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 …
Rhinos Wanted – Dead or Alive
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 …
The ‘Canned’ Killing Game – Dead, or Alive?
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 …
Hunting’s Threat to Conservation
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 …
Hunting Fragments Over ‘Canned’
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’ …
“A Roaring Trade?”
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 …
Unmanageable Animal Exploitation
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 …
South Africa’s Rhino Paradox
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 …
Organized criminal gangs behind rhino horn processing in South Africa
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 …
Rhino Horn Trade Strategy
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 …