More elephant tusks were seized in 2011 than in any year since 1989, when the ivory trade was banned, international wildlife trade group Traffic says.
The group said elephants have had a "horrible year", with 23 tonnes of ivory seized - representing at least 2,500 dead animals.
Trade in ivory was banned in 1989 to save elephants from extinction.
But it has continued illegally because of huge demand in Asia, where it is used to make decorative objects.
"The escalating large ivory quantities involved in 2011 reflect both a rising demand in Asia and the increasing sophistication of the criminal gangs behind the trafficking," said a statement from Traffic, which monitors the trade in wildlife products.
"Most illegal shipments of African elephant ivory end up in either China or Thailand."
Shifting smuggling routes
The group said there had been at least 13 large seizures of ivory this year, amounting to more than 23 tonnes, compared to six last year of less than 10 tonnes.
"In 23 years of compiling ivory seizure data... this is the worst year ever for large ivory seizures. 2011 has truly been a horrible year for elephants," Traffic's elephant expert Tom Milliken said.
Read more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-16353204
Showing posts with label illegal ivory trade. Show all posts
Showing posts with label illegal ivory trade. Show all posts
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Saturday, November 26, 2011
33 rhino horns and a quantity of ivory seized in Hong Kong
Rhino horns shipped from South AfricaNovember 2011. Hong Kong Customs have seized 33 rhino horns, 758 ivory chopsticks and 127 ivory bracelets that were concealed inside a container shipped to Hong Kong from South Africa. This seizure may provide a unique opportunity to gain insights into the criminal syndicates trafficking wildlife goods between Africa and Asia, according to TRAFFIC.
Track the DNA
TRAFFIC supports the South African Department of Environmental Affairs in requesting the authorities in Hong Kong to send DNA samples of the seized goods to the Veterinary Genetics Laboratory at the University of Pretoria in South Africa for examination. If the horn samples can be matched with records in the rhino DNA database it may be possible to identify the individual animals that were poached for their horns.
“Such an effort could yield major clues about who is behind this consignment,” said Tom Milliken, TRAFFIC’s rhino expert.
Read more here ...
TRAFFIC supports the South African Department of Environmental Affairs in requesting the authorities in Hong Kong to send DNA samples of the seized goods to the Veterinary Genetics Laboratory at the University of Pretoria in South Africa for examination. If the horn samples can be matched with records in the rhino DNA database it may be possible to identify the individual animals that were poached for their horns.
“Such an effort could yield major clues about who is behind this consignment,” said Tom Milliken, TRAFFIC’s rhino expert.
Monday, October 31, 2011
More huge ivory seizures as rampant poaching is reported
Elephant poaching in DRC and seizures in Vietnam show elephants imperilled by ivory tradeOctober 2011. Reports this week of rampant poaching by armed forces in the Democratic Republic of Congo add a disturbing twist to the recent announcement of a seizure of more than one tonne of ivory in Vietnam.
Record poaching
These alarming events come after seven months of record poaching incidents and seizures. The International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) commends the authorities for the arrests that have been made but warns that much more needs to be done to reduce the threat to elephants.
All ivory sales should be banned
"As long as demand for ivory in China continues to rise, elephants in Africa and Asia will be under increasing pressure from poaching," said James Isiche, IFAW East Africa Director. "China and Japan may have bought legal ivory in 2008 but here in elephant range states we continue to pay the price for that purchase as any legal trade in ivory provides the cover for ivory trafficking. We know what the solution is - it worked in 1989 and it can work again - a full and complete ban on all sales of ivory."
DRC soldiers poaching ivory
According to media reports, soldiers from different parts of the DRC conduct massive poaching raids in the Okapi Reserve, in the north-east of the DRC near the Ugandan border. Local populations are coerced into leading soldiers to find their wildlife targets, predominantly elephants. The soldiers use automatic weapons for poaching from the 7,500 forest elephants in the reserve; the largest remaining population in eastern DRC.
1 tonne of ivory confiscatedIn Mid October, Vietnamese authorities found one tonne of ivory made up of 221 individual pieces hidden in rolls of fabric that were being transported on a boat on the Ka Long river bordering Vietnam and China. Customs officials said on Monday that a Chinese man who was escorting the boat and the Vietnamese captain were detained by local police for further investigation. Earlier in the year Vietnamese officials seized 122 tusks and Chinese officials seized 707 tusks just over the border in separate incidents.
"These events make it clear that China's legal ivory market is a big attraction for ivory smugglers. There is ample opportunity to get the illegal ivory ‘white-washed' and sold under the cover of legal trade," said Grace Ge Gabriel, IFAW Asia Regional Director. "We need the international community to stand up against the ivory trade once and for all. We urge everyone to go to www.elephantmarch.com to pressure their government into taking action to save elephants."
2011 has borne witness to a staggering degree of carnage with 5,004 elephant tusks seized in these known major seizures. Countless smaller seizures have also taken place.
http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/vietnam-ivory.html
Record poaching
These alarming events come after seven months of record poaching incidents and seizures. The International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) commends the authorities for the arrests that have been made but warns that much more needs to be done to reduce the threat to elephants.
All ivory sales should be banned
"As long as demand for ivory in China continues to rise, elephants in Africa and Asia will be under increasing pressure from poaching," said James Isiche, IFAW East Africa Director. "China and Japan may have bought legal ivory in 2008 but here in elephant range states we continue to pay the price for that purchase as any legal trade in ivory provides the cover for ivory trafficking. We know what the solution is - it worked in 1989 and it can work again - a full and complete ban on all sales of ivory."
DRC soldiers poaching ivory
According to media reports, soldiers from different parts of the DRC conduct massive poaching raids in the Okapi Reserve, in the north-east of the DRC near the Ugandan border. Local populations are coerced into leading soldiers to find their wildlife targets, predominantly elephants. The soldiers use automatic weapons for poaching from the 7,500 forest elephants in the reserve; the largest remaining population in eastern DRC.
1 tonne of ivory confiscatedIn Mid October, Vietnamese authorities found one tonne of ivory made up of 221 individual pieces hidden in rolls of fabric that were being transported on a boat on the Ka Long river bordering Vietnam and China. Customs officials said on Monday that a Chinese man who was escorting the boat and the Vietnamese captain were detained by local police for further investigation. Earlier in the year Vietnamese officials seized 122 tusks and Chinese officials seized 707 tusks just over the border in separate incidents.
