The Economist Looks at Illegal Wildlife Trade

Leave it to The Economist to provide an insightful analysis of CITES' effectiveness in actually preventing illegal trade in wildlife and their parts. It's a good article and worth your time and thought...whether you agree with it or not.

The point is not that bans never work. They can, especially in the short term or when species are in dire danger. But their longer-term success depends on three factors. First, they must be coupled with a reduction in demand for the banned products. If a ban helps to shift people's tastes, so much the better. Second, they must not undermine incentives to conserve endangered species in the wild. Third, they have to be supported by governments and citizens in the countries where these species live. If these conditions are not met, bans are unlikely either to reduce trade or to maintain endangered species. They may even make matters worse.


Photo by IFAW Think Twice.

Animal Rights Takes Root in China

Animal rights in China is a very, very small movement, but it's there. It's all we can hope for in a country where even a human being is devalued.

Jill Robinson, a Briton, spends most of her time in Sichuan province, caring for bears rescued from bile farmers, who are compensated in return for shutting down their operations. She says support from local young people is rising fast, and attitudes are starting to change. If China can stop binding women's feet, she asks, why should it not abandon cruelty to animals?

Photo by North Sullivan.

Sea Shepherd Claims Japanese Whalers Tried To Kill Paul Watson

According to Sea Shepherd, Paul Watson was shot in the chest, and was only protected because of a kevlar vest. If true, this would be a shocking development.

From their site:

Today around 3:45pm Australian Eastern Standard Time in the Australian Exclusive Economic Zone of Antarctica, an attempt was made on the life of Paul Watson, Captain of the Sea Shepherd vessel Steve Irwin.

A single bullet was fired by what must have been an expert marksman at Paul’s chest, which embedded in his Kevlar vest and also damaged a metal badge worn behind the vest. Fortunately, this stopped the bullet penetrating his flesh.

The ships’ doctor was emphatic that without protection, the shot would have been lethal.

At the time the shot was fired, the Japanese whaling vessel Nisshin Maru was moving parallel to the Steve Irwin in stormy seas. The high level of movement indicates that the shot must have been fired by an expert.

They also threw flash grenades at the Steve Irwin. The Japanese are admitting that they fired "warning shots".

Tales from the Animal Rights Trenches, 1.2

Last month we posted about the coyote in Discovery Park, Seattle. The park is about 500 acres of urban forest on the western edge of Seattle. There is a limited amount of private housing there and there are residential streets outlining the edges of the park.

A coyote killed a couple of cats and was seen approaching porches. There was a panicked outcry and, first, traps were set out to trap and kill the coyote. Then, a USDA guy came out to kill it with a rifle.

More outcry followed.

Finally, the City of Seattle stepped in and settled things down. With several partner groups, it held a "Living with Wildlife" workshop for the neighborhood. Because we live near the park, we got an invite too. So we went!

The meeting was very well run. Here were the represented groups, all with tables and information: Seattle Parks and Recreation, Washington Fish and Wildlife, Woodland Park Zoo, Progressive Animal Welfare Society (PAWS), and the Seattle Animal Shelter. I saw plenty of board members from Friends of Discovery Park too.

The meeting was effective because there was one presentation with a slide show....and then, instead of opening up the meeting to a shout fest (believe me, I was ready for it!), the meeting was disbursed for citizens to approach the represented groups for one-on-one talks about concerns. Brilliant, really. It diffused what could have been an angry confrontation into opportunities for real conversations and education.

There were a couple of people there ready to call for this coyote's death. One woman interrupted the presenter THREE times because two of her cats were presumably killed by the coyote. She was quite irate when he suggested she keep them INDOORS!

Another man sitting next to me said his wife was concerned about their three-old daughter. Obviously, this child is left alone in an urban forest where mentally ill and homeless people sometimes wander. But it's the COYOTE that is dangerous. My husband had to pull me away from that one.

Because we complain so much on this blog (for good reason!) I wanted to point this out as a good meeting, strategically planned for maximum effectiveness. As for the coyote, he (or she) is exhibiting normal urban wildlife behavior. As long as he doesn't threaten humans, he won't be shot.

