Between the cacao fields of northwest Madagascar and the vanilla of the northeast, a chain of rainforests bob along the highland interior. Tsaratanana Reserve, home to the country’s highest peak, has long been a key link in the chain, with abundant primary forest mostly undisturbed by human activity. Yet the reserve now faces threats on […]
Tag: traffickers
South Africa traffics thousands of endangered wild animals to China in ‘corrupt and growing’ trade, investigation finds
South African traders with China are illegally selling thousands of wild animals threatened with extinction and endangered, under the guise of legal exports, according to an investigation. Monkeys have been stolen from the wild, and together with cheetahs, tigers, rhinos, lions and meerkats, they have been trafficked to circuses, theme parks, laboratories, zoos and “safari […]
Images from a dropped phone reveal the ugly truth behind bonobo trafficking
In the early morning hours of Feb. 23, a gunshot rang out from deep within a Congolese forest. And then another, followed by one last bang. The shots were fired about 10 kilometers (6 miles) outside the village of Mondombe in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where an experienced anti-poaching team from local NGO Conserv […]
Coronavirus: Putting the spotlight on the global wildlife trade
Conservation experts say the coronavirus pandemic, which likely originated at a market selling wild animals in China, is a watershed moment for curbing the global wildlife trade, which can drive extinction and spread disease. When Adam Peyman walked into a restaurant in Vietnam to order a meal he was shocked to find wild animals, including […]
Petition: New BBC Show Uncovers Urgent Tiger Trafficking Crisis in Southeast Asia
A new BBC program hosted by Aldo Kane called Tigers: Hunting the Traffickers, is an in-depth look at the tiger farms in Southeast Asia. Less than 4,000 tigers exist in the wild and yet these farms exist to feed the illegal black market tiger trade. Kane travels through China, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam to explore […]
Conservationists welcome China’s wildlife trade ban
Conservationists are welcoming news that the Chinese Government has temporarily banned the sale of wildlife in markets, restaurants and over e-commerce as part of an effort to contain the Coronavirus outbreak, which has already claimed 56 lives. Defined as a zoonotic disease since it’s normally relegated to wildlife, it may have originated from a snake […]
Two People Sent to Jail in Cambodia for Illegally Possessing Body Parts of Protected Wildlife
Two people in Cambodia have been sentenced to 26 months in jail each for possessing body parts of protected wild animals. It’s the first successful case like this since the Johor National Park was created 27 years ago. It’s also a success given that the illegal wildlife trade affects one-fifth of vertebrates on land. Wild animals clearly are in need of […]
Petition: Find Wildlife Traffickers Who Tossed Exotic Animals Into the Sea to Their Death
Recently, a study found that one-fifth of vertebrates on land are bought and sold in the wildlife trade. The wildlife trade, both legal and illegal, is a cruel, global multi billion dollar business in which animals are captured, killed, and sold for their meat, skin, and bones. Animals like pangolins are so highly trafficked, they […]