Banner image – Generic licensed image of cheetah with young cubs “‘Notorious’ trophy hunter brags about killing cheetah cubs – posting dead bodies online,” Mirror, 26 August 2024 “My name is Cameron Hopkins and I proudly killed three cheetah cubs… I’d do it again under the same circumstances….A mother with …
Banner Image: Amboseli icons Tim and Kilimanjaro, Amboseli National Park 2016, Kenya – image courtesy ElephantVoices A letter titled “Stop elephant hunting in Tanzania borderlands” appeared in Science journal 19 July 2024 – the letter was jointly authored by twenty four eminent scientists and advocates, with the letter first published …
World Animal Protection report: “Breeding wild animals for profit is cruel and poses a threat to humans, according to a report by World Animal Protection. But what’s startling is the NGO’s estimate of the numbers — about 5.5 billion animals from around 487 wild species worldwide” – “Cruel and needless — …
As reported in the Daily Maverick (18 March 2024), the Republic of South Africa Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) invited submissions regarding the “draft National Biodiversity Economy Strategy (NBES)“ as notified in Government Gazette, No. 50279, dated 8 March 2024. As well as expanding ‘conservation areas’ the draft NBES …
“South Africa’s Rhino Horn Stockpiles: Integral to Illegal Trade – What Next for South African Rhino,” EMS Foundation Report 2024 Conclusions and Recommendations “Instead of destroying the rhino horn after removal, South Africa has chosen to continue the risk to the diminishing surviving rhino population by driving the perception that the …
At the 2019 General Election, both major parties included a ban on trophy imports in their manifestos. The Hunting Trophies (Import Prohibition) Bill passed unanimously in the House of Commons in 2023, but was subsequently blocked by a tiny group of unelected peers in the House of Lords. An identical …
“Every year, tens of thousands of wild animals worldwide are killed by trophy hunters with the aim of acquiring body parts of target animals as trophies – for example, full body mounts, tusks, horns, or skins. Rarer species are typically more expensive to shoot. Trophy hunters even target endangered and strictly protected species, …
United Kingdom – Trophy Hunting (Import Prohibition) Bill The Trophy Hunting (Import Prohibition) Bill passed virtually unhindered through the United Kingdom House of Commons, only to be thwarted by a handful of unelected peers in the House of Lords in September 2023 – there has been a disingenuous PR campaign against …
“Current estimates indicate that there are at least 8,900 tigers being held in more than 300 facilities in East and Southeast Asia. Over 6,000 of these tigers are located in China, with the remaining animals found almost exclusively in Thailand (approx. 1,635), Lao PDR (451); and Vietnam (395)….The rate at which tigers are bred, …
The Republic of South Africa, Department of Forestry, Fisheries and The Environment (DFFE) has issued its “Draft Policy Position on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Elephant, Lion, Leopard and Rhinoceros” – Government Gazette, No. 49322, Department of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment (DFFE), dated 19 September 2023. There are many contradictions between …
The “Hunting Trophies (Import Prohibition) Bill” heads for Committee Stage in the United Kingdom House of Lords on 12 September 2023. In response to tabled amendments to the Bill, the Humane Society International (HSI) UK has prepared a formal briefing – “Hunting Trophies (Import Prohibition) Bill – HL Bill 119, Briefing …
“Putting a stop to cruelty: why South Africa’s commercial captive lion industry should be shut down for good” – World Animal Protection report, August 2023 “The report adds credence to pre-existing concerns about how some of these types of facilities operate. Specifically, that some are using legal activities – like captive breeding and canned hunting – to …
SavingSally.org When Eduardo Goncalves (of the Campaign to Ban Trophy Hunting) posed as a trophy hunter, he entered the fanatical, dark and macabre world of the trophy hunters and their fixers – hunting outfitters and canned* animal breeders offering trophy hunters kills for cash. “Saving Sally: Trophy Hunters Secrets and Lies” outlines …
The “Hunting Trophies (Import Prohibition) Bill” is due for Report Stage/3rd Reading on Friday 17 March 2023. [Update] The bill passed the Report Stage on the 17 March 2023 and will now proceed from the Commons to the next stages in the House of Lords. “Ban on imports of animal hunting …
United Kingdom Hunting Trophy Imports On the 25 November 2022, the first reading of Henry Smith MP’s “Hunting Trophies (Import Prohibition) Bill” took place in the United Kingdom House of Commons – the bill passed unopposed to the next Committee Stage due 25 January 2023. The bill has the potential to …
“Poaching rates across Africa have decreased by more than 50% since the peak in 2015, but they remain high, at equivalent levels seen at the start of the crisis. Poached horns from South Africa continue to be a key source for the illicit supply chain. Investigations indicate the main consumer market is China where rhino horn is …
“Although the international trade in tigers has been prohibited since 1975 when they were classified as an Appendix I species under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), tigers continue to be bred in legal and illegal captive facilities – otherwise known as tiger farms. In …
The Hunting Trophies (Import Prohibition) Bill, sponsored by Henry Smith MP [draft bill published 23 November 2022] was read in the United Kingdom House of Commons on 25 November 2022 [Parliament Live TV achieve (10:49 onwards) link and/or the transcript]. [Update] The bill passed Committee stage 25 January 2023, the Report Stage/3rd …
Banner Image: Courtesy of Michelle Riley HSUS The Minster (Barbara Creecy), the Republic of South Africa, Department of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment (DFFE) has released, for public consultation, a Draft White Paper on Conservation and Sustainable Use of South Africa’s Biodiversity: Government Notice 2252 of 2022 “South Africa’s Biodiversity 2022: …
Joint NGO Position on Trophy Hunting, Organised by Pro Wildlife, July 2022
Banner image courtesy of “Trophy Hunting & Britain: A Case for a Ban,” June 2022 Below, is the full testimony (pages 133 – 137) of an anonymous source, a former member of the Oxford University Wildlife Conservation Research Unit (WildCRU) team that radio-collared and studied Cecil prior to him being killed. …
Banner image: Leopard taxidermy at the annual Safari Club International Convention in 2020. (Photo: HSUS) Article by Don Pinnock originally in the Daily Maverick, 22 March 2022 A myth-busting exercise on hunting questions the claim that bagging wildlife trophies is sustainable. When you strip trophy hunting to its essentials, it’s about …
“Dealing in items containing ivory or made of ivory,” Gov.UK, 16 March 2022 “From 6 June [2022], you will not be able to deal in items containing or made of elephant ivory under the Ivory Act 2018 unless they are registered as exempt or certified as exempt. References to ivory …
Article by Don Pinnock originally in the Daily Maverick, 16 March 2022 As numbers decline and persecution continues, South Africa has issued a quota for the trophy hunting of 10 leopards. But it may be illegal and is being challenged in the high court. It’s tough to be a leopard …
Rumours circulate that the UK Government is considering abandoning the Animals Abroad Bill altogether – after recently announcing “Government set to ditch promised animal welfare ban on fur imports and foie gras” (19 February 2022). The proposed legislation to end hunting trophy imports, which was to be contained within the Animals …
Banner image: Video screen grabs from an undercover investigation at Safari Club International‘s annual hunters‘ convention in Las Vegas. (Photo: HSI / Africa) By Don Pinnock – this article was originally in the Daily Maverick, 2 March 2022 If you want to kill animals for fun, South Africa is the place. …