"These events make it clear that China's legal ivory market is a big attraction for ivory smugglers. There is ample opportunity to get the illegal ivory ‘white-washed' and sold under the cover of legal trade," said Grace Ge Gabriel, IFAW Asia Regional Director. "We need the international community to stand up against the ivory trade once and for all. We urge everyone to go to www.elephantmarch.com to pressure their government into taking action to save elephants."
Illegal ivory seizures in recent months
According to the Elephant Trade Information System (ETIS) there has been, "a steadily increasing trend in levels of illicit ivory trade in 2004 onwards, with an exceptionally sharp upsurge in 2009....seizures of ivory reached record levels in 2009 and that these levels were largely sustained in 2010."2011 has borne witness to a staggering degree of carnage with 5,004 elephant tusks seized in these known major seizures. Countless smaller seizures have also taken place.
- On April 1 Thai officials discovered 247 tusks hidden in a shipment from Kenya. It is not clear where the ivory originated.
- Two weeks later Vietnamese officials seized 122 elephant tusks and a day after that Chinese officials uncovered 707 elephant tusks during a routine inspection.
- In early May Kenyan authorities uncovered 84 elephant tusks at Nairobi airport.
- On July 8 Malaysian officials seized 405 elephant tusks.
- On July 26 US Fish and Wildlife Officers made their biggest-ever bust in Philadelphia of approximately one metric tonne of ivory.
- In mid-August a China-bound shipment from Tanzania was seized in Malaysia with 664 elephant tusks.
- 1,041 elephant tusks bound for Malaysia were seized in Zanzibar on August 23.
- Officials in Hong Kong seized 794 African elephant tusks on a shipment from Malaysia at the end of August.
- That same week officials in Malaysia seized 695 elephant tusks that had come from Tanzania and were bound for China.
- On September 30 Vietnamese officials seized at least 24 tusks in the north-central province of Nghe An.
- Three weeks later Vietnamese officials seized approximately 221 tusks hidden in a boat bound for China.
http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/vietnam-ivory.html
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Chinese in Africa told: ‘Don’t buy ivory’
Many people don't realise it's illegal August 2011: TRAFFIC and the China Wildlife Conservation Association (CWCA) are targeting Chinese nationals living in Africa with their message not to bring ivory and other illegal wildlife products into China.
A series of Chinese-language broadcasts about Stop the illegal trade in ivory are being aired throughout Africa between July and the end of August by China Radio International (CRI).
As the number of Chinese nationals living and visiting Africa has increased in recent years - several hundred thousand Chinese workers currently live in Africa, working in a variety of industries including mining, forestry and infrastructure development - so has the frequency of cases in which Chinese nationals have been found illegally transporting ivory and other wildlife products to China.
A typical example occurred last month, when Huanggang Customs in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province caught a man illegally entering China with 3.5 kg of ivory products from Africa.
Combatting a basic lack of awarenessThe radio broadcasts aim to counteract the basic lack of awareness among Chinese citizens about the illegality of transporting ivory and the consequences of being caught. Some people claim not to know it is illegal and others believe that if caught, they only face having the goods confiscated.
But, as the radio programmes highlight, the consequences of smuggling ivory are far more serious, with anyone found guilty facing anything between five years and permanent imprisonment under Chinese Criminal Law.
‘The open sale of ivory in illegal domestic markets in parts of Africa may give the false impression it can be legally purchased, but buyers should be aware they could end up behind bars for years,' said Jianbin Shi, head of TRAFFIC's China programme.
Illegal ivory trade is escalatingRegulations governing the import and export of ivory and other wildlife products between Africa and China are covered in detail during the radio broadcasts, including those under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
A new report published revealing the escalating levels of illegal ivory trade and poaching of elephants was presented to government delegates at the 61st meeting of the Standing Committee to CITES earlier this month.
In 2009, China's Customs agency detected around 860 cases of smuggling of endangered species products, almost 800 of them elephant tusks or ivory products. Logistics companies too have witnessed a rise in the number of cases of illegal transportation of wildlife products, with often large quantities of protected items such as ivory, skins of Asian big cats, pangolin scales and antelope horns discovered.
http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/tanzania-ivory.html#cr
A series of Chinese-language broadcasts about Stop the illegal trade in ivory are being aired throughout Africa between July and the end of August by China Radio International (CRI).
As the number of Chinese nationals living and visiting Africa has increased in recent years - several hundred thousand Chinese workers currently live in Africa, working in a variety of industries including mining, forestry and infrastructure development - so has the frequency of cases in which Chinese nationals have been found illegally transporting ivory and other wildlife products to China.
A typical example occurred last month, when Huanggang Customs in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province caught a man illegally entering China with 3.5 kg of ivory products from Africa.
Combatting a basic lack of awarenessThe radio broadcasts aim to counteract the basic lack of awareness among Chinese citizens about the illegality of transporting ivory and the consequences of being caught. Some people claim not to know it is illegal and others believe that if caught, they only face having the goods confiscated.
But, as the radio programmes highlight, the consequences of smuggling ivory are far more serious, with anyone found guilty facing anything between five years and permanent imprisonment under Chinese Criminal Law.
‘The open sale of ivory in illegal domestic markets in parts of Africa may give the false impression it can be legally purchased, but buyers should be aware they could end up behind bars for years,' said Jianbin Shi, head of TRAFFIC's China programme.
Illegal ivory trade is escalatingRegulations governing the import and export of ivory and other wildlife products between Africa and China are covered in detail during the radio broadcasts, including those under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
A new report published revealing the escalating levels of illegal ivory trade and poaching of elephants was presented to government delegates at the 61st meeting of the Standing Committee to CITES earlier this month.
In 2009, China's Customs agency detected around 860 cases of smuggling of endangered species products, almost 800 of them elephant tusks or ivory products. Logistics companies too have witnessed a rise in the number of cases of illegal transportation of wildlife products, with often large quantities of protected items such as ivory, skins of Asian big cats, pangolin scales and antelope horns discovered.
http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/tanzania-ivory.html#cr
Sunday, August 28, 2011
More than 1000 ivory tusks seized in Tanzania
Authorities in Zanzibar reported the seizure of 1041 ivory tusks August 2011. Police in Zanzibar have seized 1,041 elephant tusks hidden in a shipment heading for Malaysia, according to media reports. The consignment was reported to have been offloaded at Zanzibar two weeks previously, where it arrived from Dar Es Salaam, and had been stored near Stone Town. Two local transport agents are being held by police for further questioning.
