The population of captive animals on “bear farms” in Laos has been increasing significantly in recent years, despite laws to protect the bears. After mother bears and their cubs—both Asiatic black bears and sun bears—are captured, their bile and body parts are harvested for use in traditional Chinese medicine. An organization called Free the Bears […]
Tag: trafficking
POLL: Should the trafficking of wild birds be banned?
Pittas are a birdwatcher’s prize. Called “jewels of the forest” for their glorious plumage, these shy, secretive birds are almost impossible to spot in the wild. But head to Indonesia’s massive wild bird markets, and they’re a common sight, according to a new report by TRAFFIC and Birdtour Asia. That’s despite a law banning hunting […]
Mali’s desert elephants face extinction within three years
Mali’s elephants, one of just two remaining desert herds in the world, will be gone in three years unless the government does more to protect them, a conservation group has warned. Poachers have taken advantage of the chaos from a growing Islamist insurgency and other unrest in the lawless north to step up ivory trafficking […]
Peru issues its first sentence against species traffickers, setting a precedent
On January 6, two men happened to be near San José church in the Lima district of Jesús María, when they were stopped by various agents from the Office Against Illegal Logging and Protection of Natural Resources (Dirección Contra la Tala Ilegal y Protección de los Recursos Naturales, or DIRCTIPRN – PNP), in coordination with […]
POLL: Should the trapping of bobcats and beavers be banned?
When I think of fur trappers, I imagine a frontiersman in a coonskin cap paddling his canoe full of beaver pelts down the Hudson River. But when reporter Tom Knudson thinks of trapping, it’s a guy trudging into a forest in Nevada, or some other Western state, to set a steel-jaw trap for a bobcat. […]
How Black-Market Poison Is Helping Poachers Kill Animals
According to Zimbabwe authorities, poachers have killed a total of 80 elephants by poisoning them with cyanide, a highly toxic industrial chemical, during various incidents in recent months. First, 11 elephants were killed in Hwange National Park and 3 in Matusadona National Park. On October 26, the parks authority announced that another 22 had been […]
POLL: Should the trade in endangered wildlife species be banned?
Wildlife traffickers are exploiting a legal grey area to trade in highly lucrative protected lizard species at the world’s biggest reptile fair, a Guardian investigation has discovered. Endangered animals from Latin America, New Zealand and south-east Asia are being offered for sale at prices of up to €5,000 (£3,200) a pair on the sidelines of […]
U.S. Steps Up Fight Against Poaching and Wildlife Trafficking
With the slaughter of elephants and rhinos in Africa at record levels, lawmakers in the U.S. are stepping up efforts to save some of the world’s most iconic species. An Obama administration task force is expected to make recommendations on how the federal government do more to fight wildlife trafficking, a trade that largely revolves […]