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Zoos and Animal Rights: Right or Wrong?

12/12/2013

Source: Journeywonders.com

By Raphael Alexander Zoren

One of the most precious memories of my childhood is the one of my parents taking me to the Chapultepec Zoo of Mexico City. Being born and raised in Acapulco, it was sure a rare opportunity to behold such magnificent animals such as elephants, rhinoceros, lions, penguins, polar bears and of course, the cuddly pandas. As I grew up, however, this annual visit to the Chapultepec Zoo became more and more depressing. It was truly saddening to see the relatively small spaces in which these large animals were kept and the monotony of their daily lives.

“Come on, they look happy, here they don’t have predators and they don’t have to worry about obtaining food” my mother wisely told me when I was nine and started to raise doubts about the conditions and the way animals were treated in the zoo. I politely agreed and yet, the inner (and foolish) me just wanted to release these animals into the wild and let them enjoy their lives.

Then, the best (or probably worse) thing happened. They finally freed Willy.

The sad ballad of Keiko the Orca
Who is Willy? You may ask. Willy is the star of a 1993 movie, “Free Willy” about an orca and a boy. Long story short: The little manages to free the orca into the wild after befriending it. What most people didn’t know was that “Willy” wasn’t a CGI or an actor in a convincing orca suit, it was an actual orca named Keiko (“Lucky One” in Japanese, oh, the irony), that at the time, was based at the “Reino Aventura” Theme Park in Mexico City.

Granted, the enclosure was extremely small for an orca of its size so it is completely understandable that after the movie came out, many people protested for the orca to be relocated since it was logical that Keiko needed more space. The “Free Willy-Keiko Foundation” however, wanted to release Keiko into the wild, inspired by the little foolish boy in that stupid kid’s movie. At this point, you’re probably guessing how this story is going to end, don’t you?

Keiko was captured at the age of three, meaning that, he had spent more than 20 years living inside of aquariums and was completely unable to adapt to living in the open ocean. The foundation however, managed to release him and, under their care, Keiko finally died in 2003 of pneumonia.

To me, the story of Keiko was a cautionary tale about going against nature. But wait, isn’t it already unnatural for animals to be born and raised in captivity? Yes and no. Let me explain.

Pros and Cons of Zoos
For me, the make-it or break-it point when it comes to Animal Rights and ethics is simple: Was the animal born in captivity or was it captured? More....

Latin American and Caribbean Nations Work Together to Promote Sustainable Global Trade of Sharks

12/5/2013

Source: CITES.org

Press Release

More than 70 participants representing 28 countries from Latin America and the Caribbean gathered in Recife, Brazil, from 2 to 4 December to participate in a workshop focused on the implementation of new measures for international trade of five shark species, adopted by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

Earlier in the year at a meeting in Bangkok, CITES member states agreed to regulate the trade of five commercially exploited species of sharks. The oceanic whitetip shark, three species of hammerhead sharks (scalloped, smooth, and great), and the porbeagle shark were listed in CITES Appendix II. This means that any international trade in specimens of these species must be accompanied by CITES documents confirming that they have been sustainably and legally harvested. The new listings will come into effect in September 2014.

To assist Latin American and Caribbean countries with implementing the new international trade requirements for these shark species, the government of Brazil, with support from the United States, the CITES Secretariat, and several partner organizations, hosted the “Regional Workshop on Sharks Listed in Appendix II of CITES – Preparing for Implementation.” The regional workshop brought together CITES Management and Scientific authorities and fisheries experts from around the world to discuss tools and strategies available to assist countries with implementing the new international shark trade requirements.

“This workshop is about promoting sustainable use and trade of shark products”, said Dr. Fabio Hazin, professor at the Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco, Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture. “Shark fisheries are important to many countries represented here today. The fact that so many Latin American and Caribbean countries are present speaks to the commitment of this region to sustainable shark trade. We want these fisheries to be managed responsibly so the shark species can be conserved and be available to everyone and future generations”.

“CITES is working very closely with countries and stakeholders to help ensure that relevant authorities are fully prepared to implement the new shark listings by September 14 2014”, said CITES Secretary-General, John E. Scanlon. “We are most grateful to the Governments of Brazil and the United States for leading this successful regional initiative. It has brought fisheries and CITES authorities together in developing practical tools for regulators, fishers, traders and consumers - all of whom are concerned by the new regulations. We will work with CITES Parties and partners to replicate this exercise in other developing regions of the world.” More....

CMS COP11 Will be Held in Ecuador

12/2/2013

Source: CMS.int

Press Release

The Republic of Ecuador will host the 11th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties. The meeting will be held in the city of Guayaquil in November 2014. The decision was taken during the 41st Meeting of the Standing Committee on 28 November in Bonn. It will be the first time that a CMS COP is held in Latin America.

The Ambassador of Ecuador to Germany, Jorge Jurado Mosquera, presented the offer of the South American country to the Committee members. Ecuador is one of the most mega-diverse countries on Earth. By way of illustration, one hectare in the Yasuni National Park has more plant species than the whole of North America. A selection of images featured unique marine, terrestrial and avian species in their diverse ecosystems. The Andean State is also the first to have granted rights to nature in its constitution.

