Africa Wild

Reuters | 07 February, 2013 00:40


Poachers have killed more than 11000 elephants in the Minkebe National Park rainforest since 2004, the Gabon government said yesterday.

The massacre has been fuelled by increasing demand for ivory in Asia.

Gabon is home to about half the world's roughly 100000 forest elephants, the smallest species of elephant, coveted by ivory dealers because of their harder and straighter tusks.

A study by Gabon's government, along with World Wildlife Fund and the Wildlife Conservation Society, found that two-thirds of the forest elephants in Minkebe park had been killed since 2004.

"If we don't reverse this situation rapidly, the future of elephants in Africa will be compromised," Lee White, executive secretary of Gabon's national parks agency, said.

The Presidency said poachers have secret camps in the rainforest. They evade small deployments of park guards and leave rotting elephant carcasses in their wake.

A park official said most of the poachers were from neighbouring Cameroon, where the government has deployed army helicopters and hundreds of troops to protect its elephant population.

Published: 21 Feb 2013 at 19.39Online news:

The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) on Thursday called for strong economic sanctions against countries most complicit in the illegal ivory trade, including Thailand, the host of an international meeting next month aimed at protecting endangered species.

WWF blamed the illegal trade in ivory for the deaths of up to 30,000 African elephants each year.

It urged the 177 governments gathering in Bangkok from March 3-14 under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (Cites) to begin "a formal procedure that would lead to strict trade restrictions against the worst offenders in the illicit ivory trade".

It singled out Thailand, Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of the Congo as the main culprits in failing to curb their domestic ivory markets.

"These countries have been identified in every ivory trade analysis for the past decade as those most implicated in the illicit ivory trade," said Steven Broad, executive director of the wildlife trade monitoring network TRAFFIC.

"With the demand for ivory driving a widespread poaching crisis, Cites member countries must demand compliance with international law," he said.

In Thailand, criminals are taking advantage of laws allowing the sale of ivory from domestic elephants to launder massive quantities of illegal African ivory through Thai shops, where much of this ivory is purchased by foreign tourists, the WWF said in a statement.

"Thailand can easily fix this situation by banning all ivory sales in the country, and in doing so would eliminate the need for trade sanctions," said Carlos Drews, director of WWF's global species programme.

The WWF said African rhinos also are threatened by the illicit trade, with a record 668 South African rhinos killed last year for their horns.

"Vietnam has been identified as the primary consumer country for rhino horn yet has done little to stop traffickers," the WWF said.

New report warns of uncertain future for African Elephants

The global illegal ivory trade is over three times larger than it was in 1998 © TRAFFIC
Bangkok, 6th March 2013— Populations of elephants in Africa continue to be under severe threat as the illegal trade in ivory grows - with double the numbers of elephants killed and triple the amounts of ivory seized, over the last decade.

According to a new report entitled “Elephants in the Dust – The African Elephant Crisis”, increasing poaching levels, as well as loss of habitat are threatening the survival of African Elephant populations in Central Africa as well as previously secure populations in West, Southern and Eastern Africa.

The report - produced by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and the Wildlife Trade Monitoring Network (TRAFFIC) - says that systematic monitoring of large-scale seizures of ivory destined for Asia is indicative of the involvement of criminal networks, which are increasingly active and entrenched in the trafficking of ivory between Africa and Asia.

At sites monitored through the CITES-led Monitoring Illegal Killing of Elephants (MIKE) programme alone, which hold approximately 40 per cent of the total elephant population in Africa, an estimated 17,000 elephants were illegally killed in 2011. Initial data from 2012 show that the situation did not improve. However, overall figures may be much higher.

These threats compound the most important long-term threat to the species’ survival – increasing loss of habitat as a result of rapid human population growth and large-scale land conversion for agriculture, which provides for international markets.

Achim Steiner, UN Under-Secretary General and UNEP Executive Director, said, "CITES must re-engage on illegal wildlife crime with a renewed sense of purpose, commitment, creativity, cooperation and energy involving range states and transit countries to consuming nations of products such as ivory."

"The surge in the killing of elephants in Africa and the illegal taking of other listed species globally threatens not only wildlife populations but the livelihoods of millions who depend on tourism for a living and the lives of those wardens and wildlife staff who are attempting to stem the illegal tide," he added.

John Scanlon, Secretary-General of CITES said, “This report provides clear evidence that adequate human and financial resources, the sharing of know-how, raising public awareness in consumer countries, and strong law enforcement must all be in place if we are to curb the disturbing rise in poaching and illegal trade.”

The report recommends critical actions, including improved law-enforcement across the entire illegal ivory supply chain and strengthened national legislative frameworks. Training of enforcement officers in the use of tracking, intelligence networks and innovative techniques, such as forensic analysis, is urgently needed.