On 19 March 2021, Cornwall Council, Directorate for Planning, Growth and Sustainability refused the planning application (ref. PA20/08566) for Mr P Kerry’s proposed rabbit farm (captive breeding, meat and fur production) upon “Land North Of Tregunwith Wood Tregunwith Mylor Bridge TR11 5SU” – Notice of Refusal of Planning Permission, 19 March …
On 11 May 2021, Buckinghamshire Council, Directorate for Planning, Growth and Sustainability refused the planning application (ref. PL/21/0130/FA) for Mr P Kerry’s proposed rabbit farm (captive breeding, meat and fur production) upon “Land at Magpie Lane Amersham Road, Coleshill, Buckinghamshire” – Decision – Application Refused, 11 May 2021. On the 25 …
The case of the Chen Organised Crime Group (OCG) is significant not only because it is the largest ivory smuggling case that has been convicted in China, but because it effectively dismantled an entire smuggling network from the source point in Africa to distribution in China. “In December 2020, the Guangzhou Intermediate People’s …
Using tigers (or any wildlife for that matter) as dangerous show props (for example, Siegfried and Roy – “It took four men and a fire extinguisher to get the tiger off him”), or to promote an ‘aspirational lifestyle’ (sic) is reprehensible. However, it appears that some fashion brands/influencers don’t get it – …
Big cat farming in South Africa: the need for international action “South Africa is intensively breeding tigers and lions for a commercial trade in live animals and their body parts. There is also a significant commercial trade in leopard parts through hunting trophies and trade in live jaguars and their parts from captive sources. The trade …
The All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Banning Trophy Hunting are holding a public webinar discussion on 11 January 2022, 11:00 – 12:00 hours (GMT): “On Tuesday 11 January, the APPG launches its new report ‘Shooting Up – Are Britain’s Trophy Imports & Hunting Companies Booming?‘ in a webinar open to the public, …
In last year’s review, it was hoped that in 2021 we could start to return to some kind of ‘normality’ after Coronavirus (Covid-19) impacted the globe – it would seem we are still a long way from any guarantee of ‘normality,’ as the fight against the virus endures. On a …
Banner image: Outside UK Houses of Parliament, 9 December 2021 – Campaign to Ban Trophy Hunting and supportive Members of Parliament This week, the United Kingdom (UK) Department for Environmental, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) finally released two important pieces of information: The proposed contents of the bill regarding the …
Banner image courtesy of Wildcat Haven In the past weeks, Scotland has been hosting the CoP26 UN Climate Change Conference, with pledges ‘to protect biodiversity and the planet.’ However, it has emerged today that the Scottish government and Swedish government owned energy company, Vattenfall are seemingly hell bent (in the name …
Banner Image: 30 Lions Euthanised After Burning in Free State Fires. Photos suppliedOriginal article link,”30 Lions Euthanised After Burning in Free State Fires in Shocking Animal Cruelty Case,” SA People News, 3 October 2021 Thirty captive lions on a private breeding farm in the Free State, South Africa, have had …
Hopefully, this chilling documentary will be on general release soon – highlighting the cruel commodification of thousands of tigers in South East Asia to profit from a gullible tourist industry, supply executed tigers for the Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) industry and the trade in derivative tiger body parts….. The Tiger …
A lion called Mopane was shot by a bowhunter on 5 August 2021 on a hunting concession bordering the unfenced Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe. He was 12 years old and a breeding pride male. Original story, “Trophy hunters kill another breeding Hwange lion – Mopane,” Africa Geographic, 13 August …
The United Kingdom government (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA)) is seeking consultation (via an on-line survey) on extending the scope of the Ivory Act 2018 to encompass five additional ivory bearing species (hippopotamus, narwhal, killer whale, sperm whale and walrus), not just elephants – this DEFRA consultation runs …
After last year’s High-Level Panel (HLP) submission process in South Africa, the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) released its HLP Report in May 2021. Among many proposals, the DFFE proposes to enhance the conservation of lion and rhino species in the wild by halting their commercially driven domestication/exploitation. …
Commemorating the anniversary of Cecil’s death, a new report by Humane Society International/Europe released July 2021 in six languages, gives new insight about the demand driving the deaths of these animals. “Trophy Hunting by the Numbers – The European Union’s role in global trophy hunting” reveals that the European Union …
“We must end this barbaric practice” is a reported quote with regard to the ethical/moral acceptability of trophy hunting by Boris Johnson – British Prime Minister given in a 28 September 2019 tweet alongside a picture of Cecil the lion – it’s now 6 years since this iconic lion’s slaughter on 1 July 2015 for …
The Wildlife Justice Commission report (May 2021) restates that “Over the past two decades, wildlife crime has become a form of transnational organised crime, generating billions of dollars annually and affecting almost every country.” The report includes case studies, such as the “The Rathkeale Rovers” (page 28 – 29) prosecuted …
“The often overlooked ivory trade,” TRAFFIC, April 2021 Hippopotamus have been exploited in the past for their ivory – the hippo species (Hippopotamus amphibius) is classed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as vulnerable, with an estimated global population of around 110,000 – 130,000. But threats such …
Banner Image courtesy of Mark Boulton – Elsa Trust and Elsamere The Republic of South Africa’s Cabinet approved the High Level Panel’s (HLP’s) report [High Level Panel Report_15 December 2020] last week, so a briefing for stakeholders was held today, Sunday, 2 May 2021. Minster Creecy (Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and …
Banner Image – “Sport hunting in Zimbabwe is big business, with hunters such as David Barrett paying $10,000 for the experience. Barrett, who is British, and others argue that Western hunters provide vital revenue to local communities” – National Geographic In 2019, 68 percent of Conservative voters supported a trophy …
A shocking exposé of the exploitative, destructive, global fishing cartels – corruption, ‘sustainability’ myths, lies, slavery, complicity, plus of course untold damage to our planet and our own species’ chances of survival…..a must watch for everyone I would suggest. “Seaspiracy,” Ali and Lucy Tabrizi (Kip Andersen: Producer), Netflix documentary – …
It’s not just lions/big cats being cruelly exploited in South Africa’s captive breeding industry, but also vulnerable people: “One of our key findings following multiple interviews with industry stakeholders, was the exploitation, not only of South Africa’s wildlife, but the exploitation of its people too on these farms. By talking …
Petition – “Stop Wildlife Traffickers Using Our City,” Support Hong Kong Environmental Petitions Detailed analysis by ADM Capital Foundation suggests that where there are wildlife trade interceptions and prosecutions in the wildlife trafficking hub of Hong Kong, the penalties are not severe and the Kingpins go untouched – many of those prosecuted …
As we await Minister Creecy’s public announcement of South Africa’s High Level Panel recommendations regarding the captive breeding industry (and other ‘sustainable utilisation’ policies), South Africa’s National Council of SPCAs (NSPCA) recent report, “NSPCA Challenges the Captive Lion Industry” (February 2021), makes for a sombre read and reminder of the cruel, …
