Plundering, Trade and Cruelty

Sunday 28 December 2025

Free and sparkling, Brigitte Bardot was catching the light. She hijacked the spotlight and turned it on the animal world, with tenderness and relentless dedication.

“On the Trail”, the Information and analysis bulletin on animal poaching and smuggling, is supported by the Fondation Brigitte Bardot and the Fondation Franz Weber. When Franz Weber departed for another world in 2019, Brigitte Bardot wrote: “It is thanks to him that I have become the warrior, the fighter against all kinds of atrocities that humans inflict on animals throughout the world”.

Press release CITES CoP20 n°11

Of the 185 countries that are signatories to CITES, 165 were present (157 had the right to vote after being accepted by the Credentials Committee). The CoP20 registered a record participation.

Press release CITES CoP20 n°10

Fifteen pieces of good news

– South Africa obtained consensus for the transfer of the endemic euphorbia Euphorbia bupleurifolia from Appendix II to Appendix I.

Press release CITES CoP20 n°8

Will six years of work, she wondered, exchanges with around fifty NGOs from around the world and more than 500 veterinarians sensitive to the cruelty of the market, discussions with experts from the French National Museum of Natural History and contacts with the Ministries of Agriculture and Ecology fall into the water, will the chapter “Frogs hunted, frozen, falsified, irradiated” from the Atlas du business des espèces menacées (“Atlas of the Business of Endangered Species“, 2019) and the publication of the report “Deadly Dish” in 2022 be of any use, did the side events on November 22, 2022 in Panama and Friday November 28, 2025 in Samarkand have a positive echo, will Türkiye stand its ground, what will Indonesia’s position and influence be? All the euphoria and discouragement that accompany any long-term campaign come to her mind at this crucial moment.

Press release CITES CoP20 n°7

Enhanced protection for dorcas gazelles (Gazella dorcas)
The proposal by Benin, Burkina Faso, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sudan and Tunisia to list dorcas gazelles in Appendix II was accepted by consensus.

Press release CITES CoP20 n°6

Excellent news for eel traffickers
The proposal by the European Union, Honduras and Panama to list all eel species of the genus Anguilla in Appendix II with an implementation delay of 18 months was rejected by 35 votes in favour, 100 against and 8 abstentions after a secret ballot. A real beating.

Press release CITES CoP20 n°3

CITES Conferences of the Parties are not just hot air. Their decisions are binding. CITES, also known as the Washington Convention, is the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. 185 countries are signatories.

“On the Trail”, English version
“A la Trace”, French version
Quarterly information and analysis report on endangered animals poaching and smuggling

N°47
1,157 events between July 1 and August 31, 2025
279 illustrations and 6 maps
951 sources, 196 pages, 6,1 MB

Only in French.