A cacophony of birdsong rings out from hundreds of wire and bamboo cages strung along awnings and crisscrossing the ceilings of cramped open-air stalls at Pramuka, Indonesia’s biggest bird market, in the capital, Jakarta. Thousands of wild birds—ranging from tiny brown finches and brilliant rainbow lorikeets to small-bodied, large-eyed owls—will be sold as pets to […]
Tag: illegal trade
POLL: Should the ban on rhino horn trade be lifted?
Two South Africans who farm rhinos on game ranches appeared in court today in Pretoria seeking to overturn the country’s ban on the domestic rhino horn trade. John Hume and Johan Kruger argue that the ban, which has been in force since 2009, is unconstitutional. And they claim it has contributed to the recent sharp […]
POLL: Should the ban on South Africa’s horn trade be lifted?
Amid mixed responses from conservationists and animal activists, a group of rhino breeders and game reserve owners in South Africa is taking legal action to overturn a domestic ban on the trade of rhino horn. Arguing that horns are a renewable resource, the group has filed a case in a civil court claiming that selling […]
Amid rhinoceros poaching frenzy, dark days for South African society
Two adult rhinos and a calf lie under a tree 50 meters off the road. It’s a nice sighting for me in the midday heat of Kruger National Park in South Africa — my second of rhinos in two days. On the eastern horizon behind their sleeping forms lies a dark blue line; the Lembobo […]
A Birthday Gift to Stop the Illegal Slaughter of Migrating Birds
The countdown has started – in only 18 days the Dutch Knights, represented by Martijn Verdoes, Marc Guyt & Gert Ottens, will take part in the biggest birding event of the year – the Champions of the Flyway 2015. This is a fundraising event to stop the illegal trapping and slaughter of millions of migrating […]
Pangolins: why this cute prehistoric mammal is facing extinction
A what? A pangolin. It’s the only mammal in the world that is completely covered in scales. It looks like an artichoke on legs. Or a cross between a crocodile and a snake. Or a wacky computer-game invention. It is one of 10 animals that Sir David Attenborough would put on his personal ark, and […]
Over a million pangolins slaughtered in the last decade
All pangolins now threatened with extinction, and two considered Critically Endangered. One of the world’s most bizarre animal groups is now at risk of complete eradication, according to an update of the IUCN Red List. Pangolins, which look and behave similarly to (scaly) anteaters yet are unrelated, are being illegally consumed out of existence due […]
Worst rhino poaching year on record for South Africa
At least 688 rhinos have been poached in South Africa this year, surpassing last year’s record of 668 with more than three months remaining in 2013, reports the country’s top environmental official. In a speech given September 21 — the day before World Rhino Day — Minister of Water and Environmental Affairs Edna Molewa presented […]