Banner Image – Merelize Van Der Merwe and her Valentine’s Day present trophy hunting kill (assisted by Professional Hunter, Chrisjan Bakker) – The Mirror, 25 February 2021 Trophy hunting’s public reputation is not enhanced by those that seek to publicly glory in their killings, or the excuse(s) given for such killings …
Banner image “Tiger for sale in Bangkok.” By Andreas Wilson-Spath*, Daily Maverick, 9 February 2021 – This article was provided by the Conservation Action Trust. Conservationists have demonstrated that legalised trade and commercial breeding of wild animals stimulates demand, encourages poachers and smugglers and ultimately pushes species towards extinction in the wild. A …
Flemming Emil Hanson (Zenger, 26 January 2021) reports that “A hunter is facing up to five years in jail for killing an endangered tiger in South Africa, importing it to Slovakia” and then using it “in violation of the law to promote business activities in connection with the mediation …
Are celebrities (and by association the public) misguided in their support of trophy hunting import/export bans? This is the question posed by Alex Morss, in a 15 January 2021 article published in The Guardian – “Celebrity power undermining global conservation efforts, [some] scientists warn” – ie. the accusation being that …
Banner image courtesy of Saving Wildcats Saving Wildcats (building on the work of the previous body, Scottish Wildcat Action) launched a project in 2020 dedicated to the conservation and recovery of the endangered Scottish Wildcat (the ‘Highland Tiger’) species. Saving Wildcats aims “to prevent the extinction of wildcats in Scotland by breeding and …
“Scotland to ban mass culling of mountain hares” (The Guardian 18 June 2020) – Image courtesy of Robert Harding Well, 2020 has been a year to remember and forget at the same time…..and as we head into 2021, the legacy of 2020 will be coming with us for the foreseeable……hopefully, …
PDF version of letter – NGO Appeal for Closure of Captive Lion Breeding Industry and Associated Activities, 2 December 2020 Minister of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries Environment House, 473 Steve Biko, Arcadia, Pretoria 0083, South Africa For attention Faroze Shaik, Chief of Staff [email protected] …
By Jared Kukura, Wild Things Initiative, 6 December 2020 Once again, a scientific paper is presented in a way to disparage critics of the trophy hunting community despite its shortcomings and potentially contradictory interpretations. The Threat Analysis for More Effective Lion Conservation attempted to provide a framework for defining issues plaguing lions which …
Considering how China’s pharmaceutical industry continues to blatantly utilises wildlife (with the support of naïve western investment), the call is long overdue for China (and others) to curtail the commercial exploitation of species such as pangolins, leopards, tiger, bears and elephants…..for ‘cures,’ trinkets and status symbols. 27 non-governmental organisations call …
By Melissa Reitz, Conservation Action Trust, 17 November 2020 Despite overwhelming worldwide opposition, including a parliamentary resolution to close down the captive lion breeding industry, SA’s government is ignoring red flags that the industry is damaging the country’s reputation and deliberating a 2020 annual trade quota for the export of lion bones. The …
Born Free Foundation has launched the Global Nature Recovery Investment Initiative (GNRII) – which has resonance in the post COVID-19 world we now inhabit – a global pandemic resulting from the unleashing of a deadly zoonotic disease after man’s exploitation of wildlife. The GNRII focuses attention on bodies, such as …
By Jared Kukura, Wild Things Initiative, 27 October 2020 (Article given in Conservation Action Trust). Also see “How American hunting organizations conduct information warfare on social media,” Jared Kukura, Wild Things Initiative, 29 June 2020 In 1996, Safari Club International and their African Chapter held a series of visits and …
Banner image: An overcrowded camp with lion cubs of the same age. (Photo: Blood Lions) By Don Pinnock, Daily Maverick, 26 August 2020 As Department of Agriculture officials file into a meeting with Parliament’s Environmental Portfolio Committee on Friday (August 28) to explain the animal welfare laws they administer and the implications …
By Jared Kukura, Wild Things Initiative, 10 August 2020 For more than a decade, we have been told trophy hunting is not a major threat to lions. But is this claim supported by science? Trophy hunting advocates will point to recent reports published by members of WildCRU and the IUCN SSC Cat Specialist Group stating …
Banner image courtesy of Police Scotland who said “As well as being illegal, poisoning is a cruel way to kill a bird. It also puts the lives of other creatures and plants at risk and impacts negatively on our environment” As notified by Wild Justice (28 July 2020), a radio-collared specimen of the UK’s …
On the 30 June 2020, Dr Dilys Roe, Chair – IUCN Sustainable Use and Livelihoods Specialist Group (SULi) [and Board Member of advocacy group, Resource Africa UK] and Dr Amy Dickman, Director – Ruaha Carnivore Project, University of Oxford, presented to the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Shooting and Conservation, chaired by Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown MP (‘Benefit …
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has issued a report, “World Wildlife Crime Report – Trafficking in Protected Species” 2020. “Lion, jaguar and leopard body parts are being increasingly sought as substitutes to tiger products by traffickers, a major UN report has found, but demand for ivory …
“Mufasa fund” – fund raising to maintain legal right to keep Mufasa safe at Wild For Life sanctuary Petition – “Save Mufasa the white lion” -Care2Petition (at 644,804 signatures and rising) “White Lion Mufasa” – facebook page [Article updated, 11 July 2020] The Republic of South Africa, North West – …
Fascinating insight into the murky illegal wildlife trade (IWT) by the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA). The global illegal wildlife trade is worth an estimated $7-23 billion a year billion every year, but these huge profits are seldom targeted. “Money Trails – Identifying financial flows linked to wildlife trafficking” looks at …
5th Anniversary of the killing of Cecil the Lion TROPHY HUNTING: CONSERVATION & ANIMAL WELFARE GROUPS CALL ON GOVERNMENT TO SET OUT ITS PLANS A coalition of Britain’s leading conservation and animal welfare groups are calling on the government to publish a timetable for banning trophy hunting imports [the UK public …
Banner image courtesy of Brent Stapelkamp “Cecil’s Roar” video – Courtesy of Craig Thomas On the 5th anniversary of Cecil the lion’s torture and death, let’s hear him roar again and let’s roar for him (and all such wildlife persecuted in the name of ‘sports’ trophy hunting) – see social media …
A comprehensive and timely study by Nature Needs More: “Debunking Sustainable Use – Report 2020,” June 2020 “There is a widespread belief in both conservation agencies and the wider public that ‘sustainable use’ of wildlife is both possible and desirable. This report examines the validity of both assumptions under the …
The “Killing Game” is the July 2020 follow up book from Eduardo Gonçalves to “Trophy Hunters Exposed” (launched June 2020): “Killing Game” – UK order link – Published by Green Future Books Ltd. “Killing Game” – US/rest of the world order link – Published by Green Future Books Ltd. TROPHY HUNTING is …
“Crossing the Red Line – Japan’s Exotic Pet Trade,” TRAFFIC, June 2020 “Japan has historically been identified as one of the biggest consumer countries of exotic pets, where hundreds of threatened species are in demand, including slow lorises, owls and pythons privately kept by individuals. Demand in Japan has been a persistent driving force within …
“Unfair Game” – An exposé of South Africa’s captive-bred lion industry [Update] Now published on Kindle and in paperback (16 June 2020 in the UK, 7 July 2020 in the USA): UK Link – “Unfair Game“ USA Link – “Unfair Game“ By Lord Ashcroft on Wildlife – (Lord Ashcroft fb page link) …
