The world as it is
“On the Trail”, English version
“A la Trace”, French version
Quarterly information and analysis report on endangered animals poaching and smuggling
N°48
1,190 events between September 1 and October 31, 2025
340 illustrations and 6 maps
986 sources, 207 pages, 7 MB
Undeterred, Robin des Bois (Robin Hood) continues to investigate poaching and the smuggling of wild animals, both on land and at sea, devoting as much detail and wonder to the lowly ones, such as porcupines, as to the covered with honours (and misfortune) elephants.
“On the Trail”, in both its French and English editions, is read and archived by analysts, detectives and NGOs around the world. The 12-page index helps readers navigate topics as specific and essential as the Bishnoi people, poisoning by agricultural toxins, sharks in Iran and vultures in Europe.
“On the Trail” is an observatory of myths, rumours and trends. The Indian roller is the bird that heralded Rāma’s victory over the demon Rāvana. Today, in 2025, Indian rollers are, sadly, part of the bestiary of lucky charms, even when caged and with their wings clipped. Despite educational efforts by the government and local authorities, Tartary sand boas continue to fall victim to an age-old rumour that, when consumed in various forms, they can cure a host of illnesses. The trend for animal crushing videos is unleashing on macaques and is spreading to turtles, lizards and birds.
THE HERO
September 2 and 3, 2025, Dangri, State of Rajasthan, India
Khet Singh was stabbed in his sleep during the night by Ladu Khan, Alam Khan and Khete Khan. The Khans were angry with Singh because a few days earlier he had prevented them from poaching deer on his land. Singh died in hospital. After his death, the village police station was the scene of protests and tensions. Dangri, in the district of Jaisalmer, is one of the strongholds of the Bishnoi, a vegetarian tribe that is strictly non-violent towards all forms of life. They consider wild animals and trees as members of their families.
BAD COMPANY
Jimmy Nkwezalamba, 3 years’ jail for wildlife trafficking, handyman for Hua Lin, 14 years jail for wildlife trafficking.
Shafeek Jhummun, director of Hammerhead International Limited, Mauritian exporter of long-tailed macaques for the global animal experimentation market./ezcol_1third] 
Jacob Latreille, 21, suspected of illegally killing 13 American alligators with his mates from his hovercraft.
THE QUOTE FROM ISSUE 48
“We have monkeys that live in better conditions than many people“, according to the owner of an illegal zoo in Armenia.
FROM PARIS WITH LOVE
September 27, 2025, Hong Kong International Airport, China
Seizure in a postal package declared to contain “ceramic gifts” and coming from France of a rhino horn weighing 2 kg with a value of 103,000 US$ (55,000 US$/kg).
LEAF BATH IN BRAZIL
October 1 and November 9-10, 2025, Ponta Negra, State of Amazonas, Brazil
Rescue of a jaguar that had been drifting in the Rio Negro, a tributary of the Amazon. A veterinary examination showed that he had been shot with 36 small lead pellets, that one of his teeth was broken, and that he had lost a lot of blood while fleeing from an ambush. After recovering, he was released back into the wild as quickly as possible. To give him every chance of retaining his instincts and independence, the keepers rubbed themselves with leaves and plants from the forest before approaching him, thus masking their human scent. This “leaf bath” contributed to the success of the operation.
A SAD BOLIVIAN FABLE
October 9, 2025, Morochata, Department of Cochabamba, Bolivia
The Hens and the Condors. A fox raiding his henhouse prompts a farmer to scatter poison to get rid of him. His unwary dog eats some and hides to die. His carcass is spotted by condors lured in. Result: four magnificent Andean condors grounded for eternity.
THE ALL-IN HORNBILLS
In two months, 79 hornbills’ helmets – including 53 from helmeted hornbills –, one skull, 621 feathers, 9 dead hornbills and around 20 live hornbills were seized in Indonesia, the Philippines, Viet Nam, India, Cameroon and the Netherlands.
September 9, 2025, Hang Nadim International Airport, Batam City,
Riau Archipelago, Indonesia
Seizure by customs of 10 helmeted hornbill helmets
CHANGING HANDS
From the clutches of trafficker to the hands of security.
This is the 3rd rescue of a baby bonobo in 2 months
in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
PRETENTIOUS
October 23, 2025, Otay Mesa Port of Entry, California, border with Mexico
Jesse Agus Martinez, a U.S. citizen, was charged with attempting to smuggle 2 live, sedated orange-fronted conures that he had hidden in his pants. A customs officer noticed a bulge in his groin area. Martinez remained unflustered and claimed it was his penis. The officer was not impressed by this so-called extraordinary equipment.
AN AMATEUR’S TRICK
Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport, Zhejiang Province, China
Seized from the luggage of a passenger arriving on a flight from abroad: 4 ivory bracelets hidden among accounting documents
A PRO’S TRICK
September 6, 2025, Suvarnabhumi International Airport, Bangkok, Thailand
Seizure from the luggage of Thanh, a Vietnamese national travelling from Luanda (Angola) to Vientiane (Laos) via Addis Ababa (Ethiopia) and Bangkok of a rhino horn and 4 fragments weighing a total of 6.86 kg that were concealed in 2 hollowed-out and hermetically sealed pieces of wood
THE EXTINCTION BUS
Night of September 25–26, 2025, Sangmélima, South Region, Cameroon
A routine check by forest rangers led to an extraordinary seizure on board an intercity bus: 6 elephant tails, one gorilla head and 4 gorilla hands, 4 chimpanzee hands, 7 mandrill teeth and 3 mandrill skulls, 5 leopard skins, 8 grey parrot heads, 4 bundles of grey parrot feathers, 11 helmets and 3 dead hornbills. Arrest of the driver, Njoudiyimoun Issofa, 21 years old. All seized species are found in the Dja Wildlife Reserve (5,260 km²). Intercity buses connect Djoum (population 20,000), located 30 km from the Dja Reserve, to Yaoundé, the capital of Cameroon.
PASSIVE COMPLICITY
On September 25, 2025, in Macondo in Angola, several logs of Guibourtia coleosperma known in Africa as mussivi were seized. A decree issued by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry in 2024 suspended logging operations to protect the species from plundering.
On March 4, 2026, in Luanda, still in Angola, sixteen 40-foot containers loaded with Guibourtia coleosperma planks intended for export to Viet Nam were seized by customs officials in the port area. They were awaiting loading into CMA-CGM containers. The French shipping company has a significant presence in Angola. It has previously faced legal disputes in 2010 in Madagascar through its former subsidiary Delmas, involving a shipment of Dalbergia maritima or Madagascar rosewood destined for China, and in summer 2020 in Gambia involving African teak, which also goes by the flattering name of African rosewood. CMA-CGM subsequently suspended timber exports from the port of Banjul and decided to load only non-CITES-listed timber at African ports, without taking into account that certain non-CITES-listed species may be strictly protected by national regulations.
The bright arils of Guibourtia coleosperma attract glossy starlings, parrots and monkeys, which feed on them, disperse the seeds and thus promote the regeneration of the species. Its main range extends from the south of the Democratic Republic of the Congo through western Zambia to northern Southern Africa. The species is strictly protected in Namibia, Botswana and Angola.
Guibourtia coleosperma
“On the Trail” is carried out by Robin des Bois with the support of the Fondation Franz Weber, the Fondation Brigitte Bardot, donors and members of Robin des Bois, and the Séché Environnement group.
English version:
https://robindesbois.org/wp-content/uploads/ON_THE_TRAIL_48.pdf
French version:
https://robindesbois.org/wp-content/uploads/A_LA_TRACE_48.pdf
Imprimer cet article