The Ambassador expressed the hope that hosting an international treaty such as the CMS will increase the reputation of the country. At the same time Ecuador could demonstrate that it is leading in the implementation of the Convention.

Chile being the regional representative of South America in the Standing Committee had suggested Ecuador as host for the CMS COP.

Ecuador has committed to cover the costs of the COP11, the Standing Committee and travel of CMS staff. The Ambassador emphasized that Ecuador did not require visas for short-term visitors, which would facilitate delegates’ travel. The venue proposed is the Convention Centre in Guayaquil, the country’s largest city and economic capital.

A competing proposal was made by the Philippines, represented by Carolina Constantino, Political Attachée at the Embassy in Berlin. The presentation of the country, which also belongs to the "mega biodiversity countries", was very well received by the delegates, who agreed that the Philippines should host COP12 in 2017.

Should Pygmy Three-Toed Sloths Leave Panama for Dallas?

11/18/2013

Source: LAtimes.com

By Carla Hall

A rare pygmy three-toed sloth stirred an international controversy after officials of the Dallas World Aquarium caught and crated six of the creatures on Isla Escudo de Veraguas, an island off Panama. The aquarium officials intended to take the animals back to Dallas — and made it clear they had extensive paperwork and permits to do so — but were confronted at the Isla Colón International Airport in the Bocas del Toro province of Panama by protesters and police who barred them from leaving the airport with the sloths. The animals were returned to the island.

The confrontation occurred in September, but the Animal Welfare Institute has just filed an emergency petition to list the pygmy three-toed sloth as endangered under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. Once an animal is protected under the U.S. act or under the international treaty CITES — the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora — rigid restrictions on import and export go into place. A listing won’t prevent all import and export, but it will set conditions for it.

And it’s probably time to get the world’s smallest sloth listed as endangered. First identified as a distinct sloth species in 2001, it lives only in the mangroves of Isla Escudo de Veraguas. I’ve seen reports that put its total wild population at anywhere from 79 to 200. And, of course, they — or rather their fans — have their own Facebook page.

This doesn’t appear to be an issue of the Dallas World Aquarium having done anything technically wrong. The aquarium is involved in extensive conservation efforts across Latin America, including on the island pygmy sloths call home. The aquarium’s aim, its officials say, was to further that conservation effort by bringing back the sloths to breed and ensure the survival of the species. The Animal Welfare Institute, however, counters that the species does not do well in captivity.

The bigger question here, for all zoos and aquariums, is whether they should be capturing animals from the wild at all. Long gone are the days when gorillas and great apes were caught in the wild and brought to zoos. With the advent of international treaties and efforts to preserve species in their natural habitats, most zoos acquire their animals through zoo births and from other zoos and institutions. Members of the Assn. of Zoos and Aquariums (Dallas World Aquarium is one) sign on to a Species Survival Plan for animals that allows them to move animals around their zoos to best suit breeding needs and — hopefully — accommodate individual animals. (And that’s controversial enough among animal welfare advocates.) The zoo association, in its guidelines, admits that “it may be necessary to acquire wild-caught specimens” but urges its members to look to other institutions first and to consider the effect that taking an animal from the wild will have on the viability of the population it’s being taken from. More....

NAMIBIA: Wildlife Conservation

10/31/2013

Source: Xperedon.com

By Alan Cole

Namibia has rolled out dozens of community partnership schemes encouraging local communities to participate in the ownership and management of environmental resources and wildlife...[sic\

Rural communities are incentivised to manage local nature and wildlife with a major focus on sustainability...[sic\

Sustainable tourism is also a key element of the projects, and a reason for their success with the conservancies’ members generating income from the initiatives...[sic\

In 2012, financial benefits to members of the community led projects in Namibia was USD 6.6 million, reveals the WWF...[sic\

Subsequently, numbers of wildlife in the community managed conservation zones are increasing... including giraffe, zebra and lions...[sic\

Poaching of elephants and rhinos has also been reduced dramatically...[sic\

Conservation org the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has commended Namibia for its achievements...[sic\

This month the charity presented a 'Gift to the Earth Award' to His Excellency Hifikepunye Pohamba, the Namibian President...[sic\ More....

Five Rare South American Bird Species Given U.S. Endangered Status

10/29/2013

Source: Biologicaldiversity.org

Press Release

In response to decades-old listing petitions and a series of lawsuits by the Center for Biological Diversity, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today designated four rare bird species from Colombia (the blue-billed curassow, brown-banded antpitta, Cauca guan and gorgeted wood-quail) and one Ecuadorian hummingbird species (Esmeraldas woodstar) as endangered under the U.S. Endangered Species Act.

“Protecting these vulnerable tropical birds under the Endangered Species Act will give them a better shot at survival and attract attention to the urgent need to protect their remaining forest homes,” said Jeff Miller, a Center conservation advocate. “Tropical deforestation is threatening to drive so many of the planet’s most amazing birds extinct.”