Here's hoping we move onto another topic in Discovery Park.

Photo by Hard_Rain.

City in India to Poison 100,000 Dogs

From the Dept of WTF?

Authorities in Indian Kashmir have begun poisoning stray dogs in an anti-rabies program that aims to kill some 100,000 dogs in the region's main city, officials said Thursday.

Animal rights activists vowed to go to court in a bid to stop the slaughter planned by Srinagar city, saying it is an illegal, extreme and cruel solution to a problem that could be better addressed with other methods.

With the world's highest rabies fatality rate, India has grappled with ways to control the millions of stray dogs that live on its streets.

In Srinagar, city officials vowed to press ahead with the plan.

Kenya's Political Troubles Have an Effect on Wildlife

The recent troubles with the Kenyan presidential election have brought problems related to Kenyan wildlife, but not in the way that you might think. Tourists have been scared off, which in turn effects revenue for conservation projects.

Conservation projects to protect Kenya's rich wildlife, from its rhinos to whale sharks, are at risk if the country fails to attract tourists back after a post-election crisis, the United Nations said on Wednesday.

Kenya relies on its game parks to draw hundreds of thousands of tourists every year. But, the sector has been badly damaged by a wave of cancellations following ethnic clashes triggered by President Mwai Kibaki's disputed re-election in December.

The violence that killed more than 1,000 people prompted European tour operators to cancel chartered flights to the east African country, dealing a heavy blow to its tourism industry -- the leading foreign exchange earner in Kenya.

Funding for conservation projects has shrunk as a result of of the slump in tourist numbers, conservation officials say.

Canberra Kangaroos May be Culled

Kangaroos in Canberra are facing an uncertain future.

A review was commissioned after the Department of Defence applied to relocate mobs of eastern grey kangaroos to New South Wales from Belconnen.

Earlier Defence plans to cull the kangaroos met with strong opposition from animal welfare groups.

ACT Commissioner for the Environment Maxine Cooper says she will not confirm the future of the native animals until her report is released.

"My report has had to deal with that very complex issue and that report's with the Government at the moment," she said.

"I do think it'd be appropriate for us to wait for the release of that report so people can actually get the totality of all the issues that I've had to deal with rather than just focusing up on this one particular issue of the eastern grey."

Photo by mfunnell.

New Animal Torture Law in Utah Passes House

It may soon be a felony to torture companion animals in Utah. Too bad it won't cover feral cats and dogs. Or other non-companion animals. The bill was a compromise between pro and anti torture advocates in the legislature.

And here is how torture is defined:

The bill defines torture as ''intentionally or knowingly causing or inflicting extreme physical pain to an animal in an especially heinous, atrocious, cruel, or exceptionally depraved manner."

That's setting the bar pretty high there. What's extreme? Is beating a dog with a plastic baseball bat "heinous, atrocious, cruel or depraved"? How about swinging a cat by the tail?

And why is it only companion animals. If someone catches a stray cat and microwaves it, are they only going to be charged with a misdemeanor?

Malaysia Finally Passes Laws Outlawing the Trade in Endangered Species

Although CITES outlaws the international trade in endangered species, local Malaysian law had no such prohibition. That has now changed.

Thinking about buying the pretty star tortoise for a pet? Think again. Under newly passed laws, you face a fine of up to RM100,000 for having one of those reptiles. Same goes for other exotic pets such as the Madagascar radiated tortoise, African leopard tortoise, pig-nosed turtle, Madagascar tomato frog, South American poison arrow frog and Indonesian yellow-crested cockatoo.

Trade in these animals are either barred or regulated by range countries and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (Cites, an international treaty to stop illegal and unsustainable wildlife trade) but they still end up in local pet stores and zoos – reason being, wildlife authority Perhilitan cannot act against traders because these species are not protected under local laws, namely the Protection of Wildlife Act 1972 (PWA).

This has now changed with Parliament passing the International Trade in Endangered Species Bill 2007 last December. The long-awaited Bill promises to stem unbridled sale of wildlife as it specifies the wildlife allowed for trade and imposes licensing requirements. It essentially enables Malaysia to fulfil Cites obligations and enforce Cites wildlife trade rules.

