Still Trading in Extinction – The Dark Side of Hong Kong’s Wildlife Trade

Stephen Wiggins Studies Leave a Comment

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 …

Challenging the Captive Lion Industry

Stephen Wiggins Studies 1 Comment

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, …

Breeding and trading endangered wild animals is not conservation – it threatens their survival

Stephen Wiggins Article 2 Comments

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 …

Man Facing Jail in Slovakia for Illicitly Importing ‘Canned’ Tiger Trophy

Stephen Wiggins Article 3 Comments

  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 …

Is ‘celebrity power’ undermining global conservation efforts?

Stephen Wiggins Article 2 Comments

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 …

Saving the ‘Highland Tiger’

Stephen Wiggins Article 1 Comment

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 …

2020 Review

Stephen Wiggins Article 1 Comment

 “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, …

NGO Appeal for Closure of Captive Lion Breeding Industry and Associated Activities

Stephen Wiggins Article 1 Comment

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]