Two people from Democratic Republic of Congo have been arrested in the United States for illegal wildlife trafficking, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. Herdade Lokua, 23, and Jospin Mujangi, 31, both of Kinshasa, were arrested last week in Seattle, Washington. They were indicted by a federal grand jury…
In Geneva, the World Wildlife Conference of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) wrapped up on Wednesday with the adoption of a number of measures meant to protect wildlife and support global conservation. Among them is the revision of trade rules meant…
A massive effort to shut down illegal wildlife crime has resulted in almost 600 arrests across 109 countries, according to INTERPOL and the World Customs Organization (WCO). The Operation Thunderball mission conducted during the month of June led to 1,828 seizures of illegally traded ivory and pangolin scales, live plants and…
Authorities in Singapore say they’ve seized yet another illegal shipment of pangolin scales, this time adding another 12.7 tons to last week’s interdiction of 12.9 tons of scales – or about 21,000 endangered pangolin. The latest seizure came after inspection of a 40-foot container that was en route to Vietnam…
Environmental and conservationist groups across the globe are mourning the loss of Esmond Bradley Martin, a champion of wildlife protection and leading world expert on the illegal ivory trade who was stabbed to death in Kenya on Sunday. Authorities say the 76-year-old American researcher, a former United Nations special envoy…
China says it has shut down 143 ivory retail outlets and 34 processing facilities since the country’s ban on ivory went into effect at the beginning of the year. The measures have been well received by Beijing’s African partners, said Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Lu Kang during Thursday’s regular…
It’s World Wildlife Day on Friday, and African nations join the world with activities planned across the continent and its diverse habitats. This year’s theme for the United Nations event is “Listen to the young voices,” and most of the programs center on the hopes of African youth for a…
The Chinese government announced Friday that it will ban ivory trade by the end of 2017, doing so across the industry in phases that are planned for completion by this time next year. The plan targets commercial processing and sales, according to a translated release, in a process that will…
South Africa has the world’s largest rhino population and has seen an alarming trend in illegal trafficking, primarily to Asia, in recent years. This weekend, CITES Secretary General John Scanlon praised the destruction of two tons of African elephant ivory and rhino horn seized from illegal traders in Vietnam. “The destruction…
Bostwana held firmly Monday to its decision to support an ivory trade ban, a move that stood in sharp contrast to that taken by the European Union and those of surprised neighboring African countries gathered at the CITES meeting in Johannesburg. “Although Botswana has previously supported limited trade, we recognize…