“Urgent action is needed to address the growing challenges elephant populations are facing, but it will only happen if there is adequate political will to do so,” said Dr Holly Dublin, Chair of the IUCN/SSC African Elephant Specialist Group.

Better international collaboration across range states, transit countries and consumer markets - through the UN Office for Drugs and Crime, CITES, INTERPOL, the World Customs Organization, the World Bank and other international actors – is needed in order to enhance law enforcement - from the field to the judiciary - to deter criminal activities and combat illegal trade.

These efforts include the need to fight collusive corruption, identifying syndicates and reducing demand.

“Organized criminal networks are cashing in on the elephant poaching crisis, trafficking ivory in unprecedented volumes and operating with relative impunity and with little fear of prosecution,” said Tom Milliken, TRAFFIC’s ivory trade expert.

Elephants are also threatened by the increasing loss of habitat in around 29 percent of their range as a result of rapid human population growth and agricultural expansion.

Currently, some models suggest this figure may increase to 63 percent by 2050, a major additional threat to the survival of the elephant in the long-term.

Other key findings from the report

• Large-scale seizures of ivory (consignments of over 800 kg) destined for Asia have more than doubled since 2009 and reached an all-time high in 2011.

• Large movements of ivory that comprise the tusks of hundreds of elephants in a single shipment are indicative of the increasingly active grip of highly organized criminal networks on Africa’s illicit ivory trade.

• These criminal networks operate with relative impunity as there is almost no evidence of successful arrests, prosecutions or convictions.

• Globally, illegal ivory trade activity has more than doubled since 2007, and is now over three times larger than it was in 1998.

• The prevalence of unregulated domestic ivory markets in many African cities, coupled with the growing number of Asian nationals residing in Africa also facilitates the illegal trade in ivory out of Africa.

• Poaching is spreading primarily as a result of weak governance and rising demand for illegal ivory in the rapidly growing economies of Asia, particularly China, which is the world’s largest destination markets.

• The high levels of poaching are, in some cases, facilitated by conflicts that, through lawlessness and ensuing abundance of small arms, provide optimal conditions for the illegal killing of elephants.

The report - released in Bangkok, at the 16th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the CITES convention - combines information from sources including the IUCN Species Survival Commission (SSC) African Elephant Specialist Group, MIKE and the Elephant Trade Information System (ETIS), managed by TRAFFIC on behalf of CITES.

Notes to Editors:

High resolution graphics and photos from the report for use in media are available at www.grida.no

Results from the report were synthesized from the latest data based on sources including the CITES-led Monitoring the Illegal Killing of Elephants (MIKE) Programme, the Elephant Trade Information System (ETIS) and the IUCN/SSC African Elephant Specialist Group (AfESG), the African and Asian Elephant Database, the International Consortium on Combating Wildlife Crime (ICCWC), expert consultations and a range of other sources.

Wednesday, March 6, 2013 at 5:57


Elephants in the Dust - The African Elephant Crisis - Available online: Download PDF (40 mb)

Thailand will end ivory trade says PM

Sunday, March 3, 2013 at 12:45
TRAFFIC in CITES
Bangkok, Thailand, 3rd March 2013—Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra today outlined the steps Thailand would take to address illegal ivory trade in the country, including amending national legislation and bring Thailand in line with international norms.

Her remarks came during her opening address at the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) in Bangkok.

However, the Prime Minister gave no indication as to when the legislative changes would be brought into effect.

“This is the first time we have heard such a clear message of intent from the Thai government on this subject”, said Steven Broad, TRAFFIC’s Executive Director

"But now we need to hear specifically what will be done and when it will happen”.

Thailand, the host country of the CITES meeting, has been in the spotlight because of its large illegal ivory market. For more than a decade the country has been identified as among the top offenders in the global illegal ivory trade and there have been widespread calls for an ivory ban in local and international media.

Thailand is not alone among countries that need to take action against the illegal ivory trade. Other source, transit and market countries of concern are Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Viet Nam, China, Malaysia and the Philippines, already called to account by CITES, while Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of the Congo are also persistent offenders.

“World governments have the opportunity to deal a decisive blow to the global illegal ivory trade at this vital CITES meeting,” said Dr William Schaedla, Director of TRAFFIC in South-East Asia.

“However, this will only be the case if clear steps for action are defined and consequences of inaction made clear to all concerned.”

Ivory is only one of the important measures to be discussed over the course of the next 12 days at CITES.

Also speaking at the opening ceremony were Achim Steiner, Executive Director of UNEP, John Scanlon, Secretary General of CITES, and Oystein Storkerson, Chairman of the CITES Standing Committee.

Common themes highlighted during their opening remarks were the ongoing rhino and elephant poaching crises, the role of CITES in synergy with other international agreements to enhance conservation of marine species and how the Convention could be used to support wider efforts to reduce illegal timber trade.

