Author name: Rhishja Cota-Larson

Rhishja is the founder of Annamiticus, a nonprofit organization which provides educational information and news about wildlife crime and endangered species. Rhishja has journeyed to the streets of Hanoi to research the illegal wildlife trade, and to the rainforests of Sumatra and Java to document the world’s rarest rhinos. At CITES CoP16 in Bangkok, she joined colleagues from around the world to lobby in favor of protecting endangered species from economic exploitation. When Rhishja is not blogging about the illegal wildlife trade, she enjoys gardening, reading, designing, and rocking out to live music.

Study Reveals Hundreds of Orangutans Killed Annually in Indonesia

A recently published study has uncovered disturbing information regarding the survival of orangutans in Kalimantan, Indonesia. In addition to facing habitat loss due to forest exploitation, hundreds of orangutans are intentionally killed every year by people who live within the orangutan’s distribution range. Killing a ‘major threat’ to wild orangutans The killing of orangutans is […]

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Creative Experts Meet to Devise Plans for Stopping Illegal Trade in Tigers, Rhinos & Other Endangered Species

Earlier this week, more than 20 participants from diverse areas – including advertising, public health, and wildlife trade – met at a workshop in Hong Kong to discuss strategies for reducing the demand for products made from endangered species. The seemingly inescapable appetite for endangered species is driven by the economic boom in countries such

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Rhino Crisis Round Up: Four Rhino Killers Arrested in India & More

The good guys prevailed in this week’s battle to protect the world’s rhinos from medicinal myths about rhino horn: A rhino killing gang was busted in India, while another suspected rhino killer was arrested near South Africa’s border with Mozambique. In both cases, the arrests were preceded by shootouts. Rhino killers arrested In India, four

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No Excuses: Wildlife Protection Billboards Installed in Malaysia

In Malaysia, wildlife criminals can no longer claim ignorance as an excuse for their destructive activities, thanks to the installation of billboards in the heart of illegal wildlife trafficking hotspots. Photo © WWF-Malaysia The huge signs are located near the Belum-Temengor Forest Complex, one of the world’s oldest rainforests, located in northern Peninsular Malaysia. “The

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Rhino Crisis Round Up: 33 Rhino Horns Seized in Hong Kong, Charges Filed in UK Museum Theft & More

This week, a large rhino horn seizure in Hong Kong may provide clues to a rhino horn supplier network – if DNA sampling requests are fulfilled. Meanwhile, a contingency of rhino ranchers in South Africa continue their crusade to profit (legally) from the rhino crisis. Cape Town shipment On Tuesday, customs officials in Hong Kong

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Rhino Crisis Round Up: Western Black Rhino Declared Extinct, Rhino Killed in India & More

Another rhinoceros subspecies gone forever: The IUCN has confirmed that the Western black rhino (Diceros bicornis longipes) is indeed extinct. Just like the recent extinction of the Vietnamese Javan rhino (Rhinoceros sondaicus annamiticus), “lack of political will” is cited as a contributing factor. The Diceros bicornis longipes page on the IUCN Red List of Threatened

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Rhino Crisis Round Up: South Africa's Record-Breaking Rhino Death Toll & More [Warning: Graphic]

A sobering media release from WWF has confirmed that the number of rhinos killed in South Africa during the first 10 months of 2011 has already exceeded last year’s total of 333. © naturepl.com/Mark Carwardine/WWF South Africa’s rhino death toll now stands at a record 341. The total includes 16 critically endangered black rhinos. A

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Rhino Crisis Round Up: Javan Rhino Extinct in Vietnam, Rhino Horn Smugglers Arrested in Nepal & More

The conservation community mourns this week as the extinction of the Javan rhino subspecies (Rhinoceros sondaicus annamiticus) was confirmed. Photo © WWF-Greater Mekong DNA testing determined that a female rhino, found shot to death in Vietnam’s Cat Tien National Park in 2010 with her horn missing, was the very last of her kind. A report

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Rhino Crisis Round Up: 'Eco-Clubs' in Nepal, New Arrivals in India & Groenewald Makes a Deal in South Africa

This week’s Round Up takes a look at a couple of great initiatives in Nepal and Zimbabwe – plus, India welcomes some very special new arrivals! Meanwhile, South Africa’s (alleged) rhino horn syndicate kingpin Groenewald remains under the public’s microscope.

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Mules Hunting Rhinos? Sinister Scam Unfolds in South Africa

Thanks to trophy hunt loopholes in South Africa, rhino horn smugglers have found a way to acquire their contraband legally.

As part of the sinister organized crime network that is controlling the illegal rhino horn trade, these “mules” (often women) are actually using “hunting safaris” as a front for running rhino horn from South Africa to Vietnam.

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