An illustration of how the illegal wildlife trade adapts and shifts – the Chinese demand for ivory is still there, the supply routes move regions as enforcement eventually tries to clamp-down: “Operation Jeopardy – The Growing Relevance of Cambodia in the Global Ivory Trade (report PDF),” Wildlife Justice Commission, June 2020 …
“Trophy Hunters Exposed – Inside the big game industry” – (UK delivery link),” May 2020, Eduardo Gonçalves (Campaign to Ban Trophy Hunting): Amazon Kindle/Paperback (UK delivery link), published by Green Future Books Amazon Kindle/Paperback (US and elsewhere delivery link), published by Green Future Books A gripping, terrifying and meticulous analysis of the …
Banner image: To protect the world from zoonotic diseases, CITES needs to be amended, refocused or superseded by other international protocols, says its former head, John Scanlon. (Photo: Still from Eye of the Pangolin) By Don Pinnock, Daily Maverick, 27 May 2020 It’s time to rethink the role of CITES, says its …
[Update – September 2020] The path for appeal to the Supreme Court was denied in August 2020, with DEFRA consulting (opened 9 March 2021) on implementation of the Ivory Act (2018): “In August a Defra spokesperson said: “We are committed to bringing the ivory ban into force as soon as …
Image Credit: Karl Ammann on location in China. Karl Ammann is a conservationist and wildlife photographer “Breaking Point: Uncovering South Africa’s Shameful Live Wildlife Trade with China,” EMS Foundation and Ban Animal Trading report, 17 May 2020 “South Africa has become the largest exporter of live wild animals to Asia, …
As we await the United Kingdom’s planned legislation resulting from the “Consultation on controls on the import and export of hunting trophies,” the Campaign to Ban Trophy Hunting (CBTH) has released a study “Shooting Captive Animals for Sport – South Africa, the United Kingdom & the growth of a global …
The NSPCA (National Council – Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA)), reported on 13 May 2020: The National Council of SPCAs (NSPCA) Wildlife Protection Unit undertook an investigation at two captive lion facilities, owned by the same person, in All Days, in Limpopo after receiving a …
Analysis of the murky trade in tiger trophies and body parts provided by Campaign to Ban Trophy Hunting. “The Global Trade in Tiger Trophies, Bodies, Skins & Chinese ‘Medicines’ 2014 – 2018,” May 2020 South Africa is a known exporter of captive bred tiger trophies and derivative products, where tigers …
Banner Image courtesy of Mark Boulton – “Lewa Conservancy, Kenya” – Elsa Trust and Elsamere IWB’s Submission to the HLP, Dated 11 June 2020 IWB’s Response to HLP Questions Received, Dated 21 October 2020 The Republic of South Africa, Department: Environmental affairs has issued a “A general notice calling for submissions, …
By Ross Harvey, Conservation Action Trust, 13 April 2020 Botswana hides behind national “sovereignty” while selling off its natural heritage to foreign hunters and treating elephants as mere commodities. In February 2020 the government of Botswana auctioned off the right to hunt and kill 60 elephants — the first salvo toward …
Banner image courtesy of Animals Asia In the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the legal trade and illegal wildlife trafficking trade has come under increasing scrutiny (for good reason). A 2019 study concluded that one in every five species is affected by trade of some sort, but that the wildlife trade will expand …
Banner Image – “Late last year, 32 wild animals, including lions, giraffes, white and black rhinos, lions and cheetahs, were listed under the Animal Improvement Act, effectively rendering them farm animals subject to manipulation and consumption“ Article by Don Pinnock, “Living with wild animals (Part Two): Eat them like there’s …
6th April 2020 Dear Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus [Director General, World Health Organisation] and Dr Zhang Qi [Co-ordinator of Traditional and Complementary Medicine Unit (TCM), World Health Organisation], COVID-19: Health risks and wildlife[1] markets – the need for a permanent global ban on wildlife markets and a highly precautionary approach to …
As we approach World Health Day on Tuesday, 7 April 2020 – please join the call to end wildlife markets/wildlife trade across the globe to protect human health, including re-emphasising the inherent human health risks of tuberculosis (TB) transmission from the lion bone trade. World-wide, TB has been infecting and killing …
EIA research reveals that at least 24 Chinese pharmaceutical companies have been listing leopard bones as an ingredient in their traditional medicines, although there are fewer than 450 wild leopards left in that country. “Bitter Pill to Swallow – China’s flagrant trade in leopard bone products,” Environmental Investigation Agency, April …
Banner image courtesy of artist Olaf Hajek and The New York Times Sunday Review The ‘true’ cost of wildlife abuse – Coronavirus and the viruses to follow…. “If we fail to understand and take care of the natural world, it can cause a breakdown of these systems and come back …
“There is no escaping the fact that countries from which wild tigers have been wiped out or virtually wiped out in recent years – Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam and China – are countries where the tiger has been valued solely for the sum of its body parts…End the domestic trade and …
By Ross Harvey, Conservation Action Trust, 5 March 2020 Symptomatic of the Botswana government’s shaky relationship with reality is its letter to the United Kingdom’s Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA). A full week after the deadline (25 February 2020) for public submissions on whether the UK should ban …
by Don Pinnock, Daily Maverick, 24 February 2020 The Chinese government has placed an immediate ban on the illegal trading of wildlife and the consumption of wild animals. This follows a link between pangolin meat and the coronavirus outbreak. Despite international outrage, South Africa is allowing a quota of at …
Banner Image – Protesters supporting the UK Ivory Bill being enacted in full outside the High Court, 24 February 2020 – courtesy of Action for Elephants Back in November 2019, Friends of Antique Cultural Treasures (FACT – a limited company formed by dealers and collectors, with funds channelled via …
By Ross Harvey, Conservation Action Trust, 14 February 2020 “Why not allow any willing bidder (such as the EMS Foundation) to pay for these licences if that raises revenue to conserve magnificent bull elephants instead of eliminating them?“ The Botswana government has again demonstrated to the world that it either does …
In depth investigation by Roberto Jurkschat, “Inside The Global Conservation Organization Infiltrated By Trophy Hunters,” BuzzFeed, 13 February 2020 (see original text for all images and references) GENEVA — Giraffes may well tower over all other animals in the natural world — but in the wild, their numbers are rapidly dwindling, …
In 2019, after IWCC members pressed for the lifting of prohibitions on imports of elephant and lion trophies from Tanzania, the USFWS issued an import permit for a lion trophy from that country, the first since the species was listed as threatened under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. Photo by …
Joint open letter (prepared by Mark Jones, Head of Policy, Born Free Foundation) to: Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director General, World Health Organisation Dr Monique Eloit, Director General, Office International Epizoologies Inger Andersen, Executive Director, United Nations Environment Programme Live Wild Animal Markets, Human and Animal Health, and Biodiversity …
Banner Image: Courtesy of EPA/IFAW – “Two lionesses rub against a cage fence at a captive breeding centre for large predators at an undisclosed location in South Africa’s Free State Province in an undated picture released 16 November 2005 by the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW)“ Towards the …