It's taking a long time for some countries, but it's good to see that they are finally doing things like this.

Photo by Yeowatzup

Sea Shepherd Clashes With Japanese Whalers

Things are heating up in the Southern Ocean.

Anti-whaling activists clashed with Japanese whalers in the Southern Ocean on Monday, prompting a diplomatic complaint from Tokyo to Canberra and a rebuke for the activists from the Australian government.

Members of the hard-line Sea Shepherd group threw bottles and containers of foul-smelling substances at the Japanese factory ship the Nisshin Maru as part of the organization's campaign to disrupt Japan's annual whale hunt.

Three Japanese sailors were injured after the chemical cocktail splashed into the eyes of two coastguard crew and one whaler causing irritation, said an official with Japan's Fisheries Agency in Tokyo. He declined to give the location of the incident for security reasons.

Here is a link to Sea Shepherd's account.

Here is some video:



Here is a little more:

Albino Moose Times Two

My friend Jo Anne sent me this picture. TWO albino moose. How cool is that? Happy Monday people!

300,000 Cattle Dead in Afghanistan Due to Cold Weather

300,000 animals have died in Afghanistan since December. That's a lot for any country.

Extreme cold has devastated the Afghan livestock sector, killing over 3,00,000 animals since late December and seriously affecting livelihoods, a new United Nations report said.

High prices for fuel, vegetable oil and cereals are compounding the vulnerability of poor households, reducing their access to food, it added.

The harshest winter weather conditions in nearly 30 years have killed over 800 people, and many others, notably shepherds and their families, have suffered severe frostbite, requiring disabling amputation, the report by Food and Agriculture (FAO) said.

Too bad the US is spending 275 million per day in Iraq. Think of how many heated barns (not to mention houses that could be bought with a single day's expenditures.

Paris Hilton: Let's Hope She Gets Herself Fixed Right After Her Dogs

Noted Socialite and Dumb-as-a-sack-of-hammers dog owner Paris Hilton said she had so many dogs because "they keep having babies". Here's a thought: how about taking them to the vet and getting them fixed?

And while you're at it, have them do you too. Let's nip those genes in the bud now shall we?

Dumb dumb dumb.

Photo by Alex CD

Is Animalblawg no More?

No note was on the site last time I checked, but it looks like Animalblawg is no more.

I tried to go to the site, but it looks like it's now gone. That's too bad. They always had such thoughtful posts. Who will be the animal policy wonks now?

Judge Denies Attempt by Bush Administration to Weasel out of Agreement

I originally wrote about this here.

In a nutshell, the Bush Administration entered into an agreement that set a timeline for making a decision on whether to list the sage grouse as an endangered species. They discovered to their horror, that if they stuck to the timeline that they might actually have to use science in their determination. It gets worse. Through the use of this science, they found that they might be forced to make a decision that might have an adverse effect on the oil and gas industry.

Oh, I'll bet someone at Fish and Wildlife spent a few hours in Deadeye Dick's chamber of horrors for that one. To him, the only good sage grouse is a dead one. Preferably after it's been drugged and tied to a stake so he can shoot the little bugger.

Anyways, they tried to back out of the agreement, and the federal judge is not having any of it.

A federal judge is holding the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to a deal reached with environmentalists that sets a timeline and other conditions on whether to grant threatened or endangered status to the sage grouse.

The wildlife agency sought to back out of a stipulation filed with the court in January that set a May 2009 deadline to determine whether to list the bird under the Endangered Species Act. The deal also required the agency to consider a new and critical scientific report on the bird due out in November and give the public 60 days to comment on the report's findings.

Across the West, decisions about the sage grouse are considered critical to the future of gas and oil drilling, agriculture and urban growth.

Last month, government attorneys sought to back out of the deal, saying top Fish and Wildlife officials never signed off on it. The agreement was approved by Department of Justice lawyers, who negotiated the timeline and other details with the Idaho-based Western Watershed Project.

Sigh. These people are just awful.