A campaign to protect scores of the world’s most imperiled bird species began in the 1980s, when worried ornithologists began submitting Endangered Species Act petitions to protect more than 70 international bird species. Although the Fish and Wildlife Service had determined by 1994 that most of the species warranted protection, the agency never responded to the listing petitions. After a quarter-century, legal protection had been provided for only a handful of the species, and at least five of the 73 had gone extinct.

The Center filed lawsuits in 2004 and 2006 that jump-started the foreign-species listing program. The Service then determined that more than 50 of the bird species warranted listing. So far 36 of the bird species have been protected as endangered or threatened.

Listing international species under the U.S. Endangered Species Act restricts buying and selling of the imperiled animals, increases conservation funding and attention, and can add scrutiny to development projects proposed by U.S. government and multilateral lending agencies — such as the World Bank — that would destroy or alter habitat.

Background
The blue-billed curassow (Crax alberti) is the world’s most threatened species of cracid, a family of beautiful crested game birds found primarily in Latin America. More....

Abolishing Wildlife Captivity Gains Momentum in Latin America

10/26/2013

Source: Animalpeoplenews.org

By seann lenihann

An appeal to an administrative law court filed by the zoo management foundation Fundazoo is the last hope the 97-year-old Simón Bolívar Zoo in San José and the Santa Ana conservation center have to remain open past 2014.

A year after banning sport hunting, Costa Rica is poised to becoming the first nation in the western hemisphere to abolish zoos. But while the sport hunting ban was the first Costa Rican legislation passed by voter initiative, the end of zookeeping will result from the decision of environment minister René Castro to simply not renew the Fundazoo operating permits.

“With this move,” Castro said, “we are sending a message that the state wishes to show biodiversity in its natural state, under a modern and holistic integration of space, society and natural resources.”

Castro told the newspaper La Nación that his perspective on zoos was influenced by the escape of his grandmother’s pet parrot. “That made a big impression on me because I thought we had taken good care of her. We fed her with food and affection – all the things that we as humans thought she liked,” Castro remembered. “Yet when she had the chance, she left.”

“The animal residents of the zoos––300 individuals from 60 species in the case of the Simón Bolívar zoo––will be released into the wild or found new homes in private shelters. The land will be used for botanical gardens,” reported Jonathan Watts of The Guardian.

“The Simón Bolívar Zoo attracts more than 130,000 visitors a year, runs educational programs, and has its own policy of releasing animals back into the wild whenever possible,” Watts wrote. The zoo employs about 35 people to look after a collection including mostly native species: parrots, crocodiles, ocelots, snakes, and spider monkeys. The zoo also has an African lion imported from Cuba.

“We are more a rescue centre than a zoo. We have never bought or collected animals,” spokesperson Eduardo Bolanos told Watts.

“The state of Costa Rica’s public zoos has been a point of contention among environmental groups for years,” recalled International Business Times correspondent Mark Johanson. “The Association for the Preservation of Wild Flora and Fauna filed a lawsuit against the zoos in 2006 for poor conditions and questionable sanitation, leading the Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court to order immediate improvements. The Environment Ministry has tried unsuccessfully since 2003 to terminate its contract with Fundazoos. Fundazoo, however, argues that its contract to run the zoos has already been renewed through 2024.”

Movement away from keeping wildlife in captivity also gained momentum in Uruguay, with the August 2013 decision of the Montevideo municipal zoo to send two tigers to a sanctuary in the United States. More....

Thousands Of Dolphins Slaughtered Off Peru Coast

10/21/2013

Source: Insightcrime.org

By Miriam Wells

At least 15,000 dolphins are illegally killed each year off the coast of Peru by fishermen who use them as shark bait, according to an undercover investigation, a consequence of the high profits available in the shark fin market.

According to conservation organization Mundo Azul, more than 545 boats specially designed for hunting dolphins go out at least half a dozen times a year, killing between two and six dolphins each voyage, reported La Republica. The dolphin carcasses are used to catch sharks, whose meat is sold in Peru and whose fins can be sold at extraordinarily high prices in Asia.

Mundo Azul put informants on to fishing vessels over the course of several months, with executive director Stefan Austermuhle himself accompanying fishermen and filming the harpooning of several dolphins, reported the Los Angeles Times. "This ecological crime is an open secret in Peruvian fishing," he said.

Austermuhle said that the figure of 15,000 did not include the estimated 3,000 dolphins killed each year for human consumption in Peru.

The government said it had launched an investigation into the practice, which is set to be completed by next June.

InSight Crime Analysis
The killing of dolphins is prohibited in Peru, under a 1996 law that Mundo Azul campaigned for. However, as the investigation shows, the practice is still widespread and is likely to continue while such huge profits are on offer for the sharks they are used to catch.

Shark meat is commonly eaten in Peru, but it is the fin market where the real profits lie -- Peru is among the 12 main shark fin exporters in the world. Dried shark fins sell for around $700 per kilo in Asia, while according to Peruvian newspaper El Comercio, one fin of the whale shark, the most prized delicacy, can sell for over $1,000.