Banner image courtesy of Greater Limpopo Carnivore Programme A recent Africa Geographic article, “Lion poaching: Escalating demand for claws and teeth,” 2 January 2020 has summarised the conclusions of a paper published towards the end of 2019: Everatt, K.T; Kokes, R. & Lopez Pereira, C., October 2019 –“Evidence of a further …
Banner Image – iStock (Roger Trentham) …. and a Happy New Year As we end 2019 and head towards 2020, the ‘line in the sand’ has been set, with increasing public awareness and empathy with the plight of wildlife. United Kingdom – Trophy Import/Exports, UK Ivory Bill and Shooting …
Banner Image – Outrage over ‘unethical’ Botswana elephant hunt, Don Pinnock, Daily Maverick, 11 December 2019 Botswana has recently (2018) reinstated elephant trophy hunting (after a 2014 moratorium). However, this is considered a mistake by leading experts that will not help reduce human-wildlife conflict. Let’s look at the reasons elephants have …
Banner Image: Wild-caught young elephants are held captive in a fenced boma by Zimbabwe authorities awaiting shipment to China in October 2019 © Oscar Nkalain / Humane Society International/Africa – “Opinion: Zimbabwe’s shameful export of baby elephants under the guise of ‘sustainable use’,” Africa Geographic, 18 November 2019 Posted at EMS …
Banner image courtesy of EPA-EFE / Kim Ludbrook By Don Pinnock, Daily Maverick, 25th November 2019 In the matter of guarding the chicken run, there’s a big difference between giving the job to a chicken or a fox. In October the government appointed a high-level panel ‘to review policies, legislation …
Update: IWB’s submission: IWB – Consultation Response and Call for Evidence The United Kingdom Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) has opened the “Consultation on controls on the import and export of hunting trophies” (opened 2 November 2019, update, extended to now close 25 February 2020). The consultation …
Banner Image “Gruesome photographs show Alex Goss posing beside the bodies of two lions after they were slaughtered during hunts in South Africa. Goss, from Oswestry, Shropshire, owns and manages Blackthorn Safaris” – Daily Mail, 22 June 2019 On 30 August 2019, ‘Science’ magazine (the journal of the American Association …
Banner image courtesy of Mpora – “Rare white lions are considered particularly valuable among trophy hunters, and so are intensively bred – often with detrimental consequences for the gene pool. Photo: Anonymous“ The following article is written in conjunction with Voice4Lions. Why would South Africa’s game breeding industry (the “industry”) seek …
Banner Image – Protesters supporting the UK Ivory Bill being enacted in full outside the High Court, 16 October 2019 Update: 18 February 2020 The privately funded appeal against the High Court’s 2019 decision(to reject the ivory ban challenge) to be heard 24/25 February, 2020, High Court, The Strand, London. …
Banner Image – IUCN Photo: WCEL The September 2019, International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) report – “Compatibility of Trophy Hunting as a Form of Sustainable Use with IUCN’s Objectives” [Link updated, with editor’s notes and “relevant documents (November 2017),” 4 October 2019]. The study [in the authors’ opinion] shows …
By Ross Harvey, original article published in the Ecologist, 19 September 2019 The arguments for trophy hunting contained within a recent letter published in the journal Science simply don’t stack up. A new letter published in Science argues that banning trophy hunting imperils biodiversity [“Scientists: Banning trophy hunting ‘doesn’t protect animals’,” BBC …
Born Free Foundation’s, July 2019 study, “Trophy Hunting; Busting the myths and exposing the cruelty” provides a compendium of information – why trophy hunting is an unethical relic and its continued existence is self-justified behind the deceit of a ‘well regulated’ (sic) industry devoted to conservation (when the reality is …
Excellent evidence (science) gathered by the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA): “Stop The Slaughter – Close Down Domestic Rhino Horn Markets,” EIA, August 2019 This EIA report’s recommendations include urging: “Parties [to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Fauna and Flora (CITES)] to close all existing domestic markets …
This golden eagle was seen flying over the village of Crathie, which borders the edge of the Balmoral estate in Aberdeenshire (Police Scotland), “‘Sickening’: Golden eagle spotted near royal family’s Balmoral estate with illegal trap attached to legs – ‘Absolutely clear this incident is a result of criminality’, says RSPB, …
Banner image – © JohanSwanepoel, licensed from Adobe i-stock Barbara Dallas Creecy, Minister of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries has invited members of the public to submit to the Scientific Authority (South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI)), within 30 days from the date of the publication of the notice in the …
Banner image courtesy of CITES/Wikimedia Commons Above image courtesy of the NSPCA As the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Flora and Fauna (CITES), eighteenth Conference of the Parties (CoP 18) continues in Geneva (17 – 18 August 2019), there have been some significant results (with more still due in …
Banner image courtesy of Harman Singh Heer Open letter from the Wildlife Animal Protection Forum South Africa to the Republic of South Africa, The Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries. 15thAugust 2019 Attention: The Minister of the Environment, Forestry and Fisheries “Their Future is Dark” THE RHINO HORN TRADE 2019 …
Banner Image – Pictures of Seduli courtesy of Big Cat Conservation Big Cat Conservation is reporting (14 August 2019) that another male lion (11 years old – ref Note [1] below), Seduli has been lured from the protection of Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe to be executed for a hunter’s trophy needs …
The NSPCA has won its case (launched in September 2018) against the Minister of Environmental affairs (and co Respondents). The Judgment (6 August 2019) from the Pretoria High Court concluded that the lion bone quotas set for 2017/18 were unlawful because animal welfare was not considered (by the Minister) to be …
Latest report from the Environmental Investigation Agency………the problems are clear for all to see, so why don’t the authorities in Vietnam act according to their own national laws (and international laws)? The lack of decisive Vietnamese enforcement action is fuelling the illegal poaching of rhino, elephants and pangolin, plus promoting illicit, …
Banner Image: We are left to contemplate the needless deaths of keystone animals like lions Skye, Cecil and Voortrekker – not dusty old males hunters claim they hunt, but beautiful creatures in the prime of their lives destined to bolster someone’s ego and bragging rights, says the writer. Photo: Charlie …
At the Campaign to Ban Trophy Hunting gathering in London on 29 June to mark the forthcoming anniversary of Cecil the lion’s untimely death, the haunting sound of Cecil’s recorded roar was played over an audio system – as speaker Peter Egan put it, the sound was a painful …
An excellent, informative report from the Campaign to Ban Trophy Hunting (May 2019): “Trophy Hunting and Conservation – An assessment of evidence regarding impacts and benefits of sports hunting on wildlife and habitat conservation“
Banner image: Lions seen at Willie Jacobs’ farm, Ukutula Lodge, on 31 July 2015 in Brits, South Africa. Jacobs’ farm was heavily criticised after the release of the documentary ‘Blood Lions’, which details the distasteful practices of canned lion breeders and hunters. (Photo by Gallo Images / Rapport / Herman Verwey) By …
Banner Image – A male white lion, part of a rare white lion pack, in the wild in South Africa. (PHOTO: EPA/LIESL EICHENBER) Op-Ed by Don Pinnock, Daily Maverick, 25 April 2019 Trophy hunting has historically been the preserve of colonial, white males. The only thing that has really changed is that …