The ivory was hidden in a container of anchovies, where the strong smell would have discouraged an investigation of its contents. A similar modus operandi was used last year, when authorities in Hong Kong seized 384 elephant tusks in September, packed into two containers shipped from Zanzibar and labelled as dried fish.
Zanzibar Port
Following that seizure, in discussions with the Tanzanian government, TRAFFIC called for better law enforcement focus on the port of Zanzibar.
"TRAFFIC applauds the Tanzanian officials for apprehending this latest seizure and we are delighted they are zeroing in on the port of Zanzibar as a major conduit for contraband wildlife products," said Tom Milliken, TRAFFIC's Elephant & Rhino Programme Co-ordinator.
Milliken manages the Elephant Trade Information System (ETIS), the illegal ivory trade monitoring system that TRAFFIC runs on behalf of Parties to CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora). ETIS holds the details of nearly 17,000 reported ivory and other elephant product seizures that have taken place anywhere in the world since 1989.
Tanzania a major link on ivory smuggling chain
According to the ETIS data, Tanzania has been implicated in more large flows of ivory than any other country-a total of 21 of the 83 largest (>800 kg) ivory seizures to date. This is the first large-scale seizure that Tanzania has made itself since 2007 and only the second large seizure since 2002, although many smaller seizures have been made during this period.
Between 1989 and 2002, Tanzania made 10 large seizures (some 18.7 tonnes of ivory) before they were illegally exported, and no other large seizures were made elsewhere in the world during this period that implicated Tanzania, indicating a very good law enforcement record for the country.
But from 2003 through 2010, 10 further large seizures originating from Tanzania (totalling 28.6 tonnes) were made in Asia (Hong Kong, Philippines, Taiwan and Viet Nam), and only one large seizure (890 kg) was made inside Tanzania.
"The authorities in Tanzania appear to be making a welcome return to the pro-active law enforcement record they established throughout the 1990s," said Milliken. "As the country with the second largest elephant population in Africa, it's vitally important that Tanzania demonstrates good law enforcement, not only in terms of interdiction, but also subsequent investigation, arrest and prosecution of those responsible for the crime.
At least 500 elephants killed
Milliken added "The seizure represents a minimum of 500 dead elephants so it's essential to find out who was behind the killings and how come the ivory got as far as it did."
Overall, illegal trade in elephant ivory has been increasing in Africa since 2004.
A report tabled at last week's CITES Standing Committee noted: "the eastern Africa sub-region has consolidated its position as the primary exit point for illicit ivory leaving the African continent, with Kenya and the United Republic of Tanzania as prominent countries of origin or export in the trade, despite significant seizures being made in Kenya in recent times."
Malaysia a key player in ivory trade
The role of Malaysia in illicit ivory flows has also been identified through analysis of ETIS data. According to the most recent full analysis, published in 2009: "Malaysia has progressively gained prominence in successive ETIS analyses as a transit country for African ivory."
http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/tanzania-ivory.html
The ivory was hidden in a container of anchovies, where the strong smell would have discouraged an investigation of its contents. A similar modus operandi was used last year, when authorities in Hong Kong seized 384 elephant tusks in September, packed into two containers shipped from Zanzibar and labelled as dried fish.
Zanzibar Port
Following that seizure, in discussions with the Tanzanian government, TRAFFIC called for better law enforcement focus on the port of Zanzibar.
"TRAFFIC applauds the Tanzanian officials for apprehending this latest seizure and we are delighted they are zeroing in on the port of Zanzibar as a major conduit for contraband wildlife products," said Tom Milliken, TRAFFIC's Elephant & Rhino Programme Co-ordinator.
Milliken manages the Elephant Trade Information System (ETIS), the illegal ivory trade monitoring system that TRAFFIC runs on behalf of Parties to CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora). ETIS holds the details of nearly 17,000 reported ivory and other elephant product seizures that have taken place anywhere in the world since 1989.
Tanzania a major link on ivory smuggling chain
According to the ETIS data, Tanzania has been implicated in more large flows of ivory than any other country-a total of 21 of the 83 largest (>800 kg) ivory seizures to date. This is the first large-scale seizure that Tanzania has made itself since 2007 and only the second large seizure since 2002, although many smaller seizures have been made during this period.
Between 1989 and 2002, Tanzania made 10 large seizures (some 18.7 tonnes of ivory) before they were illegally exported, and no other large seizures were made elsewhere in the world during this period that implicated Tanzania, indicating a very good law enforcement record for the country.
But from 2003 through 2010, 10 further large seizures originating from Tanzania (totalling 28.6 tonnes) were made in Asia (Hong Kong, Philippines, Taiwan and Viet Nam), and only one large seizure (890 kg) was made inside Tanzania.
"The authorities in Tanzania appear to be making a welcome return to the pro-active law enforcement record they established throughout the 1990s," said Milliken. "As the country with the second largest elephant population in Africa, it's vitally important that Tanzania demonstrates good law enforcement, not only in terms of interdiction, but also subsequent investigation, arrest and prosecution of those responsible for the crime.
At least 500 elephants killed
Milliken added "The seizure represents a minimum of 500 dead elephants so it's essential to find out who was behind the killings and how come the ivory got as far as it did."
Overall, illegal trade in elephant ivory has been increasing in Africa since 2004.
A report tabled at last week's CITES Standing Committee noted: "the eastern Africa sub-region has consolidated its position as the primary exit point for illicit ivory leaving the African continent, with Kenya and the United Republic of Tanzania as prominent countries of origin or export in the trade, despite significant seizures being made in Kenya in recent times."
Malaysia a key player in ivory trade
The role of Malaysia in illicit ivory flows has also been identified through analysis of ETIS data. According to the most recent full analysis, published in 2009: "Malaysia has progressively gained prominence in successive ETIS analyses as a transit country for African ivory."
http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/tanzania-ivory.html
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Key CITES meeting to address illegal ivory and rhino horn trade
Vietnam, China and Thailand are the key markets for Rhino horn and ivory August 2011. WWF calls on representatives of world governments and other groups attending the CITES meeting in Geneva this week, to stem the growing global trade in illegal ivory and rhino horn.
The 61st meeting of the Standing Committee of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) is taking place during an escalating crisis for rhinos and elephants due to increased poaching and the growing illegal trade in ivory and rhino horn.
"We hope that this reinvigorated Committee - with new members and a new chair - will be prepared to take decisive action to ensure that governments follow through on the commitments they have made under the Convention," says Dr Colman O Criodain, WWF International's policy analyst on wildlife trade issues.