While shark fishing is permitted in most countries in the world, including Peru, shark finning, in which the fish are left to die slowly in the water after their fins have been removed, is an internationally-banned practice. However it continues to take place in Latin American waters, notably in Costa Rica, where four fishermen were jailed last year for the massacre of more than 2,000 sharks for their fins off Colombia's Pacific coast, and there is evidence of the involvement of the Taiwanese mafia in the trade.

The Government Warehouse That Stores Illegal Ivory Is Totally Full

10/1/2013

Source: Fastcoexist.com

By Jessica Leber

In October, U.S. enforcers of wildlife trafficking laws will destroy a mountain of ivory stockpiled in a warehouse in Colorado in a new public push to stem an illegal $10 billion industry.

The big “crush” comes because they have seized so much ivory--more than six tons. There’s literally no room to store it anymore.

The Denver Post describes the warehouse, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s National Wildlife Property Repository, which holds wildlife objects and parts that are seized from smugglers. U.S. authorities are prohibited from selling any of it:

"The warehouse increasingly is stuffed with ivory that no longer fits on shelves. Piles of tusks and boxes full of bracelets and trinkets clutter the floor. Forklifts are used to clear pathways between heavy pallets of the plunder."

"Some tusks are from young elephants — representing generations lost because elephants cannot reproduce until age 25 and poachers usually kill elephants before sawing off their tusks."

"The seized ivory includes ornate carvings. A pair of 18-inch-tall Asian ivory figurines depicting a classical Chinese lady and gentleman already were labeled with price tags: $7,500 each."

Awareness-raising is one reason for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to clean house, and it is sorely needed to stem demand for illegal ivory in the international markets. The poaching problem is growing in Africa, and as with the drug trade in Latin America, the proceeds are being used to fuel violence. More....

Cattle Rustling Menaces Rural Colombian Communities

9/27/2013

Source: Topix.com

In early September, Costa Rica’s Security Minister Mario Zamora announced a multi-agency strategy involving security forces, the Public Ministry and the Judicial Investigation Organization. But he wasn’t targeting drug trafficking or violence; he was striking out at cattle theft.

The announcement came two weeks after a Nicaraguan farmer with connections to Costa Rica was murdered alongside his son near the Costa Rican border in an apparent act of revenge for cattle rustling. So far this year, Costa Rican authorities have reported dismantling four gangs dedicated to cattle theft; a crime they say has escalated in recent months.

But Costa Rican authorities are not the only ones concerned about the practice, which afflicts rural communities from northern Mexico to southern Argentina. In July, Nicaraguan National Police Commissioner Aminta Granera declared the crime was growing year on year, as she announced more than 100 cattle rustling gangs had been dismantled in the first six months of 2013.

In the absence of a comprehensive regional study on the phenomenon, it is hard to place a value on cattle rustling. In one department of Bolivia alone, $2 million of cattle is reportedly stolen each year. In Colombia, in the first half of 2013 almost 1,300 head of cattle were stolen — worth approximately $1 million, based on figures from previous years.

Meanwhile, the past year has seen reports of a growth in rustling in rural zones throughout the region, including in Colombia, Chile and Mexico.

In June, an investigation by Mexican newspaper El Universal highlighted the problem not only of rustling, but also of cattle trafficking. With beef prices almost doubling between Guatemala and Mexico, the newspaper reported an annual influx of up to $30 million of illegally trafficked cattle into the latter country.

Cattle rustling has a long history in Latin America and in the 19th century was even employed as a form of rural protest against social inequality. Today in Colombia it is still used by rural insurgents, with left-wing guerrillas stealing cattle to menace landowners, as well as to feed troops and raise funds. More....

Empowering Children to Change the Fate of Sea Turtles in El Salvador

9/9/2013

Source: Newswatch.nationalgeographic.com

By Brad Nahill

Conservation Trust grantee Brad Nahill, co-founder of SEE Turtles, is working to protect endangered sea turtles by growing the market for conservation travel to support small conservation programs around the world. SEE Turtles also connects volunteers to conservation projects and educates students both in the US and near key turtle nesting sites around Latin America.

The young students make their way out to the covered dock, smiling nervously to each other in their white tops and blue pants and skirts. Two boys eagerly volunteer to be crabs, their eyes lighting up at the chance to consume their classmates-turned-turtle-hatchlings. Pincers at the ready, the boys move sideways, tagging the kids who are pretending to be baby turtles making their way from the beach to the ocean.

Several “turtles” make it through the first pass, only to see the crabs become birds ready to pluck them off the water. After the next pass, just a couple of students are left facing the daunting task of eluding the boys, who are now playing sharks. Only a couple of hatchlings survive the gauntlet of predators to survive until adulthood.

Bringing the world of sea turtles to life for students near turtle hotspots has been a part of turtle conservation programs for decades. While a few larger conservation organizations have the resources to run full educational programs, most turtle groups have limited staff and resources, allowing them to make just a couple of visits per nesting season to local schools. To help fill this gap, SEE Turtles, in partnership with Salvadoran organizations ICAPO, EcoViva, and Asociación Mangle, is creating a program to make sea turtle education a year-round activity.

Sea turtles are found around the world, nesting, foraging, and migrating through the waters of more than 100 countries. Depending on where they live, they encounter many threats including consumption of their eggs and meat, use of their shells for handicrafts, entanglement in fishing gear, and coastal development. More....