In the 12 March 2019 “Captive Lion breeding: DEA progress report; Rhino Demand Management; with Minister” the insular, circular thinking of South Africa’s Department: Environmental Affairs (DEA) is apparent under the auspices of the recently appointed Minister of Environmental Affairs, Ms Nomvula Mokonyane. Captive Lion Breeding Well, let’s start by …
Banner image: Namibian desert elephant, Kambonde – “…the animal’s death was a bloodbath” – “Questionable killing of Namibia’s desert elephants,” Africa Geographic, 25 October 2017 With the Global March for Elephants and Rhinos (GMFER) due on 13 April 2019, it seem appropriate to review trophy hunting in light of proposals to the …
Article originally published by Africa Geographic, 8 March 2019 – “Trophy Hunting in Africa is in decline, and no longer pays its way” In addendums to his IUCN report titled ‘Africa is changing: Should its protected areas evolve? Reconfiguring the protected areas in Africa’, wildlife vet and protected areas …
Excellent background piece, with an explanation of the circumstances that have led to the current crisis in Botswana and the alarming prospect of proposals for a return to wildlife killing for income (and pretending there is any conservation imperative that justifies it)……… Article by Don Pinnock, Daily Maverick, 25 February …
Banner image: “Tigers rub against a cage fence at a captive breeding centre for large predators at an undisclosed location in the Free State, South Africa, in this undated picture released in November 2005 by the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW). (Photo: EPA)“ By Lynn Johnson, Daily Maverick, 20 …
Banner image courtesy of Environmental Investigation Agency Petition: “Don’t let CITES delist Elephants and Rhinos as endangered animals!,” Care2Petitions GMFER Petition: “NAMIBIA AND SWAZILAND PROPOSALS TO CITES: TRADE IN RHINO HORN AND TROPHY HUNTING OF RHINO,” Change.Org The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Flora and Fauna (CITES), will …
On the 1 January 2019, a platform “Conservation Frontlines” was launched to raise the ‘virtues’ of hunting in the public consciousness (against the swathe of negative press that has been acknowledged as swaying public opinion against trophy hunting). Conservation Frontlines suggests that: “The best chance to secure social acceptance for …
Banner image courtesy of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration At the close of 2018 after 30+ years of flouting international law, Japan has announced that it is set to leave the International Whaling Commission (IWC) and recommence commercial whaling in the summer 2019, within Japan’s ‘own waters:’ “Government spokesman Yoshihide Suga …
Hanoi, Viet Nam, 13th December 2018— Illegal ivory is widely available in physical and online retail outlets throughout Viet Nam according to a new TRAFFIC report published with support from USAID. The December study, “From Tusk to Trinket – Persistent illegal ivory markets in Viet Nam,” documents surveys carried out …
The United Kingdom Government’s Ivory Bill successfully completed its passage through the parliamentary process this week – the Ivory Bill is now due to receive Royal Assent, hopefully before Christmas. A big THANK YOU to everyone (especially Two Million Tusks for their vital investigative and 2017 reporting work, “Ivory – …
Banner image courtesy of Protect All Wildlife Petition: “Email your MP – Ban Trophy Hunting imports to the UK!” – Care2Petitions Petition: “Ban the import of hunting trophies from threatened species,” 38 Degrees, Born Free Foundation An Early Day Motion (EDM) has been tabled in the United Kingdom Parliament by Zac …
BREAKING NEWS: New Parliamentary report calls for an end to captive lion breeding in South Africa: Report of the Portfolio Committee on Environmental Affairs on the Colloquium on Captive Lion Breeding for Hunting in South Africa: harming or promoting the conservation image of the country, held on 21 and 22 …
Banner image – Courtesy of WWF Singapore – Janissa Ng Petition – “China Just Lifted the Ban on Rhino and Tiger Products,” Care2 Petitions China’s announcement (29 October 2018) has set in motion potentially even more parallel markets for legal and illegal sources to supply Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) – with …
Banner image “de-horning a black rhino” courtesy of Save the Rhino The Republic of South Africa, Department: Environmental Affairs (DEA) has issued for consultation: Government Notice 986 “Draft Regulations relating to Domestic Trade in Rhinoceros Horn” and Government Notice 987 “Draft notice prohibiting the carrying out of certain restricted activities involving …
Banner Image courtesy of oxandson Petition – “Don’t shoot Africa’s last elephants” Care2 Save Elephants This past week, we have had the Illegal Wildlife Trade (IWT, 2018) conference in London. The third party reports seen from attendees at IWT 2018 reinforces the message that for any given persecuted species, such as the …
Save the Rhino International’s report, “Sounding the Horn” suggests that the United Kingdom (UK) antiques industry is trading rhino horn lots without proof of provenance in many cases. However, there are loopholes in the UK’s regulations, whereby: “At present…..there is no pre-sale requirement to verify the age or provenance of …
Petition: “TM and TCM incorporated by WHO – appeal to WHO members to guarantee the protection of endangered plant and animal species,”Care2Petition An article in Nature (“Why Chinese medicine is heading for clinics around the world,” 26 September 2018) presents the alarming prospect of ‘Traditional Chinese Medicine’ (TCM) being endorsed …
Banner Image: “Rack and stack captive-bred lion bones ready for export.” File photo: African News Agency (ANA) MEDIA STATEMENT ISSUED ON 26 SEPTEMBER 2018 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE NSPCA LAUNCHES URGENT LEGAL APPEAL FOR LIONS The National Council of SPCAs (NSPCA) has lodged an urgent interdict [Case No. 86515/17 in The …
“Japan has spent more than 30 years slaughtering whales despite an international ban on commercial whaling and is now proposing measures which would effectively lift the global ban on for-profit whaling. Japan’s so-called Reform Proposal is being considered at the Brazil meeting of the International Whaling Commission, taking place …
Banner Image: Photo via Flickr user Animals Asia According to a recent (2015) report from the Environmental Investigation Agency, “SIN City – Illegal Wildlife Trade in Laos’ Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone:“ “……..numerous ritzy resorts in the Southeast Asian country have been capitalizing off the sale of exotic meats and specialty …
By Richard Hargreaves – Guest blog for the Campaign Against Canned Hunting As you will probably be aware the South African Government issued a Media Statement on 16th July 2018 stating: Minister Edna Molewa establishes lion bone export quota for 2018 In accordance with advice provided by the Scientific Authority, the …
The report, “In Plane Sight: Wildlife Trafficking in the Air Transport Sector,” produced by the Center for Advanced Defense Studies as part of the USAID Reducing Opportunities for Unlawful Transport of Endangered Species (ROUTES) Partnership, revealed the principal role airlines play in the endangered wildlife black market: “The air industry …
Banner image: by Michelle Riley/The HSUS “Giraffes, the gentle giants of the African savanna, are undergoing a silent extinction. According to experts, the wild giraffe population has declined by about 40% since about 1990. The main cause is habitat loss and illegal hunting for the bushmeat trade, but giraffes are …
There is a planned “Colloquium” (workshop) on the 21 and 22 August 2018 in Cape Town, South Africa titled “Captive Lion Breeding for Hunting in South Africa; Harming or Promoting the Conservation Image of the Country[?]” The answer seems fairly obvious, the harm is manifest: IWB’s letter to the Chairperson: …
