Elephants and Ivories

“On the Trail” n°15
Information and analysis bulletin on animal poaching and smuggling
October 1 – December 31, 2016
670 events, 455 sources
122 illustrated pages – 6 Mo
https://robindesbois.org/wp-content/uploads/ON_THE_TRAIL_15.pdf
Rhinoceroses, elephants and hippopotamuses,  pages 74 to 105

The Indian government has published a cohabitation guide between leopards and populations. Covering more than 3 million km2, India has 1,3 billion inhabitants and 10,000 to 12,000 leopards. 30 to 40 fatal accidents following attacks would occur each year. The guide explores all means of reducing conflicts, gives all the keys of the leopard behavior and gives clear instructions to forestry services. Do not kill, at worst anesthetize. On the contrary, the French parliament has just strengthened the legal capacity to kill wolves. There are about 300 of them on 550,000 km2. Enraged politicians organized a wolf and bearhunting in the rows of the National Assembly. The Senate was also stormed by Wolfcatchers Royals. The verbatim are overwhelming. Nothing about the positive contributions of the wolves. The watchword is to eradicate them as if the wolf was a disease. See page 58 and pages 72-73.

The Chinese government decides to close its domestic ivory market. As a first step, on 31 March 2017 at the latest, approved ivory processing workshops will no longer have the right to engage in this activity. Secondly, by December 31, 2017, approved retail ivory stores will have to abandon this market. These workshops and stores were supplied with “legal” ivory from some Southern African countries and ivory poached across the African continent.
The reconversion of workshops and stores will be assisted.
The fight against raw and carved ivories smuggling and clandestine ivory workshops will be strengthened.
Consumer information will be increased to “create a propitious environment for the protection of elephants, other wild fauna and flora” according to the Chinese government’s announcement.
“For cultural reasons”, the only authorised commercial activity involving ivory will be the auction of certified antiques.

“On the Trail” n°14
Information and analysis bulletin on animal poaching and smuggling
n°14 / 1st July – 30th September 2016
112 pages (6.8 Mo)
Rhinoceroses, elephants and hippopotamuses,  pages 59 to 98

Bags stuffed with monkeys, turtles, pangolins, ivory and birds, cruelty and money go together. Countless victims of so-called sustainable palm oil. Scared eyes and rangers who die or bring up cubs on the bottle.
112 illustrated pages.

Only in French.

Press release n°6

CITES – Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora
17th Conference of the Parties. Johannesburg – South Africa
September 24 to October 5, 2016

At least 26 elephants were beheaded end of August in the Chobe National Park in north Botswana and at the heart of an immense territory where 150,000 no border elephants are roaming. Botswana didn’t wait for this massacre to understand that a new situation- the advent of elephant poaching in countries of southern Africa- calls on a new stance. Robin des Bois, no matter what will come out of following events and other positions Botswana may have, admires this courageous and contagious standpoint. In supporting the listing in Appendix I of the elephants who season after season are crisscrossing its territory, Botswana shows also concern for the elephants of Namibia, Angola, Zimbabwe and Zambia.

Only in French.

Press release n°2

CITES – Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora
17th Conference of the Parties. Johannesburg – South Africa
September 24 to October 5, 2016

– With a flurry of mailings and pathetic declarations, the WWF floods the world with calls for help to save elephants. The surface speech is in red and black tones as it should, emotionally correct, touching its members and supporters.

– Behind the scenes of ministries and conventions, the WWF has been campaigning for 26 years so that the legal ivory trade remains ajar. The WWF has its foot in the door and does not pull out. To the bloodshed and cruelty of poaching, the WWF wants to add the poison of legal trade and opposes to the return of all elephant populations in Appendix I of CITES, which would ban international ivory trade. Unfortunately, this murky speech is taken over by the majority of countries of the European Union, Belgium and Germany in the lead.

Surging European Union Pre-CITES Convention* Ivory Exports to Hong Kong A Cause for Concern

South Africa, 27 September 2016 – As delegates from all around the world deliberate on the future of wildlife, including elephants, at the CITES CoP17 wildlife trade conference in Johannesburg, South Africa, recently obtained data from the Hong Kong government show significant imports of ivory from the European Union to Hong Kong SAR of the People’s Republic of China with a total tonnage of over 7 tonnes. Moreover, the number of worked ivory pieces entering Hong Kong shot up by a dramatic 685%. In 2014, the total number of worked ivory pieces entering Hong Kong from the European Union was 1,572 pieces, but this leapt dramatically to 10,761 worked ivory pieces in 2015.

Special Edition – 17th meeting of the CITES

For 3 years, the NGO Robin des Bois (Robin Hood) has been publishing in French and in English the quarterly bulletin “On the Trail“ on the poaching  and smuggling of animal  species  threatened  with  extinction. Information come from a thousand sources, institutions, local medias and NGOs on the spot throughout the world. Each event is analyzed, related with a maximum of practical details and further developments are traced through time.

“On the Trail” n°13
Information and analysis bulletin on animal poaching and smuggling
n°13 / 1st April – 30th June 2016
116 pages (8.2 Mo)
Rhinoceroses, elephants and hippopotamuses,  pages 67 to 97

– Corruption and violence go together. Both diseases are contagious. They are growing larger and larger and take root. Police, armies, rangers, airport officers are stricken. 19 known dead men among the poachers and the rangers and other law defenders during the last 3 months.
– Ensnaring and poisoning are on the increase.
– The smuggling tracks are shifting and sometimes surprising. Ex: Ivory from the United States of America to Kenya.
– Global turtles’ black market is on the rise. Until $ 10,000 US per unit.
– Hippopotamus ivory is settling down as a substitute to elephant ivory.
– Bad luck for them. It’s a newly rumored that the geckos can cure AIDS.
– One of long drug is coming back in the news: the venom of scorpion.
– Mistreated wildlife is on view on social network and the internet.
– The strengthening of sanctions after poaching and smuggling is notable.