change the rest of my life....

Wildlife Margrit's insight:

I don't usually promote things that are offered for sale.

However, Heather's book takes to the Africa we all fantasize still is and into a world that is squeezing the very breath out of the continent's wildlife and people... organized crime.

 

Oh, yes I wrote the Foreword.

 

Heather assures me that she will be contributing to assist the protection of elephants and other endangered and threatened wildlife in Africa. 

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Philippines first consuming nation to destroy its ivory stock

Philippines first consuming nation to destroy its ivory stock | Wildlife Trafficking: Who Does it? Allows it? | Scoop.it

The country's decision was inspired by a National Geographic magazine exposé on the illegal ivory trade....

 

On June 21 the Philippines will destroy five tons of seized ivory, becoming the world's first ivory-consuming nation to destroy its national ivory stock.


"The destruction of the items would hopefully bring the Philippines' message across the globe that the country is serious and will not tolerate illegal wildlife trade, and denounces the continuous killing of elephants for illicit ivory trade," says Mundita Lim, director of the Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau (PAWB) of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

 

PAWB, the country's lead wildlife agency, will destroy all the ivory in its possession, except for 106 pieces to be repatriated to Kenya and a few pieces to be retained for training, enforcement, and education purposes.

 

Five tons is less than half of the total ivory seized by the Philippines in recent years. But most of that seized ivory grew legs and disappeared....

 

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2013/06/130618-philippines-ivory-crush-elephants-poaching-world-asia/#

 

 


 

 

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Mississippi Poachers plead guilty

Three Yalobusha County residents were apprehended and convicted of poaching wild turkeys following a Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks investigation.

 

According to MDWFP, Jeffery C. Reeves, Randall A. Byford and Anthony C. Davis all plead guilty to various charges including hunting turkey during a closed season. One subject admitted to hunting wild turkeys unlawfully for the last 18 years. The subjects killed turkeys while trespassing on private lands.

 

All three were fined and each received 60 days in the county jail, with 50 days suspended.

 

The investigation was the result of a tip from a concerned citizen. To report wildlife violations, call 1-800-BE SMART. (1-800-237-6278)

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Death of a Wildlife Hero: A Park Ranger

Death of a Wildlife Hero: A Park Ranger | Wildlife Trafficking: Who Does it? Allows it? | Scoop.it
Underpaid, ill-equipped and outnumbered, park rangers fight a one-sided war against vicious gangs of poachers. Hundreds have been murdered in the defence of endangered wildlife, and their deaths leave their own families in jeopardy.
Wildlife Margrit's insight:

Fighting to save the rhino is about so much more than the rhino... its about the lives of the park rangers and the people in the communities who's economy is being undermined by the illegal trade of wildlife.

May you rest in peace Esnart Paundi.

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Kenya: President Kenyatta raises penalties for poachers in first cabinet meeting

Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta held his first cabinet meeting in Nairobi Thursday (June 6th), calling for the ministers' dedication to fulfilling promises made by the Jubilee Coalition during election campaigns.

 

"You must take charge of your ministries, work as a team and get down to the business of serving the Kenyan people who are anxious to see the government deliver on its promises," Kenyatta said, according to a press release from the Presidential Press Service....

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Added Protection for Chimps announced by USFWS

Added Protection for Chimps announced by USFWS | Wildlife Trafficking: Who Does it? Allows it? | Scoop.it

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Proposes Protection for All Chimpanzees – Captive and Wild – as Endangered

 

Following additional legal determinations about the application of the Endangered Species Act (ESA), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has announced a proposal to classify both wild and captive chimpanzees as endangered. The decision reflects growing threats to the species and aligns the chimpanzee’s status with existing legal requirements as well as protections for other species. Currently, only wild chimpanzees are listed as endangered while captive chimpanzees are listed as threatened.

 

The proposed rule would correct this inconsistency after the Service determined that the ESA does not allow for captive-held animals to be assigned a separate legal status from their wild counterparts. In addition, the Service found threats to the chimpanzee from habitat loss, poaching, and disease have intensified and expanded since wild populations were listed as endangered in 1990. This finding published in the Federal Register on June 12, 2013, and is available online athttp://www.fws.gov/policy/library/2013/2013-14007.pdf. For information on how to submit comments or information on this proposed rule, go to page 35202 of the Federal Register document referenced above.
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Philippines: BI wants to deport 12 Chinese poachers

Philippines: BI wants to deport 12 Chinese poachers | Wildlife Trafficking: Who Does it? Allows it? | Scoop.it
The Philippine government plans to let 12 suspected Chinese poachers arrested at Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park in April with a cargo of endangered pangolins leave the country despite facing criminal charges.
Wildlife Margrit's insight:

Here we go again!

They get caught and then someone seems to "buy" the poachers' freedom!