No place in traditional medicine for rhino horn
WWF believes that South Africa, home to most of the world's rhinos, has shown a willingness to respond to the poaching crisis but needs to do more to regulate the issuance of hunting permits and to create a more robust approach to prosecutions. So far in 2011, South Africa has lost at least 250 rhinos to poaching, a rate that could exceed last year's record of 333 killings if not curbed.
Vietnam a major destination for illegal rhino horn
Vietnam is the major destination for illegal horn, yet it appears to be doing little to address the problem. This is despite recent allegations that many horn consumers are, in fact, government officials. In Vietnam, a new use for rhino horn as an alleged cancer treatment has emerged in recent years. WWF is also concerned by reports of illegal trade to Thailand and allegations of rhinos being farmed in China for their horns.
In a letter being presented to the Committee, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) expert Lixin Huang emphasizes that rhino horn was purged from the Chinese pharmacopeia in 1993 and that it has no proven cancer treating properties.
"There is no evidence that rhino horn is an effective cure for cancer and this is not documented in TCM nor is it approved by the clinical research in traditional Chinese medicine," Huang writes.
Speaking as president of both the American College of Traditional Chinese Medicine and the Council of Colleges of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine, Huang says she is committed to protecting endangered species. The misinterpretation about rhino horn "shows little respect for the TCM profession and medical practices, and is harmful to rhino conservation efforts," Huang writes.
Ivory markets in China and Thailand must be controlled
A report on elephant poaching and illegal ivory trade being discussed at the meeting identifies China and Thailand as the two most important raw ivory consuming countries in the world. WWF calls on China to improve its already strong enforcement efforts by strengthening its ivory management regime and by offering more support to the African countries where poaching and illegal trade are most prevalent.
Thailand is a major end destination for poached ivory that is intended for the tourist market. This week, the Committee should establish a deadline by which time Thailand must have finalized and implemented the necessary controls to curtail its domestic ivory markets. Thailand is the host country for the next meeting of the CITES Conference of the Parties.
Finally, African countries that are most remiss in terms of failing to control domestic ivory markets - namely, Democratic Republic of Congo and Nigeria - should also be strongly encouraged to deal decisively with the problem.
Mahogany, fisheries and tigers
"Obviously, elephants and rhinos are at the front of our minds in going to this meeting," O Criodain says. "However the agenda includes many other important issues, such as improved regulation of trade in mahogany, fisheries issues and, of course, tigers. We wish the new Chairman, Mr Øystein Størkersen of Norway, every success in facing the formidable challenge of bringing the meeting to a successful conclusion."
The CITES Standing Committee is comprised of 19 countries, selected on a regional basis, and oversees the business of the Convention in between meetings of the Conference of the Parties.
http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/cites-2011.html
The 61st meeting of the Standing Committee of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) is taking place during an escalating crisis for rhinos and elephants due to increased poaching and the growing illegal trade in ivory and rhino horn.
"We hope that this reinvigorated Committee - with new members and a new chair - will be prepared to take decisive action to ensure that governments follow through on the commitments they have made under the Convention," says Dr Colman O Criodain, WWF International's policy analyst on wildlife trade issues.
No place in traditional medicine for rhino horn
WWF believes that South Africa, home to most of the world's rhinos, has shown a willingness to respond to the poaching crisis but needs to do more to regulate the issuance of hunting permits and to create a more robust approach to prosecutions. So far in 2011, South Africa has lost at least 250 rhinos to poaching, a rate that could exceed last year's record of 333 killings if not curbed.
Vietnam a major destination for illegal rhino horn
Vietnam is the major destination for illegal horn, yet it appears to be doing little to address the problem. This is despite recent allegations that many horn consumers are, in fact, government officials. In Vietnam, a new use for rhino horn as an alleged cancer treatment has emerged in recent years. WWF is also concerned by reports of illegal trade to Thailand and allegations of rhinos being farmed in China for their horns.
In a letter being presented to the Committee, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) expert Lixin Huang emphasizes that rhino horn was purged from the Chinese pharmacopeia in 1993 and that it has no proven cancer treating properties.
"There is no evidence that rhino horn is an effective cure for cancer and this is not documented in TCM nor is it approved by the clinical research in traditional Chinese medicine," Huang writes.
Speaking as president of both the American College of Traditional Chinese Medicine and the Council of Colleges of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine, Huang says she is committed to protecting endangered species. The misinterpretation about rhino horn "shows little respect for the TCM profession and medical practices, and is harmful to rhino conservation efforts," Huang writes.
Ivory markets in China and Thailand must be controlled
A report on elephant poaching and illegal ivory trade being discussed at the meeting identifies China and Thailand as the two most important raw ivory consuming countries in the world. WWF calls on China to improve its already strong enforcement efforts by strengthening its ivory management regime and by offering more support to the African countries where poaching and illegal trade are most prevalent.
Thailand is a major end destination for poached ivory that is intended for the tourist market. This week, the Committee should establish a deadline by which time Thailand must have finalized and implemented the necessary controls to curtail its domestic ivory markets. Thailand is the host country for the next meeting of the CITES Conference of the Parties.
Finally, African countries that are most remiss in terms of failing to control domestic ivory markets - namely, Democratic Republic of Congo and Nigeria - should also be strongly encouraged to deal decisively with the problem.
Mahogany, fisheries and tigers
"Obviously, elephants and rhinos are at the front of our minds in going to this meeting," O Criodain says. "However the agenda includes many other important issues, such as improved regulation of trade in mahogany, fisheries issues and, of course, tigers. We wish the new Chairman, Mr Øystein Størkersen of Norway, every success in facing the formidable challenge of bringing the meeting to a successful conclusion."
The CITES Standing Committee is comprised of 19 countries, selected on a regional basis, and oversees the business of the Convention in between meetings of the Conference of the Parties.
http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/cites-2011.html
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Clampdown on wildlife smuggling in Central Africa
Elephant tusks, lion skins and turtle shells all seized
December 2010: An operation by special police forces earlier this month in Central African Republic led to the arrest of a prominent wildlife smuggler and seizure of elephant tusks and cat skins.
This comes amid a series of similar successful operations in Cameroon, Gabon and Republic of Congo. Such concerted efforts have been given a warm welcome by the WWF, as they give a clear warning to wildlife traffickers in the region.
The RALF (French acronym for Strengthening of the Wildlife Law Enforcement) project aims to increase wildlife law enforcement activities and judiciary follow-up of wildlife crimes in the CAR, targeting mainly high-level wildlife traffickers. It works closely with the Ministry of Forests and Wildlife, the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Interior.
