Over 50 Ploughshare Tortoises and 21 Radiated Tortoises were seized at Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bangkok. Both species are critically endangered. Authorities arrested two adults – one a Thai national and the other was a woman from Madagascar. Both species of tortoise are native to Madgascar and the women had flown from her home country
Did you know that World Pangolin Day is celebrated on the third Saturday in February? This year, the special day falls on February 16th — so be sure to mark your calendar if you haven’t already done so! World Pangolin Day is an opportunity for pangolin enthusiasts to join together in raising awareness about these
Fantastic news this week from India: The greater one-horned rhino population has increased in Kaziranga National Park, Orang National Park, and Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary. The rhino population in Assam’s Kaziranga National Park soared to 2290, up from the 2009 census which counted 2048 rhinos. Orang National Park’s rhino population zoomed from 64 to 100, and
South Africa’s famed Kruger National Park was the scene of shocking discovery: The bodies of eight rhinos, all with their horns removed. A spokesperson for the country’s flagship tourist destination told the Times Live that three of the dead rhinos were found in Lower Sabie and the other five in the Pretoriuskop section. Rhino killings
Photo © Elizabeth John / TRAFFIC A record number of at least 13 large-scale ivory seizures in 2011, along with continued elephant killings in Africa, indicate that the illegal ivory trade is thriving — thanks to demand from Asia. In addition, records from “hundreds of smaller ivory seizures” are currently being compiled by the wildlife
African elephants continue to fall victim to the Chinese demand for ivory, as 44 tusks were reportedly seized near Lobéké National Park in Southeast Cameroon. Four people, including a “businessman” who is believed to have arranged the deal, were arrested after the tusks were found in a truck transporting cocoa. WWF’s project manager in Lobéké,
There is still no end in sight to the rhino massacre in South Africa, as this year’s body count has now exceeded 400, surpassing the 2010 death toll of 333. Although arrests for rhino crimes have also increased, South Africa’s conviction rate is abysmally low: Less than five percent. According to The Telegraph, 229 of
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
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
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
EXTINCT: Vietnam’s last rhino was a victim of the illegal rhino horn trade. Photo © WWF-Greater Mekong WWF and the International Rhino Foundation (IRF) have confirmed the extinction of the Javan rhino (Rhinoceros sondaicus annamiticus) in Vietnam. DNA match On April 29th, 2010, the body of a female Javan rhino was found in Cat Tien
Customs officials in Thailand have rescued nearly 100 pangolins from certain death.
New York has joined a growing global movement to stop the plundering of bears for traditional Chinese medicines by enacting a law that prohibits the sale and transport of bear gallbladders.
The latest report published by the wildlife trade monitoring network TRAFFIC reveals that an alarming number of protected and endangered tortoises and freshwater turtles are openly for sale in Indonesia.
Tomorrow my family is planning to make a trip to the zoo. I like zoos, but there are some things about them that always get my mind racing through ethical questions about animals and the nature of people. I find that zoos tend to reliably provoke more thoughts in my mind than other places that
