Autor: reaev

– 

BANGKOK, Apr-  1 – Thai customs on Friday said they had seized two tonnes of ivory worth over $3.3 million hidden in a shipment of frozen fish — equivalent to more than 120 elephants killed.
Officials found 247 tusks concealed among hundreds of boxes of mackerel apparently from Kenya, in a boat at Bangkok Port on the Chao Phraya river, the customs department said.
The haul — which officials said was the biggest in a year and equated to at least 123 elephants killed — weighed 2,033 kilos (4,472 pounds) and was displayed by authorities in the Thai capital. „Thai customs seize two tonnes of ivory“ weiterlesen

March 28 (Bloomberg) — Botswana sold hunting packages to shoot 27 elephants, the country’s Environment, Wildlife and Tourism Ministry said.

The elephants chosen are considered to be “problem animals“ and the auction is part of efforts to control the southern African nation’s 150,000 elephant population, the Gaborone-based ministry said in an e-mailed statement. The packages were sold for a total 5.6 million pula ($852,000).

To contact the reporter on this story: Jerry Bungu in Gaborone at jbungu@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Gordon Bell at gbell16@bloomberg.net

 

Source: www.businessweek.com/news/2011-03-28/botswana-approves-hunting-packages-to-shoot-27-elephants.html

Maputo — The attempted illegal export of unprocessed timber and of ivory from the northern Mozambique port of Pemba, in January, has led to the suspension from duty of six inspectors working for the Cabo Delgado Provincial Forestry and Wildlife Services, reports Saturday’s issue of the Maputo daily „Noticias“.

The six inspectors witnessed the loading of the logs into 161 20 foot containers, and although they knew that the planned export was illegal, they did nothing to stop it. To make matters worse, when the containers were reopened, it was found that the amount of wood they contained was much greater than that which had been officially declared. „Mozambique: Six Inspectors Suspended Over Illegal Timber and Ivory Exports“ weiterlesen

Nairobi — Wildlife conservancies in the Upper Eastern region have expressed concern over rampant poaching.

The private and community conservancies concentrated in Laikipia, Samburu and Isiolo called for stiffer penalties for those involved in the illegal trade in wildlife trophies if the war against poaching is to be won.

"The rate at which we are losing the elephant and rhino populations means that in the near future we might not have any of them left in Kenya," said Dr Antony King of the Laikipia Wildlife Forum.

He was addressing representatives of more than 300 conservancies from across the country during a meeting in Nyeri.

The agenda of the forum was to push for the passage of the Wildlife Bill, which they said would boost conservation efforts.

Participants were taken through shocking statistics showing how the country’s elephant and rhino populations had drastically reduced, mostly due to poaching, over a 70-year period.

The workshop heard that the elephant population in the conservancies had decreased from 160,000 to a mere 597 over the past 70 years while the number of the Eastern Black Rhino had plummeted to a paltry 300 from 20,000 over the same period.

Source: http://allafrica.com/stories/201103180072.html