ILOILO, Philippines — A pig growled in pain. I walked up to the enclosure of sharp, rusty metal grill to see a Visayan warty pig (Sus cebifrons), known locally as baboy talunon, crouched on the ground, with another pig biting its back. The wounded pig squealed again and ran around the enclosure. “The wounded pig […]
Tag: wildlife trafficking
Conserving wildlife is key to tropical forests’ carbon storage, study finds
This past summer, the world was gripped by the flames that tore through the Amazon rainforest and released huge volumes of trapped carbon dioxide in the process. Half a world away, far from the social media hashtags, a much smaller patch of tropical forest was revealing the secret of what makes these landscapes such potent […]
‘Lions are on the menu now’: Inside the legal lion bone trade
Kris Everatt was tracking lion prides as part of his conservation research in Mozambique’s Limpopo National Park when he came across dozens of dead vultures near a waterhole. As he walked closer to the waterhole, he saw the mutilated bodies of three lions. Their faces and paws were missing. “I’d never seen a lion with […]
Video: Pango-Cam offers amazing and unique view of pangolin behavior
Widely sought for its scales and flesh, which are channeled into the illegal trade to buyers in Asia, pangolins are said to be the world’s most trafficked animal. They face an uncertain future despite acomplete ban on trade in any of the eight pangolin species, agreed to in 2017 under the Convention on International Trade […]
Demand for North American bear parts fuels black market activity in Canada: expert
Black market demand for bear parts like gallbladders and paws has led to poaching of these animals in Saskatchewan and Canada, according to one man who’s dedicated to cracking down on wildlife trafficking. “Imagine that you have somethingthat has gone extinct just about everywhere else in the world but there’s only one place that it’s […]
International trade in hippo teeth sparks new alarm
An international trade in hippopotamus teeth and tusks is fast becoming a legal substitute for elephant ivory, a leading conservationist warned. Azzedine Downes, chief executive of the International Fund for Animal Welfare, said the practice was concerning. Speaking during a visit to Dubai to discuss unlawful online sales of animal products, he said an increase […]
Thousands of wild animals seized in smuggling crackdown
Police across the globe have seized thousands of wild animals, including primates and big cats, and arrested nearly 600 suspects in a crackdown on illegal wildlife smuggling, Interpol has said. Covering 109 countries, the operation was carried out in coordination with the World Customs Organization (WCO), with investigators homing in on trafficking routes and crime […]
Indonesia arrests 7 for allegedly selling Komodo dragons over Facebook
JAKARTA — Indonesian authorities have arrested seven suspected members of a trafficking ring believed to have used Facebook and other social media to sell at least 40 Komodo dragons and other protected species. Police are holding five of the suspects in Surabaya, in East Java province, and two in Jakarta, the capital, according to Wiratno, […]
