Canada’s recent landmark ban on the domestic trade of elephant ivory and rhino horn is a breakthrough for wildlife conservation. This bold move throws the spotlight on Australia, where despite strict compliance with international agreements, there’s a glaring inconsistency within the country’s borders. Australia’s states and territories each have their own set of rules regarding […]
Tag: traffickers
Togo monkey seizure turns spotlight on illicit wildlife trafficking from DR Congo
LUBUMBASHI, Democratic Republic of the Congo — On Dec. 2, Togolese authorities intercepted 38 monkeys at the airport. They were being sent from Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), to Thailand and included at least two species classified as vulnerable by the IUCN. Thirty of these animals had not been […]
Petition: Demand Authorities Investigate Exotic Animal Dealer’s Network
Authorities with the U.S. government recently discovered that an exotic animal dealer in the state of Michigan was violating the Endangered Species Act – trying to sell approximately 150 vulnerable, threatened, and endangered animals off to the public for thousands of dollars. Sign the petition to demand justice! In one case, the man attempted to […]
Thai Poaching Kingpin Sentenced to Prison
After years of investigations and appeals, Bach “Boonchai” Mai, the alleged leader of a major international wildlife trafficking ring, has been sentenced to five years in prison by the Thai Supreme Court. Mai was convicted of attempting to smuggle 14 rhino horns into Thailand, but his network, Hydra, has been involved in trafficking ivory, rhino […]
Mexico dismantles illegal fishing cartels killing off rare vaquita porpoise
MEXICO CITY, MEXICO — Some of the country’s most ambitious and successful wildlife traffickers are now in jail, officials announced. Mexico’s navy confirmed in a press conference that members of cartels dedicated to the trafficking of totoaba have been arrested and put in prison, effectively dismantling some of the main organized crime groups contributing to […]
Outgunned by militants, rangers fear for chimpanzees in southwest Mali
Forestry officer Karim Kamisoko is not at his post. Instead of patrolling Bafing Faunal Reserve in southwestern Mali, he and his fellow rangers are 70 kilometers (43 miles) away, taking shelter from Islamist militants who have seized control of much of this part of southwestern Mali. Bafing Faunal Reserve covers 176,000 hectares (435,000 acres), its […]
Three Baby Chimpanzees Stolen From Sanctuary and Held for Ransom
Three baby chimpanzees were stolen from a sanctuary in Congo and are being abused and held for ransom. The three chimps were rescued from animal trafficking and have now been kidnapped from a rescue center in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Experts are worried about more widespread animal kidnapping in the area. The founders […]
Trafficked: Kidnapped chimps, jailed rhino horn traffickers, and seized donkey parts
LUBUMBASHI Democratic Republic of Congo Three chimpanzees have been kidnapped and are being held for ransom after intruders broke into a primate sanctuary in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Franck Chantereau, founder of the J.A.C.K. Primate Rehabilitation Centre, says the kidnappers got into the 7-hectare (17-acre) facility in the southern city of Lubumbashi at around 3 […]