On 12 August 2018, the Republic of South Africa, Department: Environmental Affairs (DEA) made a statement – “Minister Molewa allocates leopard hunting quota for South Africa for 2018” – this is the result of “the possibility of introducing a precautionary hunting quota in 2018” and puts a quota of 7 …
“Cuddle Me, Kill Me” by Richard Peirce is a tragic account of South Africa’s captive lion breeding industry – a rampant, toxic, greedy bonanza that finds willing hosts amongst exploitative humans: “An in-depth investigation of the large-scale captive lion breeding industry, from bottle to bullet” – ‘Cuddle Me, Kill Me’ : …
The Campaign Against Canned Hunting (CACH) and SPOTS (Netherlands) issued an updated report today, a compendium of all the self-inflicted, international bad publicity South Africa garners from harbouring the macabre captive (‘canned’) big cat breeding industry within its territory. “Captive Lion Breeding, Canned Lion Hunting & the Lion Bone Trade: …
The Trek for Big Cats Mantra “Every human being has the responsibility of nurturing and protecting their environment and to hand it over unspoilt for future generations to enjoy” On the 1st November 2018, three intrepid souls (and avid conservationists) will set out on an epic adventure “to create awareness …
Study (“The Controversial Lion Hunt in Umbabat – South Africa,” 16 July 2018) and petition into the trophy hunt that killed Skye – baited and lured to his death on 7 June 2018 from the ‘protection’ of the Kruger National Park: “Despite limitations, the practice of trophy hunting lions seems, …
In a comprehensive report just released, “The Extinction Business, South Africa’s ‘Lion’ Bone Trade,” EMS Foundation and Ban Animal Trading, July 2018 the conclusion is: South Africa’s lion bone trade has “….created a situation where the legal trade in ‘lion’ bones is fuelling the illegal trade in lion and tiger …
Press Release: Republic of South Africa, Department of Environmental Affairs, 16 Jul 2018 Update: IWB letter to Her Excellency, South African High Commissioner to the UK, dated 31 July 2018 In accordance with advice provided by the Scientific Authority, the Department of Environmental Affairs has determined the 2018 lion bone …
“Leopards are Asia’s most traded big cat, with more than 4,900 leopards having been seized from illegal trade in Asia since 2002, and this figure likely represents a fraction of leopard parts being trafficked. Trade in their bones, primarily to meet demand from Chinese consumers, is a one of the …
Original article and banner image (“Skye: Nadine Dreyer”) courtesy of Daily Maverick By Judy Malone, writing on behalf of Tourists Against Trophy Hunting, 28 June 2018 Trophy hunting is not about science, rights or traditions, or about personal choices. It is about right and wrong, good and evil. The self-evident truth is that …
Fair Game? Improving the well-being of South African wildlife – Endangered Wildlife Trust, Centre for Environmental Rights, 2018: “In practice, the current legal regime ultimately provides little protection for wild animals.”
Banner Image – ROAR PAIN It is feared that the lion killed by an American hunter last week was the dominant lion in a pride with cubs. The lion has been missing since the hunt and on Friday one of his cubs was found dead. Picture: Nadine Dreyer By Don …
Banner image courtesy of IOL Zambia has announced that it intends to reinstate a cull (killing) of 2,000 hippos along the Luangwa River Valley over the next five years, promoting the killing as a commercial opportunity for trophy hunters – (“South African hunters to shoot 2000 Zambian hippos, IOL, 1 …
The International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) study of ‘cyber-crime’ wildlife trafficking: France, Germany, Russia and the United Kingdom: “The internet is now the world’s biggest marketplace, open all hours for buyers and sellers to exchange goods. With such a huge volume of transactions taking place daily, relatively low trading …
United Kingdom After the United Kingdom government’s Ivory Consultation, the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) response to the recent ivory consultation is welcomed – “Banning UK sales of ivory – Summary of responses and government response,” dated April 2018. Update, 25 May 2018: “Prohibiting the commercial dealing …
By Don Pinnock, “Tigers are being bred in Gauteng backyards for petting and bone export,” Daily Maverick, 23 April 2018 South Africa is one the world’s biggest exporters of endangered tigers, almost all of which end up as floor mats, wall hangings or skeletons submerged in vats of Asian tiger-bone …
By Chris Mercer, Campaign Against Canned Hunting (CACH) On 10th of March 2018 animal lovers in Cape Town got together for a March to protest the ill-treatment of animals, including wildlife, in South Africa. An estimated 400 to 500 people participated. http://www.cannedlion.org/south-africa.html At the outset I should like to stress how …
A new report (“Cash Before Conservation“) by the Born Free Foundation “highlights South African government’s role in the bloody, commercial lion body part trade“: “The association between some of those involved in the industry, and illegal trade in other wildlife products, and the increasing association between lion breeding and the …
Banner image courtesy of The Guardian, “Badger cull faces review as bovine TB goes on rising,”4 March 2018 The United Kingdom (UK) government Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) has issued two consultations (closing 15 April 2018) regarding controversial badger culling in the UK: Bovine TB: Consultation on revised …
Published by Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), Tuesday, 20 February 2018 – Banner Image “An adult and baby rhino at Kruger National Park in South Africa” – Violator1, Flickr Written by John Grobler and Khadija Sharife Major gaps between South African and Namibian legislation that regulates the endangered …
Banner image courtesy of Mark Boulton, Elsa Trust and Elsamere Safari Club International (SCI) has pulled its support of an industry that has blighted the world for over 20 years – “Dying to be Free” was a rally cry from the 90s to end the ‘canned’ slaughter. Has it really …
A review of the year, as we head for 2018……best wishes for a ‘Happy New Year’ to you and yours. Ivory Trade Efforts continue to ripple out to try to curtail commercial ivory trading, stemming from the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Fauna and Flora (CITES) Res. Cof. …
Banner image courtesy of Mark Boulton, Elsa Trust and Elsamere Written jointly with Chris Mercer – the Campaign Against Canned Hunting Peter Flack’s (“South African lawyer, business man and hunter”) recent piece in the Daily Maverick, titled “It is canned killing, not hunting, that hampers conservation efforts” (17 December 2017) offers …
“Ivory Towers – An Assessment of Japan’s Ivory Trade and Domestic Market,” TRAFFIC, December 2017 TRAFFIC reports that Japan’s on-going ivory trading is undermining China’s proposed ivory ban, fuelling demand and the poaching of elephants: “Japan remains one of the world’s largest domestic ivory markets, and is home to an active, …
Banner image courtesy of the Environmental Investigation Agency The Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) has reported from the 69th meeting of the CITES Standing Committee (SC69) in Geneva, Switzerland. What is striking is the level of prevarication evident within CITES – endless further reporting needed when the negative facts are already documented and …
Banner image: ‘The mane attraction’ – Shutterstock An interesting article published by Rob Knell (Evolutionary Ecology, School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London) – “Trophy hunting could cause extinction in stressed populations – new research,” The Conversation, 29 November 2017. The ‘science’ and modelling behind the article …
Open letter to Secretary Zinke: The African Lion Conservation Community’s response to the South African Predator Association’s letter 29 November 2017 Attention Secretary Ryan Zinke Secretary of the Interior Department of the Interior 1849 C Street. N.W. Washington D.C 21240 United States of America OPEN LETTER TO SECRETARY ZINKE THE …