How Many Exotic Animals are Kept in Canada? It’s Impossible to Count

8/9/2013

Source: Theglobeandmail.com

By Dakshana Bascaramurty, Jill Mahoney

Knowing how many exotic animals are kept in Canada is as difficult as knowing how many illegal immigrants have crossed into the country, experts say. Several exotic species are banned here and authorities do not do comprehensive or routine tracking, which makes tallying how many African rock pythons or komodo dragons are being stored in suburban basements an impossible task.

“There’s no way to appraise how many are actually in the country in homes or non-accredited zoos. Nobody would ever be able to produce a reliable answer for that,” said Kyle O’Grady, assistant curator of the Indian River Reptile Zoo, who is in Campbellton, N.B. to help relocate the animals seized from Reptile Ocean.

But by studying U.S. data, experts say it’s safe to assume the populations of exotic pets is growing in Canada. U.S. trade in wildlife and wildlife products increased by 62 per cent from 1992 to 2002, according to a report written by Rob Laidlaw, the director of Zoocheck Canada. Though his evidence is anecdotal, he says there has been an increase in the import of exotic pets in Canada in the last 15 years, the most popular species being green anole lizards, ball pythons and green iguanas.

The most recent data available on reptile ownership in Canada comes from a report prepared by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, though Mr. Laidlaw says those numbers are likely much lower than the true figures (which include banned species). In 2001-02, 54,738 wild-caught reptiles were imported to Canada. The most popular were green iguanas (nearly 16,000 of those were brought in), followed by ball pythons (7,846 of those). The vast majority of these wild-caught animals were imported through Quebec from the wilds of Indonesia, El Salvador and Ghana – countries with landscapes and climates dramatically different from the ones found in Canada, Mr. O’Grady notes. More....

Featured Video: Saving Animals from the Illegal Pet Trade in Guatemala

7/22/2013

Source: News.mongabay.com

By Jeremy Hance

Found in Central America's largest forest, the Maya Biosphere Reserve, the Guatemalan organization Arcas has rescued and rehabilitated thousands of animals since its inception in 1989. Unlike many wildlife rescue centers worldwide, Arcas focuses on rehabilitating every animal for eventually release back into the wild. This means intensive training for each species, including food gathering and predator avoidance. A new short video by Arcas highlights the group's decades-long work.

"Under a cooperative agreement with the Guatemalan government, ARCAS is recognized as the official destination for all confiscated wildlife taken from smugglers in the Mayan Biosphere Reserve. Since 1990, ARCAS has rescued between 300 to 600 endangered species per year of more than 40 different species," reads the group's website.

Many of the animals that end up in Arcas' Rescue Center are confiscated from smugglers selling wild pets in the illegal wildlife trade. Video.

Obama Wants to Curb Africa’s Ivory Trade. Here’s What He’s up Against.

7/1/2013

Source: Washingtonpost.com

By Max Fisher

On his visit to Tanzania on Monday, President Obama will unveil a new, $10 million initiative to curb rhinoceros and elephant poaching in Africa. International trade in illegal rhino horns and elephant tusks, driven in large part by rising demand in China and Thailand, is rapidly depleting the animals’ populations in Africa. Obama’s plan significantly increases American involvement in the issue, which Hillary Clinton also worked on as secretary of state. But this map, from a recent United Nations report, shows just how vast of an industry this has become:

Map

The big problem is that time is running out. A 2011 study estimated that 7.4 percent of all African elephants may have been killed by poachers that year alone. From 1998 to 2007, the global ivory trade doubled, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Since 2007, it has doubled again. And the trade is shifting from small smuggler networks to large-scale operations: seizures of 800-plus kilos of illegal ivory shipments (that’s about 1 ton) have doubled just since 2009. Elephants and rhinos are simply being wiped out, and quickly.

The other problem is economics, the simple force of which might be too much to overcome. Some of the countries trafficking in ivory and rhino tusks are among the poorest per capita in the world. Elephant tusks are worth $1,000 per pound, Ginette Hemley of the World Wildlife Fund told my colleague Juliet Eilperin; rhino horns sell for $30,000 per pound, about twice as much as gold. By comparison, Afghan opium farmers can charge about $606 per pound.

In Tanzania, 85 percent of exports are agricultural. One of its biggest exports is cashews, prices of which have been so low that 85,000 tons of Tanzanian cashews went unsold last year. More....

Monkey Skin Coats, Endangered-Snake Wine Among Illegal Wildlife Trade Through Louisville

6/6/2013

Source: Courier-journal.com

By James Bruggers

From monkey skin coats to ivory pool cues to endangered-snake wine, Louisville International Airport has become a main battleground in America’s fight to halt wildlife smuggling.The world of fast-paced logistics has made the airport and its UPS Worldport — the world’s seventh-largest cargo hub — a prime pass-through destination for the goods of poachers, unscrupulous merchants or unknowing shoppers and tourists, buying or selling such illegal wildlife parts as elephant tusks, rhinoceros horns or regulated snake-skinned purses.

