WASHINGTON— Animal protection and conservation groups sued the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today for failing to propose stricter protections for African leopards under the U.S. Endangered Species Act to address the harms of trophy hunting. The United States is the world’s biggest importer of African leopard hunting trophies and consumed more than half the […]
Tag: wildlife trade
Over 200 Species From Amazon Rainforest Sold Illegally in Peru Markets
A recent undercover investigation by World Animal Protection revealed that over 200 species from the Amazon rainforest are being sold at a market in Peru. All kinds of animals, in varying degrees of neglect, were found there, including dolphins, sloths, manatees, jaguars, turtles, and primates. Many of the animals were being sold to be used […]
Malaysian hornbill bust reveals live trafficking trend in Southeast Asia
In August 2021, authorities at Malaysia’s Kuala Lumpur International Airport discovered a shipment of eight hornbills, caged but alive, en route to international markets. The Department of Wildlife and National Parks (PERHILITAN) seized the birds and arrested two men for failing to display valid documentation for possession of the birds. Among the haul was a […]
Malawi court sentences Chinese wildlife trafficking kingpin to 14 years in jail
Malawi’s illegal wildlife trade crackdown has earned a Chinese national 14 years in jail. Yunhua Lin, considered the lynchpin of a notorious wildlife trafficking cartel operating across in Southern Africa, was convicted in June of the illegal trade in wildlife parts, illegal possession of firearms, and possession of illegal drugs. At Lin’s sentencing at the […]
Weak controls fuel surge in wildlife trafficking by air across Latin America
Brazilian authorities point to Russian biologist Kyrill Kravchenko as an international wildlife trafficker. They had been monitoring him since 2017, after he was arrested in the Netherlands with rare wildlife from Brazil in his possession. In mid-January this year, as he tried to board a plane to Russia at São Paulo’s international airport, they intercepted […]
Should the commercial breeding of tigers and tiger farms be banned?
More than 8,000 tigers live in captivity in China, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam, where they are kept and bred for commercial uses, including for selfies with tourists and illegal trade in their bones, skins, and other parts. Tiger bones may be turned into medicinal paste or brewed into a wine believed to make the drinker […]
Taskforce to tackle piracy, abductions and wildlife trafficking at sea to be launched
A new taskforce focused on taking down piracy, abductions and wildlife trafficking on sea is set to be launched later this year in the sub- region between Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines. The program, dubbed Tripod, will focus on the shared territory around the Sulu and Celebes Seas to develop cross- border regional collaboration and […]
UK government seeks to extend protection of ivory-bearing animals
Hippos, walruses and killer whales could receive greater legal protection under government proposals to extend the ban on ivory poaching. The plans would see the Ivory Act broadened to cover more animals, with ministers saying elephants are not the only species at risk. The proposed protections opened for public consultation on Saturday, and the Department […]