KenyaFour Chinese men in Kenyan court over smuggling 9.6kg ivory

Four Chinese men appeared in a Kenyan court on Monday charged with smuggling ivory, a judicial official said. The men were arrested on Sunday carrying ivory products, including 40 chopsticks, six necklaces, bracelets and a pen holder, as well as two pieces of raw ivory weighing 9.6kg. Their court hearing was adjourned until Tuesday as they did not have an interpreter, the court official said. The four were arrested in Nairobi airport as they transited from Lubumbashi in Democratic Republic of Congo en route to China’s Guangzhou airport. In a separate incident, three Chinese nationals and a Kenyan were charged on Monday with smuggling a dead cobra from a Kenyan national park. They pleaded not guilty and were released on US$120 bail. Earlier this month, officials in the Kenyan port city of Mombasa seized more than two tonnes of ivory, which had reportedly come from Tanzania and was destined for Indonesia. The international trade in elephant ivory, with rare exceptions, has been outlawed since 1989 after elephant populations in Africa dropped from millions in the mid-20th century to some 600,000 by the end of the 1980s. Ivory trade is banned under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. East African nations have recently recorded an increase in poaching incidents. The illegal ivory trade is mostly fuelled by demand in Asia and the Middle East, where elephant tusks and rhinoceros horns are used to make ornaments and in traditional medicines. Africa is home to an estimated 472,000 elephants, whose survival is threatened by poaching and the illegal trade in game trophies, as well as a rising human population that is causing habitat loss. Source: South China Morning Post

Ivory haul from Africa seized in Singapore

Customs officials in Singapore have uncovered a shipment of 1.8 tonnes of ivory, with a value of around $2.5m (£1.6m). It is the biggest ivory haul in the country in more than a decade. The consignment, marked as being waste paper, had come from Africa and was reportedly passing through Singapore. Elephant poaching has been on the rise because of demand from Asia, where ivory is used for ornaments and in traditional medicine. An estimated 25,000 elephants were killed in Africa in 2011. Gerald Neo, executive manager of the Quarantine & Inspection Department of Singapore's Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority (AVA), said in a statement that the haul was found after a tip-off. A total of 1,099 pieces of raw tusk were found in 65 sacks, he said. The statement did not say where the shipment had been heading after Singapore, but said that customs officials were investigating the case with local and international agencies. The trading of ivory is illegal under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), to which Singapore is a signatory. In 2002, six tonnes of ivory were seized in Singapore, made up of 532 tusks and tens of thousands of smaller pieces. It was traced to Kenya where it was eventually returned. Source: BBC News

African Environmental Police: Poachers nabbed with $240 000 worth of rhino, elep...

African Environmental Police: Poachers nabbed with $240 000 worth of rhino, elep...: THREE suspected game poachers, who were recently nabbed in the Hwange National Park after they were found in possession of over $240 000...

Poachers nabbed with $240 000 worth of rhino, elephant horns

THREE suspected game poachers, who were recently nabbed in the Hwange National Park after they were found in possession of over $240 000 worth of rhino horns and elephant tusks, have been remanded in custody to February 11 this year. The three, Denford and Casper Ndebele and Boniface Ndlovu, denied the charges of unlawful possession of rhino horns and ivory when they appeared before Hwange magistrate Lindiwe Maphosa yesterday. Instead, the suspects said they had been hired by two parks rangers to transport the horns and tusks to a sub camp located in the vast national park.Their lawyer Thulani Nkala indicated that he would make a bail application today. Khumbulani Ndlovu for the State told the court that on January 23 at around 9pm, the three were intercepted in the Sinamatela area while driving a Toyota Noah car and allegedly failed to explain the purpose of their visit to the park. The rangers then searched the vehicle and allegedly recovered two rhino horns and two elephant tusks, leading to the suspects’ arrest. Source: Newsday

Rangers kill poacher, recover one AK47 and one 303 rifle

KARIBA — An unidentified suspected poacher was shot dead by Parks and Wildlife rangers, while three others escaped during a raid in the Nyaodza area of Kariba last week. Mashonaland West police spokesperson Inspector Clemence Mabgweazara confirmed the incident. He said two rangers who had been deployed to carry out patrols in the area caught up with the suspects and fatally shot one of them on January 15. “During the course of their duties, the two game rangers encountered the suspected poachers and fired two shots using an SKS rifle from a distance of about 50 metres, killing one of them, while three other gang members fled,” said Mabgwezara. Police in Kariba attended the scene and recovered two live rounds, one from a .303 rifle and another from an AK47 rifle believed to have been in the possession of the suspects.

Source: Newsday (Zimbabwe)

ZNSPCA secures release, relocation of five captive baby elephants destined for China

ZNSPCA: January 20, 2013 at 7:23 am Following extensive negotiations between the Zimbabwe National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals ZNSPCA and the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority, we are pleased to announce the release of five elephant calves that were held in bomas within the Hwange National Park. Animal welfare inspectors and a veterinarian from the ZNSPCA inspected the holding facilities located at Umtshibi within the Hwange National Park and were satisfied that the elephant calves had been held under satisfactory conditions. The released elephant calves were loaded under the supervision of veterinarians, animal welfare inspectors, animal transportation specialists and ZPWMA game specialists. Travelling through Friday night they reached their new home in Umfurudzi National Park early on Saturday morning. The elephant calves will undergo rehabilitation and integration with other elephants within the secured national park. The ZNSPCA remains opposed to the capture of any wild animals for the purpose of being transferred to zoos and similar habitats,irrespective of location. We commend the ZPWMA for agreeing to this release and we expect that such actions will not be repeated. This incident has lead us to question the credibility of CITES’ assessment criteria in granting permits which condone such transactions. Such criteria would appear not to prioritise animal welfare. Furthermore, we challenge Chinese establishments that have previously acquired such animals to improve conditions across the board and to ensure that all animals under their care are treated humanely and in a dignified manner. The over-population of elephant within the Hwange National Park makes these animals vulnerable to exploitation by unscrupulous operators. A special forum is urgently required to address this matter. We would like to acknowledge the valuable contribution made by The Tikki Hywood Trust during these negotiations. The Zimbabwe National Society for The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is funded entirely through donations. Zimbabwe’s largest animal welfare organisation continues to face severe financial constraints. ZNSPCA takes this opportunity to appeal to organisations and the general public alike to give generously in order that its work may continue.

Zimbabwe National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ZNSPCA)

African Environmental Police: Zambia concerned by poachers violating airspace

African Environmental Police: Zambia concerned by poachers violating airspace: Written by Oscar Nkala/defenceWeb Thursday, 17 January 2013 13:44 Zambian security and defence chiefs have voiced concern over foreign poa...