A French court has convicted eight men including members of an Irish crime gang for trafficking rhino horn and ivory between Europe and east Asia. Four men – three Irish and one English – said to be members of the Rathkeale Rovers gang were given prison terms, though two were spared jail as the sentences […]
Tag: trafficking
Wildlife Traffickers Arrested After Ivory and Pangolin Scales Were Found
Nigeria customs service arrested three suspected wildlife traffickers after seizing animal parts. Officers seized 196 sacks containing 7,137 kg of pangolin scales and 4.6 kg of pangolin claws. The suspected traffickers were also found with a startling 846.34 kg of ivory, according to Wildlife Justice Commission. The animal parts were discovered when they were already […]
There Could be Over 3,000 Pet Tigers in Texas
A lack of regulation over the ownership of exotic pets could be causing an influx in people owning pet tigers. One animal trainer who has owned exotic pets believes that there could be more than 3,000 pet tigers in Texas right now, according to Click2Houston. Though there are plenty of laws banning and regulating the […]
Study warns of impacts of unregulated trade in Indonesian porcupines
JAKARTA — The unmonitored illegal trade in porcupines across Indonesia has prompted calls from conservationists for stricter protection for the species’ population in the wild. A new study examining seizure data of porcupines, their parts and derivatives in Indonesia has found more than 450 of the animals in nearly 40 incidents between January 2013 and […]
The Great Cover-Up: Substitute Species in Illegal Wildlife Trade
With a yearly value estimated between $7 and $23 billion, the illegal wildlife trade is a lucrative business that can quickly decimate targeted wildlife species. When trade regulations are strengthened for a particular wildlife product while the demand for that product remains high, traffickers are never short on stratagems to defy authorities and circumvent laws […]
Finding fangs: new film exposes illicit trade killing off Bolivia’s iconic jaguar
Elizabeth Unger was a 25-year-old biology graduate working as a PhD research assistant for big cat and climate projects in Latin America when she heard about the Bolivian authorities intercepting dozens of packages containing jaguar fangs sent by Chinese citizens to addresses in China. “I was really blown away as [the story] was completely under […]
Unregulated by U.S. at home, Facebook boosts wildlife trafficking abroad
In a matter of seconds, anyone can find evidence of wildlife trafficking on Facebook, according to independent researchers and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) experts. Even using simple search terms returns thousands of posts that offer wildlife and body parts up for sale. Elephant ivory from Thailand, pangolin scales from Vietnam, and sun bears […]
Wildlife trafficking, like everything else, has gone online during COVID-19
MANILA — When COVID-19 emerged in early 2020 in Southeast Asia, its governments took rapid containment actions: lockdowns, travel restrictions and trade suspensions, alerting the public about the virus. The pandemic has also put illegal or unsustainable wildlife trade under the spotlight due to enhanced restrictions on movement and increasing awareness about the public health […]