Horror in Africa

African elephants being poached in unprecedented numbers.  They are disappearing from the continent as the poachers become increasingly militarized.

Full story here at the New York Times.

Sobering Tiger Statistics

Very sad. I wish I could say something inspiring or hopeful, but it's hard to feel that way when you read these kinds of stories.

For the rest of the article, go to this TRAFFIC link...

Parts of at least 1,069 Tigers have been seized in Tiger range countries over the past decade, according to new analysis of Tiger seizures carried out by TRAFFIC, the wildlife trade monitoring network.

Reduced to Skin and Bones (PDF, 4 MB) shows that from January 2000 to April 2010, parts of between 1,069 and 1,220 Tigers were seized in 11 of the 13 tiger range countries—or an average of 104 to 119 animals per year.

Of the 11, India, China and Nepal ranked highest in the number of tiger part seizures, the report states, with India by far the highest number of Tiger part seizures at 276, representing between 469 and 533 Tigers. China, with 40, had the second highest number of seizures, or 116-124 Tigers, and Nepal reported 39 seizures, or 113-130 Tigers, according to the report.

Moose Poaching Video

Posted on Youtube.... Graphic.

Asian Demand for Ivory Pushing Elephants to Extinction

Be warned. Very upsetting article.

Primate Parts Still Being Used for "Medicinal Purposes"

It's not just tiger parts and elephant tusks that are being used for so called "traditional" medicinal uses. I didn't know primates were in demand too. I knew about bush meat, but not about this.
Will it ever end?

UN Refuses to Re-open Ivory Trade

Zambia and Tanzania proposed re-opening the trade, but the UN said no.

Finless Shark Found in the Phillipines

The shark's fins had been cut and he was still alive when found, but sadly died.

Ironically, this was just after a conference on saving sharks held in the Phillipines.

From Inquirer.net...

Last week, representatives of some 50 countries attended the third meeting of the International Cooperation on Migratory Sharks (SHARKS III) hosted by the Philippines in Manila. Eleven of them signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) pledging to protect the whale sharks.

The participants also agreed to advance the protection of seven shark species that needed protection—the Basking Shark, Great White Shark, Whale Shark, Spiny Dogfish Shark, Porbeagle Shark, and Shortfin and Longfin Mako Sharks.

Sierra Leone's Elephant Population Near Extinction

Be warned. Awful picture here.

Again, it's all about the damn ivory.

WA State Man Loses Hunting License Over Elk Killing

This guy is a real piece of work. Click on the link and see the picture. It says it all.

China Calls for Tiger Protection

From the Economic Times (part of the India Times, I think)....

India’s newfound partnership with China on environment issues has yielded results in the area of tiger protection as well. In what could be seen as a new year’s gift for the Indian tiger, China’s State Forestry Administration has issued a directive calling for the protection of tigers, especially the need to step up action against illegal trade in tiger parts and products.

I don't trust the Chinese government on any issue. whether it be animal rights or human rights. What kind of protection do they really mean? You can put tigers on a farm for legal parts harvesting and still call it "protection."

I'm too, too cynical.

UK Expects Spike in Christmas Poaching

Criminal gangs in the rural UK poach deer and salmon during the Christmas season. To curtail the rise and educate the public, the "Poachers Moon" initiative brings together the National Wildlife Crime Unit, Environment Agency, the British Association for Shooting and Conservation and the Deer Initiative.

Organized crime in England is really attacking wildlife lately. Recently, I've also read about wildlife being used for dogfight training. Perhaps this is nothing new to people who live in these areas though.

Serial Poachers Devastate Montana

This article describes the devastation being inflicted on Montana's wildlife by serial poachers. It's also an insight into how serial poachers think. I would have thought serial poaching and serial killing were essentially the same, with the difference being the species, but this article says there is a difference.

Brian Golie, FWP game warden in Wolf Creek, .....classifies serial poachers as people who target trophy animals and will do anything to kill them. Serial killers, on the other hand, are people who kill everything they see and simply want to run up a tally. In some instances people kill an animal and cut off its head for the antlers. Others take the entire animal and still others leave the dead animal, although Golie said he's seen people come back months later after poaching an animal to try to recover the antlers.

Thai Police Arrest Ivory Traffickers

Police arrested two Thai nationals for trafficking in African ivory. Unfortunately, if they are found guilty, they would face a maximum of only four years in jail. The fines could be up to 40,000 baht (1,150 dollars).

The dollars part doesn't seem like much to me either, but it could be a fortune in Thailand. Anyone know?

Man Busted for Bear Gall Bladders in Washington State

This happened in my own State of Washington. We allow hunters to shoot bears, but not to sell their parts. Note the Asia connection again.

Nepal is "Poachers Paradise"

Ugly stuff happening in Nepal.

Another Wildlife Trafficking Ring Busted

In India this time. They seized tiger skins, tiger bones and otter skins.

Where could those tiger bones be going but to Asian countries to make tiger bone wine?

2010 Declared the Year of the Tiger...So What?

The Kathmandu Global Tiger Workshop declared 2010 to be the Year of the Tiger. The intention is to focus on saving the tiger species which is being decimated. I say so what? It's just lip service. When China won't support a ban on tiger farms, nor will it work to curb the ridiculous demand for tiger products in its own country, what's the point? China is the single biggest threat to the tiger and it won't participate seriously in its protection. So what if the tiger gets its own year? It's just fuzzy wuzzies and PR.

Tiger Dies from Poaching Injuries in Malaysia

Sad. Another tiger lost.

India Reaches Out to Neighbors to Save Tigers

They have been pretty frustrated with China, who really doesn't give a rip about tigers...unless they can raise them on farms for "medicinal" harvest and other capitalist pursuits. Anyway, India is appealing to its other neighbors which would include Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Myanmar.

France's Ugly Secret: Eating Endangered Songbird

Now France can add another to its long list of gastronomic sins...eating ortolan, an endangered songbird.

From the Guardian...

In a co-ordinated protest, members of the League for the Protection of Birds (LPO) destroyed hundreds of traps and set free the birds inside. The time had come, they said, to prioritise biodiversity over gastronomy.

"For 10 years now, not only has the state turned a blind eye [to the poachers] but it has been complicit," said Allain Bougrain-Dubourg, president of the LPO. "It is time to make the state face up to its responsibilities."

The hunting and selling of ortolans, which have suffered a Europe-wide decline of 40-50% in the last 40 years, has been illegal in France since 1999.

But that has not stopped hundreds of poachers setting traps to catch between 30,000 and 50,000 of the songbirds a year.

During the hunting season, which lasts from mid-August until the end of September, the birds are taken from their cages, fattened up in the dark and then drowned alive in Armagnac. Plucked and roasted, they are served whole.