As a result, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service inspectors increasingly play an important role in curbing that trade.

A team of nine inspectors, supported by two special agents and three administrative employees, examined 12,292 shipments passing through Louisville last year, the fifth-most among 18 wildlife ports, behind Memphis, Tenn.; Newark, N.J.; Los Angeles; and New York.

They have found nearly 3,500 violations since 2003, and confiscated a dizzying and, to many people, a sickening array of wildlife and wildlife parts — including a protected dead snake inside bottled wine, a reputed aphrodisiac.

“Most of what we see (and cite), it could have been legal had it been licensed and complied with the regulations,” said Carmen Perdas, who supervises the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service wildlife port office in Louisville. “Then we have the straight-up illegally smuggled things,” such as those rhino horns and elephant tusks, she said. More....

Thousands of Trafficked Frogs, Snakes, Spiders Return to Paraguay

3/8/2013

Source: Insightcrime.org

By Marguerite Cawley

An illegal Florida-bound shipment of some 3,500 animals has been returned to Paraguay, in a case that highlights the scale of animal trafficking in the region.

The shipment, intercepted by authorities at the Miami airport on February 25, consisted mainly of tarantulas, frogs, toads and snakes, with an estimated worth of between $200,000 and $450,000, reported La Nacion.

When the shipment arrived in Paraguay on March 6, authorities found that over 200 animals had died on the journey, according to ABC.

Traffickers had apparently created false documentation with the goal of bringing the animals to a Florida reptile store to be resold as "exotic" pets. The identity of the traffickers has not been revealed, but the scheme is believed to have involved both Paraguayan nationals and foreigners.

InSight Crime Analysis
Paraguay's Environment Ministry (Seam) has expressed concerns over the commercial sale of wildlife. In March 2012 the government body held a conference that aimed to discourage the trade in wild animals, particularly those in danger of extinction.

Paraguayan wildlife is also illegally transported to nearby countries -- investigations in a 2012 animal trafficking case in Uruguay found that animals had been brought from Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay, and sold to individuals or zoos.

The smuggling of wildlife is an issue across the region. In Brazil hundreds of illegally trafficked birds and turtles were seized in June 2012, while in Colombia over 46,000 captured animals were rescued in 2012. Sometimes the animals come from further afield, as in the case of two Bengal tigers recently found at a south Mexican property, which also featured a methamphetamine lab.

The highly profitable global enterprise, estimated to bring in between $10 billion and $20 billion a year by international police body Interpol, poses a particular problem for countries in Latin America with high biodiversity.

Bengal Tigers, Deer Found at Mexican Meth Lab

3/1/2013

Source: Insightcrime.org

By James Bargent

Mexican police investigating a tip-off in Jalisco state discovered not only a methamphetamine lab but also two Bengal tigers and several deer, which were likely destined for one of the "narco-zoos" popular with wealthy drug kingpins.

Police raided two sites after locals reported seeing armed men on a ranch near the border between Jalisco and Zacatecas, reported El Universal. At the first were the caged but apparently healthy animals and a strong smell of precursor chemicals. At the second were 15 vats and equipment for production of methamphetamine.

By the time the authorities arrived, the sites had been abandoned, and no arrests were made.

InSight Crime Analysis
Perhaps inspired by Pablo Escobar's famous Hacienda Napoles ranch in Colombia, and its menagerie of exotic animals -- now a popular theme park -- rare and unusual creatures have become something of a status symbol for Mexican traffickers. The practice has become so widespread that the Mexican authorities have had problems rehousing all the animals seized from narco-zoos on traffickers' properties.

International police body Interpol estimates the global trade in wildlife trafficking to be worth $10-20 billion a year, and says that Latin American criminal groups act as traffickers as well as purchasers. A recent investigation into the trade in Bolivia revealed the extent of the practice in the country, where captured exotic animals are both exported and sold domestically in markets as pets, food and for use in rituals. The most popular animals sold as pets are parrots and other talking birds, turtles and monkeys, according to FM Bolivia.

Colombia has also emerged as a hotspot in animal trafficking, and the trade there is reportedly worth an estimated $35 million a year. In 2012 Colombian police rescued over 46,000 illegaly trafficked animals.

Photos: Scientists Discover Tapir Bonanza in The Amazon

1/22/2013

Source: News.mongabay.com

By Jeremy Hance

Over 14,000 lowland tapirs (Tapirus terrestris), also known as Brazilian tapirs, roam an Amazonian landscape across Bolivia and Peru, according to new research by scientists with the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS). Using remote camera trapping, thousands of distribution records, and interviews, the researchers estimated the abundance of lowland tapirs in the Greater Madidi-Tambopata Landscape Conservation Program made up of three national parks in Bolivia (Madidi, Pilón Lajas and Apolobamba) and two in Peru (Tambopata and Bahuaja Sonene).

"The Madidi-Tambopata landscape is estimated to hold a population of at least 14,500 lowland tapirs making it one of the most important strongholds for lowland tapir conservation in the continent," said lead author Robert Wallace. "These results underline the fundamental importance of protected areas for the conservation of larger species of wildlife threatened by hunting and habitat loss."