‘This shows how successful wildlife law enforcement activities can be when they are supported at the highest level,' said Jean-Bernard Yarissem, WWF country director in CAR. ‘Collaboration between CAR's authorities and WWF's RALF project are paying off.'
Smugglers work as part of an international network
Two elephant tusks, five panther and two lion skins were seized in the operation, which was staged over two days. They were hidden under a pile of cow skins in a truck.
The smuggler - a CAR citizen working within an international network - was en route to Nigeria when he was arrested at a checkpoint some 25 kilometers outside Bangui. He will be prosecuted soon. Judicial authorities in CAR's capital have given their full support to the operation.
The Cameroonian police have arrested three traffickers with 17 turtle shells in two different operations. In Gabon, 16 ivory smugglers were caught with more than 100kg of ivory. All are in jail, awaiting trial.
Another dealer was arrested with 30 kilos of ivory in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
‘We are really moving a step forward as regional wildlife law enforcement is becoming a reality in Central Africa,' said Alain Ononino, the head of the legal department at the Last Great Ape (LAGA), an organisation that fights for wildlife law enforcement in Cameroon and the rest of Central Africa with WWF support.
http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/wildlife-smuggling2010.html
December 2010: An operation by special police forces earlier this month in Central African Republic led to the arrest of a prominent wildlife smuggler and seizure of elephant tusks and cat skins.
This comes amid a series of similar successful operations in Cameroon, Gabon and Republic of Congo. Such concerted efforts have been given a warm welcome by the WWF, as they give a clear warning to wildlife traffickers in the region.
The RALF (French acronym for Strengthening of the Wildlife Law Enforcement) project aims to increase wildlife law enforcement activities and judiciary follow-up of wildlife crimes in the CAR, targeting mainly high-level wildlife traffickers. It works closely with the Ministry of Forests and Wildlife, the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Interior.
‘This shows how successful wildlife law enforcement activities can be when they are supported at the highest level,' said Jean-Bernard Yarissem, WWF country director in CAR. ‘Collaboration between CAR's authorities and WWF's RALF project are paying off.'
Smugglers work as part of an international network
Two elephant tusks, five panther and two lion skins were seized in the operation, which was staged over two days. They were hidden under a pile of cow skins in a truck.
The smuggler - a CAR citizen working within an international network - was en route to Nigeria when he was arrested at a checkpoint some 25 kilometers outside Bangui. He will be prosecuted soon. Judicial authorities in CAR's capital have given their full support to the operation.
The Cameroonian police have arrested three traffickers with 17 turtle shells in two different operations. In Gabon, 16 ivory smugglers were caught with more than 100kg of ivory. All are in jail, awaiting trial.
Another dealer was arrested with 30 kilos of ivory in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
‘We are really moving a step forward as regional wildlife law enforcement is becoming a reality in Central Africa,' said Alain Ononino, the head of the legal department at the Last Great Ape (LAGA), an organisation that fights for wildlife law enforcement in Cameroon and the rest of Central Africa with WWF support.
http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/wildlife-smuggling2010.html
Clampdown on wildlife smuggling in Central Africa
Elephant tusks, lion skins and turtle shells all seized
December 2010: An operation by special police forces earlier this month in Central African Republic led to the arrest of a prominent wildlife smuggler and seizure of elephant tusks and cat skins.
This comes amid a series of similar successful operations in Cameroon, Gabon and Republic of Congo. Such concerted efforts have been given a warm welcome by the WWF, as they give a clear warning to wildlife traffickers in the region.
The RALF (French acronym for Strengthening of the Wildlife Law Enforcement) project aims to increase wildlife law enforcement activities and judiciary follow-up of wildlife crimes in the CAR, targeting mainly high-level wildlife traffickers. It works closely with the Ministry of Forests and Wildlife, the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Interior.
‘This shows how successful wildlife law enforcement activities can be when they are supported at the highest level,' said Jean-Bernard Yarissem, WWF country director in CAR. ‘Collaboration between CAR's authorities and WWF's RALF project are paying off.'
Smugglers work as part of an international network
Two elephant tusks, five panther and two lion skins were seized in the operation, which was staged over two days. They were hidden under a pile of cow skins in a truck.
The smuggler - a CAR citizen working within an international network - was en route to Nigeria when he was arrested at a checkpoint some 25 kilometers outside Bangui. He will be prosecuted soon. Judicial authorities in CAR's capital have given their full support to the operation.
The Cameroonian police have arrested three traffickers with 17 turtle shells in two different operations. In Gabon, 16 ivory smugglers were caught with more than 100kg of ivory. All are in jail, awaiting trial.
Another dealer was arrested with 30 kilos of ivory in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
‘We are really moving a step forward as regional wildlife law enforcement is becoming a reality in Central Africa,' said Alain Ononino, the head of the legal department at the Last Great Ape (LAGA), an organisation that fights for wildlife law enforcement in Cameroon and the rest of Central Africa with WWF support.
http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/wildlife-smuggling2010.html
December 2010: An operation by special police forces earlier this month in Central African Republic led to the arrest of a prominent wildlife smuggler and seizure of elephant tusks and cat skins.
This comes amid a series of similar successful operations in Cameroon, Gabon and Republic of Congo. Such concerted efforts have been given a warm welcome by the WWF, as they give a clear warning to wildlife traffickers in the region.
The RALF (French acronym for Strengthening of the Wildlife Law Enforcement) project aims to increase wildlife law enforcement activities and judiciary follow-up of wildlife crimes in the CAR, targeting mainly high-level wildlife traffickers. It works closely with the Ministry of Forests and Wildlife, the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Interior.
‘This shows how successful wildlife law enforcement activities can be when they are supported at the highest level,' said Jean-Bernard Yarissem, WWF country director in CAR. ‘Collaboration between CAR's authorities and WWF's RALF project are paying off.'
Smugglers work as part of an international network
Two elephant tusks, five panther and two lion skins were seized in the operation, which was staged over two days. They were hidden under a pile of cow skins in a truck.
The smuggler - a CAR citizen working within an international network - was en route to Nigeria when he was arrested at a checkpoint some 25 kilometers outside Bangui. He will be prosecuted soon. Judicial authorities in CAR's capital have given their full support to the operation.
The Cameroonian police have arrested three traffickers with 17 turtle shells in two different operations. In Gabon, 16 ivory smugglers were caught with more than 100kg of ivory. All are in jail, awaiting trial.
