In 2019, the illegal wildlife trade reached staggering levels. Pangolin scales and ivory were being trafficked in massive quantities from Africa to Asia, exposing a network of crime syndicates operating at an industrial scale. The sheer volume of these shipments marked a disturbing milestone, one that revealed the global reach …
The tiger could be made to pay its way out of crisis if a section of conservationists in the country have their way, the Chinese way, actually. China is now considering legalising trade in products from its tiger farms, an admission that a 1993 ban on trade in animal parts …
a proposal to farm tigers to legally supply the not inconsiderable market for the animal's body parts has, as is only to be expected, sparked a controversy. Ranged against the proposal are animal rights activists whose arguments range from the practical
the us has officially launched a global initiative to fight illegal wildlife trade. The Coalition Against Wildlife Trafficking (cawt) comes despite the fact that there are two international conventions to control trade in wildlife: the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (cites) and the Convention on Biological Diversity. "Conventions …
The illegal trade in poached skins between India, Nepal and China is the most significant immediate threat to the continued existence of the tiger in the wild. While the importance of the problem has been recognized and plenty of information is already available, the lucrative illegal trade continues.
Sri Lanka is identified as one of the biodiversity hotspots in Asia. Although many of the endemic species are found in the hill country, the low country dry zone is home to some of the most seriously threatened species of wildlife. Following the protracted armed conflict, it appears that defaunation …
the Chinese government is reportedly rethinking the ban on sale of tiger and its body parts in its domestic markets. China had imposed a ban on domestic trade in 1993, in an attempt to stop the poaching of tigers for use in traditional Chinese medicine. The ban in China has …
Tata Chemicals and Gujarat Heavy Chemicals have pitched in their mite behind the effort to save the whale shark Aunique corporate-ngo partnership in coastal Gujarat has succeeded in giving a new lease of life to the spectacular whale shark, the world's largest fish, which was being poached almost to extinction …
An act to provide for the protection of wild animals, birds and plants and for matters connected therewith or ancillary or incidental thereto with a view to ensuring the ecological and environmental security of the country. This act may be called the Wildlife Life (Protection) Act, 1972.
the ebola virus is threatening lowland gorillas of central Africa, states the World Conservation Union (iucn). The warning is significant as the area has one of the largest concentrations of these gorillas, and they are already endangered by factors such as deforestation and trade in wild animals. Ebola haemorrhagic fever …
do they train Indian foresters to mess up wildlife situations? It is difficult to ascribe the series of botch-ups involving leopards in the last month or so to misfortune. The most recent one was the highly publicised spectacle of a leopard killed by police and wildlife officials after it entered …
The return of the unicorns is an account of what it takes to save endangered large mammals. The author outlines the multifaceted recovery program--structured around targeted fieldwork and scientific research, effective protective measures, habitat planning and management, public-awareness campaigns, economic incentives to promote local guardianship, and bold, uncompromising leadership--that brought …
An illegal wildlife trade racket has been unearthed in Africa. In January 2002, four lowland gorillas from the zoological garden at Nigeria's University of Ibadan were transferred to Taiping Zoo in Malaysia. Now, the secretariat of the global Convention on Trade in Endangered Species (cites) is probing into the alleged …
Beast Threat Many animals, under threat from humans, have gone locally extinct. A recent report of the Wildlife Conservation Society (wcs) states that Asia's wildlife is in trouble due to indiscriminate hunting and illegal trade in animal parts. Tigers across Indo-China have disappeared. They were hunted down as trophy and …
The Tanzanian authorities seized more than a thousand elephant tusks stolen by poachers at the Dar es Salaam port recently. According to the police, two Tanzanians had been arrested following the haul of 1,255 tusks in two suburban homes. However, it is not clear where the tusks had originated. Poaching …
Why has a ban been imposed on shark hunting in particular? Sharks have a vital role in the marine ecosystem since they are the apex predator at the top of the marine food chain. But today they are almost extinct, being a major target of the fish hunters. Their slow …
environmentalists and forest department officials in Sikkim are incensed at the recent release of two Russians who were found stealing rare species of butterflies, moths and beetles from the Kanchenjunga National Park. The two Russians, Victor Sinyaev and Oleg Amosov, were arrested by the state's forest department under the Wildlife …
Illegal trade in wildlife is threatening Costa Rica's biodiversity. The most sought after species are the limpets, parrots, jaguar cubs, toucans, squirrel monkeys and tropical fish. "We don't have the resources to control the illegal trade,' said Juan Rodriguez, a biologist with the country's ministry of environment and energy. According …