This is great news for a species that is currently listed as Vulnerable by the IUCN Red List, and remains hugely imperiled by habitat loss, poaching, bushmeat hunting, and competition with livestock.

A bit bizarre-looking and unarguably massive, tapirs are megafauna that survived the Pleistocene extinction that took out most of South America's other big mammals, such as giant sloths and smilodons. The lowland tapir, the second-largest animal in South America after Baird's tapir, can weigh up to 661 pounds (300 kilograms). Despite this heft, tapirs can still fall prey to jaguars, caiman, and anacondas.

Using camera traps along Tuichi River in Madidi National Park, researchers found that lowland tapirs populations are on the rebound after decades of unsustainable hunting. Tapirs are common targets for hunters in South America—and an important source of protein for indigenous groups—given their massive size. However, a low breeding cycle means the species can rapidly be wiped locally out if overhunted. Growing populations and a rising commercial market for bushmeat have pushed many tapir populations to the brink.

There are three species of tapir in Latin America: the lowland, Baird's tapir (Tapirus bairdii), and the mountain tapir (Tapirus pinchaque). A fourth species, the Malayan tapir (Tapirus indicus), is found in Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, and Thailand. The mountain tapir, Baird's and the Malayan are all listed as Endangered on the IUNC Red List. Photos.

Mexican Agency Forced to Release Data on 29,000 Seized Animals

11/1/2011

Source: Insightcrime.org

By Jeanna Cullinan

Authorities in Mexico have rescued nearly 29,000 animals since 2000, many during operations against organized criminal groups.

Mexico’s Federal Attorney for Environmental Protection (PROFEPA) was ordered to release data on animals it has seized after a request by a member of the public. It was forced to hand over information on the 28,767 animals confiscated over the last 11 years, including their current location and legal status.

The release of this information, enforced by Federal Institute for Access to Public Information (IFAI), will help ensure that these animals are not being trafficked. The black market for wildlife and plants, known as "eco-trafficking," generates an estimated billion in profits each year.

Among the animals confiscated in Mexico since 2000 are endangered species like Asian elephants and Bengal tigers, as well as falcons, wild boars and white-tailed bucks.

Zoos throughout Mexico have provided shelter for hundreds of exotic animals, including the personal wildlife collections of criminals like Jesus Zambada, brother of Sinaloa Cartel kingpin Ismael Zamada.

With space and resource limitations, however, Mexico’s zoos are unequipped to handle the nearly 29,000 animals confiscated over the past decade.

'Ecotrafficker' Caught in French Guiana Airport With Hummingbirds in Pants

9/28/2011

Source: Insightcrime.org

By Jeanna Cullinan

A man was detained at the airport in Cayenne, French Guiana, while allegedly attempting to smuggle more than a dozen live hummingbirds out of the country, concealed in his pants.

The Dutch national was stopped at Rochambeau airport in the French Caribbean territory, which borders on Brazil and Suriname.

Customs agents took photos of the tiny birds, who were individually wrapped in cloth to keep them still, and then inserted into pouches over the man's crotch - see images below and left, via the Daily Mail.

Trafficking in rare and endangered species is a multibillion-dollar business for organized crime groups in Latin America. Interpol estimates that ecotrafficking generates up to billion in annual profits worldwide.

One reason traffickers might turn to the illegal trade in rare creatures and flora is that this can be more profitable and less risky than other organized crime activities, like human smuggling.

Seized 'Narco-Pets' Fill Mexico's Zoos

9/19/2011

Source: Insightcrime.org

By Geoffrey Ramsey

Officials in Mexico are scrambling to house exotic animals confiscated from the collections of drug kingpins, according to a report from the Associated Press.

According to the·report, Mexico’s zoos are increasingly becoming home to the menageries of drug kingpins, who collect wild animals as status symbols to show off their wealth. ·As the article notes, one of the most diverse “narco-zoos” discovered in recent years belonged to Jesus “El Rey” Zambada, the jailed brother of Sinaloa Cartel kingpin Ismael Zambada García, alias “El Mayo.”

When Zambada was arrested in 2008 on drug trafficking charges, police found 200 different animals, ranging from mules to ostriches and peacocks. The animals had been housed on Zambada’s luxury 16-acre ranch, amidst lavish gardens and stables full of purebred horses. Now, some have been relocated to the Zacango Zoo, located about an hour outside Mexico City.

But not all of the confiscated creatures are so lucky, according to the World Wildlife Fund spokesperson in Mexico, Adrian Reuter Cortes. "Within the limited resources of the Mexican government, there are a lot of efforts to ensure the welfare of these animals," Reuter told the AP. "But even the zoos have limits, and can't welcome all the animals."

Mexican zoos are not alone in experiencing this phenomenon. A ranch owned by Colombian drug dealer Pablo Escobar, the Hacienda Napoles, is now a popular theme park which contains several descendants of the exotic animals kept in his zoo. Three of his hippopotamuses escaped the facility in 2006, and lived around the nearby Magdalena Medio river for some years.

Below is the AP's video report on the story, and several images of animals belonging to Mexico’s “narco-zoos,” courtesy of La Primera Plana. Video.