Another dealer was arrested with 30 kilos of ivory in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
‘We are really moving a step forward as regional wildlife law enforcement is becoming a reality in Central Africa,' said Alain Ononino, the head of the legal department at the Last Great Ape (LAGA), an organisation that fights for wildlife law enforcement in Cameroon and the rest of Central Africa with WWF support.
http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/wildlife-smuggling2010.html
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Boost ivory trade monitoring and enforcement before allowing one-off sales: UBC researcher
11-Mar-2010
Recent petitions from several African nations to 'downlist' the conservation status of elephants should be denied because no adequate monitoring of the impact of ivory sales or enforcement of the ivory trade exists, according to recommendations published today by an international group of researchers including UBC zoologist Rene Beyers.
In 2008, a one-off sale of stockpiled ivory from South Africa, Botswana, Namibia and Zimbabwe was brokered by the European Union in exchange for a nine-year moratorium on future sales from those nations. Tanzania and Zambia are currently petitioning the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) to downlist the conservation status of their elephants, which would enable the two nations to sell existing stockpiles generated by the legal culling of herds.
"The immediate fear is that down-listing elephants or allowing one-off sales in any African nation will stimulate the market for illegal ivory everywhere, particularly in those countries where law enforcement is inadequate," says Beyers, a post doctoral fellow with the department of Zoology.
"We've seen a huge increase in poaching in Central Africa in recent years. In large areas, including many national parks, elephants have become scarce or disappeared altogether. We're concerned that as elephant populations become depleted in one region, poaching will spread to areas where populations are still healthy."
The recommendations were published today in the journal Science. Spearheaded by Samuel Wasser at the University of Washington, the paper includes researchers from the United States, Norway, Kenya, Cameroon, the United Kingdom, Tanzania and Canada.
"None of the countries involved in this petition are adequately controlling their country's illegal ivory trade," says Wasser, lead author of the paper and director of the the University of Washington's Centre for Conservation Biology. "Allowing these sales to occur sets the wrong precedent at the risk of irreparable harm to Africa's ecosystems."
The 2008 sale was in part contingent on strengthening the systems that track poaching and seizures of illegal ivory across the continent.
"A program was put in place to monitor the impact of legal ivory sales on the illegal killing of elephants, but hasn't yet been able to do so, due to major logistical and scientific challenges and a lack of adequate funding," says Beyers. "But recent analysis of elephant deaths attributed to illegal killing has demonstrated an increase in poached elephants in several countries in Central Africa, but also in Zambia and parts of Tanzania."
Also noted by the paper's authors is DNA-based research that indicates that Tanzania and Zambia, the two countries petitioning to downlist their elephants, are among the most significant sources of, and conduits for, illegal ivory in Africa.
The authors estimate proceeds from the sale of stockpiles of ivory held by Tanzania and Zambia would total less that $20 million--approximately one per cent of those nations' tourism revenue. China and Japan are among the largest importers of illegal ivory.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2010-03/uobc-bit031110.php
Recent petitions from several African nations to 'downlist' the conservation status of elephants should be denied because no adequate monitoring of the impact of ivory sales or enforcement of the ivory trade exists, according to recommendations published today by an international group of researchers including UBC zoologist Rene Beyers.
In 2008, a one-off sale of stockpiled ivory from South Africa, Botswana, Namibia and Zimbabwe was brokered by the European Union in exchange for a nine-year moratorium on future sales from those nations. Tanzania and Zambia are currently petitioning the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) to downlist the conservation status of their elephants, which would enable the two nations to sell existing stockpiles generated by the legal culling of herds.
"The immediate fear is that down-listing elephants or allowing one-off sales in any African nation will stimulate the market for illegal ivory everywhere, particularly in those countries where law enforcement is inadequate," says Beyers, a post doctoral fellow with the department of Zoology.
"We've seen a huge increase in poaching in Central Africa in recent years. In large areas, including many national parks, elephants have become scarce or disappeared altogether. We're concerned that as elephant populations become depleted in one region, poaching will spread to areas where populations are still healthy."
The recommendations were published today in the journal Science. Spearheaded by Samuel Wasser at the University of Washington, the paper includes researchers from the United States, Norway, Kenya, Cameroon, the United Kingdom, Tanzania and Canada.
"None of the countries involved in this petition are adequately controlling their country's illegal ivory trade," says Wasser, lead author of the paper and director of the the University of Washington's Centre for Conservation Biology. "Allowing these sales to occur sets the wrong precedent at the risk of irreparable harm to Africa's ecosystems."
The 2008 sale was in part contingent on strengthening the systems that track poaching and seizures of illegal ivory across the continent.
"A program was put in place to monitor the impact of legal ivory sales on the illegal killing of elephants, but hasn't yet been able to do so, due to major logistical and scientific challenges and a lack of adequate funding," says Beyers. "But recent analysis of elephant deaths attributed to illegal killing has demonstrated an increase in poached elephants in several countries in Central Africa, but also in Zambia and parts of Tanzania."
Also noted by the paper's authors is DNA-based research that indicates that Tanzania and Zambia, the two countries petitioning to downlist their elephants, are among the most significant sources of, and conduits for, illegal ivory in Africa.
The authors estimate proceeds from the sale of stockpiles of ivory held by Tanzania and Zambia would total less that $20 million--approximately one per cent of those nations' tourism revenue. China and Japan are among the largest importers of illegal ivory.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2010-03/uobc-bit031110.php
Monday, June 29, 2009
Map of elephant DNA reveals trail of ivory smugglers
Scientists have used a revolutionary genetic technique to pinpoint the area of Africa where smugglers are slaughtering elephants to feed the worldwide illegal ivory trade.
Using a DNA map of Africa's elephants, they have found that most recent seizures of tusks can be traced to animals that had grazed in the Selous and Niassa game reserves on the Tanzania and Mozambique borders.
The discovery suggests that only a handful of cartels are responsible for most of the world's booming trade in illegal ivory and for the annual slaughter of tens of thousands of elephants. The extent of this trade is revealed through recent seizures of thousands of tusks in separate raids on docks in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Vietnam, the Philippines and Japan. These were aimed at satisfying the far east's growing appetite for ivory, a new status symbol for the middle classes of the region's swelling industrialised economies.
As a result, ivory prices have soared from $200 a kilogram in 2004 to more than $6,000. At the same time, scientists estimate that between 8% and 10% of Africa's elephants are now being slaughtered each year to meet demand.