Stop ivory poaching or face sanctions, nations warned at Cites

'Gang of eight' countries at the heart of surge in elephant slaughters must deliver plans with goals for the next 12 months

The "gang of eight" nations at the heart of an unprecedented surge in African elephant killing must be hit with heavy trade sanctions, according to the world's top illegal ivory official. The countries, including Kenya, Thailand and China, could be banned from all wildlife trade, including hugely lucrative orchid and crocodile skin exports.

Tom Milliken, who runs the official global project that tracks illegal ivory, said every report his group, the Elephant Trade Information System, had made since it started in 1998 had identified the eight nations as the major players in the trade, but to no effect. "There has been no discernible impact from previous Cites measures," he said at the 178-nation summit of the Convention on Trade in Endangered Species (Cites) in Bangkok. "Unless Cites scales up and takes this seriously, we are not going to win this thing." This Cites meeting should be the time sanctions should be used, he said.

Tom de Meulenaer, a senior Cites official, said the body's ruling committee had finally lost patience over the issue, and if the eight countries did not produce hard action plans for the next 12 months, it was "not unlikely" that sanctions would be implemented. Milliken said: "Can you imagine the effect on Thailand, Vietnam and China? The orchid and crocodile skin trades alone are massive."

It was revealed on Wednesday that the slaughter of elephants for their ivory has doubled in a decade, while ivory seizures have tripled to an all-time high, according to a new report from the Convention on Trade in Endangered Species (Cites), the UN environment programme and others. There were 17 large-scale seizures – hundreds of tusks each – in 2011, the last full year for which data is available, when previously eight seizures was considered a very bad year.

The report examined 60 sites in Africa, representing about 40% of the half million or so elephants remaining and recorded 17,000 deaths in 2011. "That is above the capacity of the elephant population to replace itself," said Julian Blanc, who heads the Monitoring of Illegal Killing of Elephants project.

The so-called gang of eight includes the source countries Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, countries through which ivory is smuggled, Malaysia, Vietnam and the Philippines, and destination countries, Thailand and China. A particular problem is Thailand's legal domestic market in ivory, which allows illegal African ivory to be laundered.

Yingluck Shinawatra, the Thai prime minister, opened the Cites conference by pledging to outlaw the domestic market at some point. But Ben Janse van Rensburg, chief of enforcement at Cites, cast doubt on the pledge on Wednesday: "If there is any phasing out of their domestic market, it is likely to be a very long process."

Cites is run by a standing committee of 20 nations which has demanded the gang of eight deliver action plans with concrete goals and timelines for the next 12 months. If these are not delivered or adhered to, Cites can ban its 178 member nations from importing any wildlife products from offending nations. Last week, it imposed this penalty on Guinea, for persistent violation of a ban on the export of great apes.

Cites is seeking stronger powers to sanction at the Bangkok summit. It is also seeking funding to pay for anti-poaching and smuggling measures: a fund set up in August 2012 aiming to raise $100m has so far received only $640,000.

The task faced by law enforcement authorities is formidable, said Milliken. The scale of seizures, for example 6.3 tonnes in Malaysia in November, showed the illegal trade was the work of major organised crime syndicates. "They are operating with relative impunity and with little fear of prosecution," he said. Van Rensburg said the criminal "kingpins" needed to be targeted, that tougher penalties were needed and that officers need to also "follow the money" using money laundering laws.

Milliken said the lack of a system for reporting ivory stockpiles, from which tusks were disappearing every year, meant it was very hard to track illegal activity: "Did someone just mow down a herd of elephants, or did someone just open a door?" He also criticised the lack of mandatory forensic testing of seized ivory to determine where it had come from. "It is very disappointing to know that 40, 50, 70 tonnes of ivory can be seized, but we have no idea of where it is from."

The poaching of elephant tusks has been a known fact for more than decades
and it's still going on. Why on earth do people feel the need for ivory (and
rhino horn as a matter of fact)??? Don't the have a glimpse of decency towards
future generation whose heritage they murder??? Obviously not. (0)

Just hope that Thailand will stick to its word. But will it really change things?
Poaching is such a well organized crime by now. Those who make money will
always find ways to trade it. (Why don't we have that shooting smiley anymore?)

Ivory seized outside Hazyview

Illegal ivory seized by crime intelligence unit and White River K9 unit.

02 May 2013


HAZYVIEW - An undisclosed amount of ivory was seized at 10:30 today when a group of men were arrested five kilometers outside town.

Local crime intelligence units from the SAP and the White River K9 unit arrested the suspects. The suspects, including two Zimbabwean residents, were apprehended in a white Toyota Hilux 4x4 vehicle.

A case of illegal possesion of ivory has been opened. It is not yet known where the elephant tusks come from.

Looklocal Lowveld will bring you updates as it becomes available.

Where do these tusks come from

I have been saying for some time now that, there is still a lot of Elephant poaching going on in KNP and surrounds. It is just being over shadowed by the Rhino paoching.