In December 2017’s, Biological Conservation (Vol. 216, page 60 – 68), a paper is published entitled “Sustainable rhino horn production at the pointy end of the rhino horn trade debate” authored by Andrew Taylor, Dave Balfour, Diane Kirsty, Brebner Rynette, Coetzee Harriet Davies-Mostert, Peter A. Lindsey, Jo Shaw and Michael’t …
Article updated: 27 November and 7 December 2017 Banner Image courtesy of Campaign Against Canned Hunting In November 2015, the Professional Hunters’ Association of South Africa (PHASA) announced it was withdrawing support for the ‘canned’ lion/big cat hunting and breeding industry. Apart from ‘canned’ offering no element of ‘fair chase’ …
Banner Image: African Elephant – Gary Stolz Opinion piece by Chris Mercer – Campaign Against Canned Hunting This blog criticises a letter sent to the Chinese government by well-known hunting apologist Eugene Lapointe [CITES Secretary-General (1982 – 1990), now World Conservation Trust (IWMC) President]. After wrapping himself in a cloak …
Note: Article updated: 18, 20 November and 23 December 2017 Update: On the 22 December 2017, the D.C. Court of Appeals concluded that “That Sport Killing Won’t Help Zimbabwe’s Elephants” in response to the Centre for Biological Diversity and National Resources Defense Council challenge to the USA Interior Department’s regressive …
The European Commission has an on-line survey on ivory trading within the European Union (EU) – the survey runs until 8 December 2017. To highlight the issues with ivory trading and ivory transiting through Europe, the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) issued a report “Ivory Seizures in Europe, 2006 …
On 6 October 2017, the United Kingdom Government (Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA)) launched a consultation on ivory – “Ban UK Sales of Ivory” – with an Online Survey at the foot of the link page. The consultation period ends on 29 December 2017 – so add …
Banner image courtesy of Mark Boulton, Elsa Trust and Elsamere Back in August 2017, IWB and the Campaign Against Canned Hunting (CACH) questioned if the Republic of South Africa, Department: Environmental Affairs (DEA) could provide conclusive science that showed its “800 skeletons” lion bone trade quota does not pose a …
On the 19 October 2017, the Two Million Tusks (TMT) study, “Ivory: The Grey Areas“ was released – the study encompasses a comprehensive analysis of the United Kingdom (UK) auctioning of ivory lots during the 2016/2017 period. Two Million Tusks (TMT) study – “Ivory: The Grey Areas,” October 2017 Alarmingly, …
An insatiable demand side knows no bounds. This is especially true when it originates from an increasingly wealthy Chinese/Vietnamese population of 1.8bn and China’s economic might seems to crush any dissenting voices questioning that demand. Even when China does bow to international pressure, such as seeking to shut down its domestic …
“The Ivory Trade of Laos: Now the fastest growing in the World, ” Save the Elephants, 2017 This report highlights how complacent and ineffective CITES seemingly is as a regulatory body when it comes to stemming internationally banned trade in endangered species products. Despite the on-going efforts to curb ivory …
Banner image courtesy of Sunday Times SA Original article at Project Syndicate, 22 September 2017 By Ross Harvey – Senior researcher with SAIIA and a PhD student at the University of Cape Town’s School of Economics. South Africa’s recent reversal of a ban on trade in rhinoceros horn has invigorated support …
Banner Image courtesy of Mark Boulton – Lewa Conservancy, Kenya A TRAFFIC report released 18 September 2017, “reveals disturbing new evidence that some criminal networks of Chinese origin operating in South Africa are now processing rhino horn locally into beads, bracelets, bangles and powder to evade detection and provide ready-made …
By Chris Mercer, Campaign Against Canned Hunting Why we need a bold new conservation paradigm if lions are to avoid extinction. I refer to the article on lions published in the Nature Conservation website here: “International law and lions (Panthera leo): understanding and improving the contribution of wildlife treaties to the …
On the 23 to 25 August 2017, an online auction was held by John Hume, for 264 lots (approximately 500kg) of rhino horn from his private stockpile of some 6 tonnes. The online auction was not a great success apparently. The next Hume led ‘physical’ rhino horn auction is due …
Campaign Against Canned Hunting Voice4Lions Petition: “Stop the exploitation of captive bred lions and the export of lion bones!“ Let’s start with a working definition of ‘science:’ “Science is the pursuit and application of knowledge and understanding of the natural and social world following a systematic methodology based …
Banner Image Courtesy of Save Our Rhino Save Our Rhino has issued an ‘open letter’ (dated 13 August 2017), seeking clarity from Minister Molewa, Republic of South Africa, Department: Environmental Affairs (DEA). Indeed, we all look forward to the response from Minister Molewa. Questions about controlling domestic rhino horn trade …
Banner image courtesy of Born Free Foundation Interesting paper by Annette Hübschle* published 26 July 2017: “Fluid interfaces between flows of rhino horn,” GLOBAL CRIME, 2017 VOL. 18, NO. 3, 198–217 To really understand the incumbent, underlying blurring of ‘legal’ and illicit flows of rhino horn (“The existence of legal, grey and …
As soon as a wildlife species becomes a commodity to be utilised, it’s all about the numbers – farmed and wild populations, market value, death rates and projections – the nonsensical demand curve, the eagerness to supply, the species’ likelihood of survival in the wild…….these ‘numbers’ become more stark when …
Photo Credit: Bert du Plessis of Fish Eagle Safaris Petitions: “Don’t allow Xanda to leave Zimbabwe as a trophy“ “Zimbabwe: Ban Hunting of Lions Immediately“ “Cecil’s Son Shot and Killed. End Trophy Hunting Now!“ “Cecil’s Law – To stop the import of wildlife trophies into the UK“ By Andrew Van …
So, anyone with a “permit” (Note – it’s yet to be announced how one obtains said permit – ref FAQs) can participate in John Hume’s first planned rhino horn auction (Update: note the auction site was hacked, 11 August 2017, so may be down from time to time) on-line, 21 …
Elephant Action League (EAL) July 2017, undercover investigation report “Grinding Rhino – Operation Red Cloud” (PDF), highlights alleged, extensive authority complicity within Vietnam and China (including the Chinese Navy) to facilitate the laundering of poached rhino horns smuggled out of Africa. On the subject of any lifting of the standing, …
“A briefing on how South Africa’s trade in lion bone is driving consumer demand for tiger parts and products.” “Asia’s massive unchecked demand for skins, bones, teeth and claws continues to drive poaching of wild tigers. This demand is exacerbated by the supply of huge volumes of African lion bone, …
Banner image courtesy of Mark Boulton, Elsa Trust and Elsamere So, let’s take a quick look at some of the recent Republic of South Africa’s, Department: Environmental Affairs (DEA) ‘thinking.’ African Lion IWB Letter to the South African High Commissioner, London, 11 July 2017 In the DEA’s 28 June 2017 …
Banner image: Courtesy of Africa Geographic So, the Republic of South Africa, Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) has decided to push on with the proposed “800 skeletons” – “captive produced lion bone trade under the quota system.” This was inevitable after the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species …
By Andrew Van Ginkel (first published on End Trophy Hunting, 12 June 2017) Over the last two decades wild lion population have dropped from 30,000 to 20,000. This sharp decline in wild lion population figures can be linked to conflict with people, bushmeat poaching, habitat loss, unsustainable trophy hunting, and …