Honduras Creates a Shark Sanctuary

6/24/2011

Source: Green.blogs.NYtimes.com

By David Jolly

In a sign that the global movement to protect sharks is picking up steam, Honduras is declaring its waters to be a permanent sanctuary for the fish.

President Porfirio Lobo Sosa will sign the sanctuary bill into law on Friday on a visit to the island of Roatan, the country’s top diving and snorkeling destination, his office said on Thursday. The move makes permanent a moratorium on commercial fishing for sharks that Honduras announced last year in a joint declaration with the Micronesian island of Palau.

The measure protects sharks in the 92,665 square miles of Honduras’s exclusive economic zone, which encompasses both its Pacific and Caribbean coasts.

Conservationists applauded the move. “There’s real momentum growing for shark conservation that wasn’t there a decade ago,” said Jill M. Hepp, manager of global shark conservation for the Pew Environment Group.

Chile also moved toward a stricter policy on shark fishing this week. On Wednesday, the country’s Chamber of Deputies unanimously backed a bill to ban shark finning in Chilean waters; the legislation now awaits action by the Senate before President Sebastián Piñera can sign it. If he does, Venezuela would be alone among Latin American nations in not restricting the practice.

Finning is a practice in which fishermen cut off the shark’s fins for sale in the lucrative shark-fin soup trade and then throw the entire bleeding carcass back into the sea — often with the shark still alive. The Chilean legislation would require that all sharks be taken whole and brought to port intact, a requirement that essentially makes fishing for the sharkfin trade unprofitable.

María Antonieta Guillén de Bogran, the Honduran first vice president, said in a telephone interview that creating a shark sanctuary was “an opportunity to contribute to the conservation of the species and protect our national patrimony.”

“We want to be a reference point for the world,’’ she said. “We’re a small country, but we can set an example.”

Another element in the calculus is a growing recognition that at least some sharks have more economic value in the water than they do in the soup pot. More....

Police Announce Record Eco-Trafficking Raid in Mexico

3/29/2011

Source: Insightcrime.org

Mexico police announced the results of a three-day raid intended to crack down on wildlife trafficking, reports Reuters. In a nation-wide sweep, police recovered 4,725 wild plants or animals, including rare orchids, parrots, pumas and dozens of other threatened bird and mammal species. Eco-trafficking is one of the most lucrative criminal activities in Latin America: estimates by Interpol say the global trade generates up to $20 billion in profits a year.

An NGO in Medellin, known by its Spanish acronym IPC, reports that since 2009, an estimated 2,000 youths have been killed in the city's gang wars, according to Caracol. Murder rates are highest for those aged between 18 and 25. A march against the violence, partly in reaction to the murder of local hip-hop musician Daniel Alejandro Sierra, who died in the city's Comuna 13, is set to take place Tuesday afternoon.

The U.S has promised more aid to fight drug trafficking in Central America, reports Prensa Libre. The Deputy Assistant Secretary for Central America and the Caribbean, Julissa Reynoso, met Monday with Guatemalan president Alvaro Colom, and said that the U.S. plans to create a source of aid, known as "challenge grants," that will complement the $200 million in aid already promised by President Barack Obama.

According to a report by the Internal Displacement Monitoring Center (IDMC), written in December 2010 and released last week, an estimated 230,000 people have been displaced in Mexico because of drug violence. Tamaulipas and Chihuahua are thought to be the states most affected, says the report, due to the war between the Zetas and the Gulf Cartel.

10,000 Animals Rescued in Interpol Operation in Colombia

1/5/2011

Source: Insightcrime.org

In a two-month operation with Interpol, Colombian police rescued 10,000 animals as part of an offensive against eco traffickers in the region.

The police operations, which according to El Tiempo newspaper, were concentrated in the departments of Antioquia, Cordoba and Putumayo, netted 10,702 animals and 331,320 derivatives (these include skins and eggs).

The species most prized by the traffickers are fish (of which 6,354 were seized), reptiles (1,960 rescued) and birds (1,816). Exotic spiders are also sought after by collectors and can fetch a high price on international markets. Iguana and turtle eggs are very popular for consumption.

The value of the wildlife rescued in Colombia was estimated at over $500,000, while the overall value of seizures in simultaneous Interpol operations in some 50 countries was more than $33 million.

Eco-trafficking is a little known criminal activity in Latin America and often more lucrative than arms or human smuggling.

New Trade for Traffickers: Cattle Rustling

9/6/2010

Source: Insightcrime.org

Drug Trafficking Organizations (DTO) like Mexico's La Familia, is entering the cattle rustling business, according to a lengthy article in El Universal. The organizations are using their superior firepower to steal the cattle, at times on the roads in broad daylight, victims tell the newspaper. The cattle is sold in the black market or to slaughter houses that are not vigilant of the paperwork. Two of every three robberies is not reported, the story adds. The robberies have gone up between 30 percent and 50 percent in the states of Mexico, Chiapas, Coahuila, Jalisco, Michoacán, Querétaro, Sinaloa, Tabasco, Tamaulipas and Zacatecas.