"In the past, law enforcement agencies - including Interpol - thought these shipments of ivory had been put together by traders cherry-picking small stockpiles across Africa," said Professor Sam Wasser, director of the University of Washington's Centre for Conservation Biology, where the DNA elephant map was developed.
"Our work shows that isn't true. The vast majority of poaching is being carried out by a few big organisations - possibly one or two major syndicates - that are targeting one area and then hammering its elephants. It is grim, but it also suggests we can target our anti-poaching efforts very specifically by focussing efforts on these regions."
At present, Tanzania is at the centre of the world's ivory slaughter. However, other work by Wasser and his team indicates that different areas, including parts of Zambia and Malawi, have been targeted in the recent past.
Ivory poaching was halted by an international campaign in the 1990s after it reached a peak between 1979 and 1989, when more than 700,000 elephants were killed for their tusks. However, aid that helps African nations fight poachers has dried up and the illegal ivory trade has returned to its previous high levels.
Killing for tusks is a particularly gruesome trade. Elephants are highly intelligent animals whose sophisticated social ties are exploited by poachers. They will often shoot young elephants to draw in a grieving parent, which is then killed for its tusks. "Our estimates suggest that more than 38,000 elephants were killed using techniques such as this in 2006 and that the annual death rate is even higher today," said Wasser.
His team's technique - outlined in the current issue of Scientific American - involves two separate sets of analyses. First, volunteers and researchers across Africa collected samples of elephant dung. Each contains plentiful amounts of DNA from cells, sloughed from the intestines of individual animals. These provide material for DNA fingerprints, which have since been mapped for the whole of Africa. Animals from one area have very similar DNA fingerprints, the researchers have found.
As part of the second analysis, a section of tusk seized from smugglers is ground up and its DNA is carefully extracted. Again a DNA fingerprint is made and compared with those on the dung map, in order to pinpoint the origin of the elephant.
In this way, Wasser and his colleagues analysed ivory seized when more than 11 tonnes of tusks were found in containers in raids on Taiwan and Hong Kong docks in July and August 2006. About 1,500 tusks were discovered and all were traced to elephants from the Selous game reserve, a Unesco heritage site in Tanzania, and the nearby Niassa game reserve in Mozambique. However, Japanese authorities - who had made another seizure of ivory that summer in Osaka - refused to co-operate and have since burnt the 260 tusks they found before their origins could be established. "You can draw your own conclusions," said Wasser.
Since then, major seizures of ivory have been made in Vietnam and the Philippines, both this year, and Wasser and his team are now preparing to use their DNA map to trace its origins.
"Ivory is now traded globally in the same illegal manner as drugs and weapons," said Wasser. "It is shameful that this has happened and we need to press the countries whose elephants are being targeted this way and get them to halt this trade."
Robin McKie, science editor
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2009/jun/28/elephant-dna-illegal-ivory-trade
Using a DNA map of Africa's elephants, they have found that most recent seizures of tusks can be traced to animals that had grazed in the Selous and Niassa game reserves on the Tanzania and Mozambique borders.
The discovery suggests that only a handful of cartels are responsible for most of the world's booming trade in illegal ivory and for the annual slaughter of tens of thousands of elephants. The extent of this trade is revealed through recent seizures of thousands of tusks in separate raids on docks in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Vietnam, the Philippines and Japan. These were aimed at satisfying the far east's growing appetite for ivory, a new status symbol for the middle classes of the region's swelling industrialised economies.
As a result, ivory prices have soared from $200 a kilogram in 2004 to more than $6,000. At the same time, scientists estimate that between 8% and 10% of Africa's elephants are now being slaughtered each year to meet demand.
"In the past, law enforcement agencies - including Interpol - thought these shipments of ivory had been put together by traders cherry-picking small stockpiles across Africa," said Professor Sam Wasser, director of the University of Washington's Centre for Conservation Biology, where the DNA elephant map was developed.
"Our work shows that isn't true. The vast majority of poaching is being carried out by a few big organisations - possibly one or two major syndicates - that are targeting one area and then hammering its elephants. It is grim, but it also suggests we can target our anti-poaching efforts very specifically by focussing efforts on these regions."
At present, Tanzania is at the centre of the world's ivory slaughter. However, other work by Wasser and his team indicates that different areas, including parts of Zambia and Malawi, have been targeted in the recent past.
Ivory poaching was halted by an international campaign in the 1990s after it reached a peak between 1979 and 1989, when more than 700,000 elephants were killed for their tusks. However, aid that helps African nations fight poachers has dried up and the illegal ivory trade has returned to its previous high levels.
Killing for tusks is a particularly gruesome trade. Elephants are highly intelligent animals whose sophisticated social ties are exploited by poachers. They will often shoot young elephants to draw in a grieving parent, which is then killed for its tusks. "Our estimates suggest that more than 38,000 elephants were killed using techniques such as this in 2006 and that the annual death rate is even higher today," said Wasser.
His team's technique - outlined in the current issue of Scientific American - involves two separate sets of analyses. First, volunteers and researchers across Africa collected samples of elephant dung. Each contains plentiful amounts of DNA from cells, sloughed from the intestines of individual animals. These provide material for DNA fingerprints, which have since been mapped for the whole of Africa. Animals from one area have very similar DNA fingerprints, the researchers have found.
As part of the second analysis, a section of tusk seized from smugglers is ground up and its DNA is carefully extracted. Again a DNA fingerprint is made and compared with those on the dung map, in order to pinpoint the origin of the elephant.
In this way, Wasser and his colleagues analysed ivory seized when more than 11 tonnes of tusks were found in containers in raids on Taiwan and Hong Kong docks in July and August 2006. About 1,500 tusks were discovered and all were traced to elephants from the Selous game reserve, a Unesco heritage site in Tanzania, and the nearby Niassa game reserve in Mozambique. However, Japanese authorities - who had made another seizure of ivory that summer in Osaka - refused to co-operate and have since burnt the 260 tusks they found before their origins could be established. "You can draw your own conclusions," said Wasser.
Since then, major seizures of ivory have been made in Vietnam and the Philippines, both this year, and Wasser and his team are now preparing to use their DNA map to trace its origins.
"Ivory is now traded globally in the same illegal manner as drugs and weapons," said Wasser. "It is shameful that this has happened and we need to press the countries whose elephants are being targeted this way and get them to halt this trade."