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Malaysia's most sought after wildlife species by poachers

Malaysia's most sought after wildlife species by poachers | Wildlife Trafficking: Who Does it? Allows it? | Scoop.it

The illegal wildlife trade in Malaysia is rising at worrying levels despite stricter enforcement and heavier penalties. -TNP...

 

Greedy traffickers who gain huge profits from the cruel and unethical trade are focusing on Malaysia as it is among the few countries which still has tigers, elephants, sun bears, pangolins and other sought-after species.

 

A live tiger is worth about US$50,000 (S$63,000) in the black market. Its skin alone can be worth up to US$35,000, reported Malaysia's The Star.

 

A dead tiger's carcass, without the skin, fetches about US$5,000.

 

Elephant tusks sell for US$1,800 a 

 

Among the animals highly sought after by poachers in Malaysia are wild boar, sambar deer, barking deer, mousedeer and porcupine, and several species of rare birds.

 

According to the Department of Wildlife and National Parks (Perhilitan), traffickers are motivated by the high profit margins in the wildlife trade...

Wildlife Margrit's insight:

You can just see the stress in this poor wild cat's face...

We can help stop this trade.

Please don't buy exotic pets or products made from wildlife body parts.

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Researcher Studying Endangered Elephants Flees Central African Republic

Researcher Studying Endangered Elephants Flees Central African Republic | Wildlife Trafficking: Who Does it? Allows it? | Scoop.it

The border guards, wary of advancing rebels, fired their guns in the air as three motorized skiffs approached along the Sangha River in the late April night. But the boats’ occupants were unarmed foreigners, fleeing a bloody insurrection that had gripped the Central African Republic (CAR). Among the refugees was elephant researcher Andrea Turkalo, carrying $25,000 in cash and six hard drives—packed with more than 20 years of data—which she’d grabbed before fleeing her jungle compound....


Read on

http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/crux/2013/06/10/researchers-studying-endangered-elephants-flee-central-african-republic/#.UbdLb_nVCSo

Wildlife Margrit's insight:

Late last year Former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said that wildlife trafficking was a threat to security... she was right!

 

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Kenya : Four arrested with Sh3.2m elephant tusks

KWS warden says they were tipped off by public and that suspects might have used guns or poison to kill animals.

 

Four suspected poachers were arrested in Embu after they were found in possession of two elephant tusks worth Sh3.2million.

 

Kenya Wildlife Services ( KWS) Embu deputy warden-in-charge Francis Bisuche said they moved into action over the weekend after they were tipped off by the public that the suspects were in possession of the goods..

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New Zealand: Trout poachers caught in the act

New Zealand: Trout poachers caught in the act | Wildlife Trafficking: Who Does it? Allows it? | Scoop.it
An increase in trout poaching has prompted a warning that hidden cameras will catch poachers in the act.
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Thai police arrest pet shop owner for possessing protected wildlife, including rare lions

Thai police arrest pet shop owner for possessing protected wildlife, including rare lions | Wildlife Trafficking: Who Does it? Allows it? | Scoop.it
BANGKOK — A pet shop owner was arrested after Thai police found hundreds of protected animals, including rare lions, in his warehouse near Bangkok, authorities said Monday.
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$800K for camera traps to hunt poachers in Tsavo, Kenya

$800K for camera traps to hunt poachers in Tsavo, Kenya | Wildlife Trafficking: Who Does it? Allows it? | Scoop.it
NAIROBI Kenya, Jun 4 - The fight against rhino and elephant poachers in the Tsavo has received a boost in the form of a Sh70 million grant to deploy state-of-the-art
Wildlife Margrit's insight:

Let's hope and pray all the money goes for the camera traps to help stop the elephant poachers!

 

I've seen countries receive funds for emissions control... the stations stand idle, vehicles keep belching toxic fumes. The money? Probably in some politicians pocket.

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Hard man actor Tom Hardy to hunt down poachers in Africa

Hard man actor Tom Hardy to hunt down poachers in Africa | Wildlife Trafficking: Who Does it? Allows it? | Scoop.it
New ITV documentary will see animal lover star of Inception, Dark Knight Rises and Bronson "bring the senseless slaughter of endangered wildlife in Africa to the attention of the masses"
Greer Noble's curator insight, June 4, 2:39 PM

Brilliant! These are REAL men in my books.. not pathetic excuses of humanity that rape and plunder to appease the greed of other even lesser creatures that think they're men!

Wildlife Margrit's comment, June 5, 8:51 AM
Thanks Greer
Angel Jackets's curator insight, June 19, 8:25 AM

Bane vest jacket, official license jacket only at angeljackets.

 

http://www.angeljackets.com/products/The-Dark-Knight-Rises-Bane-Vest.html