Robin McKie, science editor
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2009/jun/28/elephant-dna-illegal-ivory-trade
Friday, June 26, 2009
Thailand a hub for growing illegal ivory trade
Elephant-size loopholes sustain Thai ivory trade
June 2009. Legal loopholes and insufficient law enforcement mean that Thailand continues to harbour the largest illegal ivory market in Asia, says a new report from the wildlife trade monitoring network TRAFFIC. The report also raises concerns that legal provisions governing trade in domesticated elephants are providing cover for illegal trade in wild-caught, highly-endangered Asian elephants from both Thailand and neighbouring Myanmar.
26,000 ivory items for sale
TRAFFIC's survey documented over 26,000 worked ivory products for sale in local markets, with many more retail outlets dealing in ivory products than were observed during market surveys carried out in 2001. Market surveys found 50 more retail outlets offering ivory items in Bangkok and Chiang Mai in 2008 than the previous year. However, overall there was less worked ivory openly on sale than in 2001.
Thailand in top 5 for illegal ivory trade
"Thailand has consistently been identified as one of the world's top five countries most heavily implicated in the illicit ivory trade, but shows little sign of addressing outstanding issues," said Tom Milliken, of TRAFFIC, which oversees a global monitoring programme, the Elephant Trade Information System (ETIS), for the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
"Thailand needs to reassess its policy for controlling its local ivory markets as currently it is not implementing international requirements to the ongoing detriment of both African and Asian Elephant populations," said Milliken. "Since 2004, the Thai government has only reported two ivory seizure cases totaling 1.2 tonnes of raw ivory."
Thailand's capital, Bangkok, a major tourist destination, has emerged as the main hub for illegal ivory activities, accounting for over 70 percent of the retail outlets in Thailand offering ivory items for sale.
Ivory workshops
The report includes new information on ivory workshops-eight in Uthai Thani, one each in Chai Nat and Payuha Kiri, and three in Bangkok-between them employing dozens of carvers in the production of ivory jewelry, belt buckles and knife-handles. Much of the ivory being worked is illegally imported from Africa.
European and US markets
Some workshop owners boasted close ties with European knife makers, while others reported sending ivory, steel and silver items to the US for sale in gun shops.
"The Thai Government needs to crack down on this serious illegal activity and stop allowing people to abuse the law," said Dr Colman O'Criodain, WWF International's analyst on wildlife trade issues. "A good first step would be to put in place a comprehensive registration system for all ivory in trade and for live elephants".
Wild-caught Asian elephants
The study also uncovered reports of traders buying wild-caught elephant calves for use in Bangkok as "beggars" on the streets in major tourist centres, or selling them to elephant camps and entertainment parks.
Elephants imported from Myanmar
Hundreds of live elephants are known to have been illegally imported from Myanmar in recent years, to be sold to elephant trekking companies catering to adventure tourism in Thailand. The capture of wild elephants has been banned in Thailand since the 1970s, but such trade usually goes undetected because domesticated elephants do not have to be registered legally until they are eight years of age.
The study also found that over a quarter of all live elephant exports from Thailand between 1980 and 2005 could have been illegal due to incomplete and inaccurate declarations made on the documentation required under CITES.
"There must be greater scrutiny of the live elephant trade if enforcement efforts are to have any impact at all," said Chris R. Shepherd, TRAFFIC Southeast Asia's Acting Director.
"Thailand and Myanmar should work together, and with urgency, to address cross-border trade problems," he added.
http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/thailand-ivory009.html
June 2009. Legal loopholes and insufficient law enforcement mean that Thailand continues to harbour the largest illegal ivory market in Asia, says a new report from the wildlife trade monitoring network TRAFFIC. The report also raises concerns that legal provisions governing trade in domesticated elephants are providing cover for illegal trade in wild-caught, highly-endangered Asian elephants from both Thailand and neighbouring Myanmar.
26,000 ivory items for sale
TRAFFIC's survey documented over 26,000 worked ivory products for sale in local markets, with many more retail outlets dealing in ivory products than were observed during market surveys carried out in 2001. Market surveys found 50 more retail outlets offering ivory items in Bangkok and Chiang Mai in 2008 than the previous year. However, overall there was less worked ivory openly on sale than in 2001.
Thailand in top 5 for illegal ivory trade
"Thailand has consistently been identified as one of the world's top five countries most heavily implicated in the illicit ivory trade, but shows little sign of addressing outstanding issues," said Tom Milliken, of TRAFFIC, which oversees a global monitoring programme, the Elephant Trade Information System (ETIS), for the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
"Thailand needs to reassess its policy for controlling its local ivory markets as currently it is not implementing international requirements to the ongoing detriment of both African and Asian Elephant populations," said Milliken. "Since 2004, the Thai government has only reported two ivory seizure cases totaling 1.2 tonnes of raw ivory."
Thailand's capital, Bangkok, a major tourist destination, has emerged as the main hub for illegal ivory activities, accounting for over 70 percent of the retail outlets in Thailand offering ivory items for sale.
Ivory workshops
The report includes new information on ivory workshops-eight in Uthai Thani, one each in Chai Nat and Payuha Kiri, and three in Bangkok-between them employing dozens of carvers in the production of ivory jewelry, belt buckles and knife-handles. Much of the ivory being worked is illegally imported from Africa.
European and US markets
Some workshop owners boasted close ties with European knife makers, while others reported sending ivory, steel and silver items to the US for sale in gun shops.
"The Thai Government needs to crack down on this serious illegal activity and stop allowing people to abuse the law," said Dr Colman O'Criodain, WWF International's analyst on wildlife trade issues. "A good first step would be to put in place a comprehensive registration system for all ivory in trade and for live elephants".
Wild-caught Asian elephants
The study also uncovered reports of traders buying wild-caught elephant calves for use in Bangkok as "beggars" on the streets in major tourist centres, or selling them to elephant camps and entertainment parks.
Elephants imported from Myanmar
Hundreds of live elephants are known to have been illegally imported from Myanmar in recent years, to be sold to elephant trekking companies catering to adventure tourism in Thailand. The capture of wild elephants has been banned in Thailand since the 1970s, but such trade usually goes undetected because domesticated elephants do not have to be registered legally until they are eight years of age.
The study also found that over a quarter of all live elephant exports from Thailand between 1980 and 2005 could have been illegal due to incomplete and inaccurate declarations made on the documentation required under CITES.
"There must be greater scrutiny of the live elephant trade if enforcement efforts are to have any impact at all," said Chris R. Shepherd, TRAFFIC Southeast Asia's Acting Director.
"Thailand and Myanmar should work together, and with urgency, to address cross-border trade problems," he added.
http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/thailand-ivory009.html
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