Posts by Laurel Neme
Huffington Post: For Pangolins, A Long Hard Road to Freedom
03/18/2016 by Laurel Neme Freelance Journalist and Author This pangolin was recently rehabilitated and released in Vietnam. Photo courtesy of Save Vietnam’s Wildlife. Pangolins are scaly anteaters about the size of a house cat. They’re presumed to be the world’s most trafficked mammal, with an estimated 100,000 plucked from the wild every year in Africa and…
Read MoreNational Geographic: Happy Ending for Smuggled Pangolins
Wildlife Watch 16 rare scaly anteaters are back in the wild after being rescued from Vietnam’s illegal wildlife trade. By Laurel Neme PUBLISHED March 15, 2016 This story was updated to reflect that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today issued a preliminary finding to a scientific petition submitted by conservation groups, saying that Endangered Species Act…
Read MoreThe WildLife: Pangolin Rescue with Save Vietnam’s Wildlife, Thai Van Nguyen and Gillian Fuller
First posted on 2016-03-12 Go behind the scenes of a pangolin rescue with Thai Van Nguyen, founder and executive director of Save Vietnam’s Wildlife, and Gillian Foster, the organization’s Communications Advisor. Save Vietnam’s Wildlife is the first Vietnamese NGO dedicated to saving pangolins. Pangolins are arguably the world’s most trafficked mammal, with an estimated 100,000 captured…
Read MoreHuffington Post: This Elusive Bird Isn’t Safe From Traffickers
03/03/2016 Laurel Neme Freelance Journalist and Author Male Javan banded pitta by Doug Janson via Wikimedia Pittas are a birdwatcher’s prize. Called “jewels of the forest” for their glorious plumage, these shy, secretive birds are almost impossible to spot in the wild. But head to Indonesia’s massive wild bird markets, and they’re a common sight, according…
Read MoreHuffington Post: This Elusive Bird Isn’t Safe From Traffickers (2)
This Elusive Bird Isn’t Safe From Traffickers 03/03/2016 01:58 pm ET Laurel Neme Freelance Journalist and Author Male Javan banded pitta by Doug Janson via Wikimedia Pittas are a birdwatcher’s prize. Called “jewels of the forest” for their glorious plumage, these shy,…
Read MoreNational Geographic: Even This Incredibly Elusive Bird Isn’t Safe from Traffickers
Pittas are almost impossible to spot in the wild. Though legally protected, they’re a common sight in Indonesia’s notorious bird markets. By Laurel Neme PUBLISHED Thu Feb 25, 2016 Pittas are a birdwatcher’s prize. Called “jewels of the forest” for their glorious plumage, these shy, secretive birds are almost impossible to spot in the wild. But…
Read MoreNational Geographic: Even This Incredibly Elusive Bird Isn’t Safe from Traffickers (2)
Even This Incredibly Elusive Bird Isn’t Safe from Traffickers Pittas are almost impossible to spot in the wild. Though legally protected, they’re a common sight in Indonesia’s notorious bird markets. By Laurel Neme PUBLISHED Thu Feb 25 11:33:13 EST 2016 Pittas are a birdwatcher’s prize. Called “jewels of the forest” for their glorious plumage, these shy,…
Read MoreNational Geographic: Petition Seeks Ban on Trade in Fake Rhino Horn
Exclusive: NGOs express concerns that cultured rhino horn undercuts existing law and imperils wild rhinos. By Laurel Neme PUBLISHED Wed Feb 10, 2016 Trade in bioengineered rhino horn shouldn’t be allowed. That’s the contention behind a petition filed today with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service by the Center for Biological Diversity, a U.S.-based group that uses science and…
Read MoreNational Geographic: One Country Will Destroy Its Ivory—and Pray for Elephants
Sri Lanka also becomes the world’s first country to apologize that elephants are being killed for their ivory. By Laurel Neme PUBLISHED Mon Jan 25 12:04:00 EST 2016 During the past several years, I’ve watched country after country destroy their stockpiles of confiscated elephant ivory, preventing that ivory from somehow slipping back into the black market and…
Read MoreNational Geographic: One Country Will Destroy Its Ivory—and Pray for Elephants (2)
One Country Will Destroy Its Ivory—and Pray for Elephants Sri Lanka also becomes the world’s first country to apologize that elephants are being killed for their ivory. By Laurel Neme PUBLISHED Mon Jan 25 12:04:00 EST 2016 During the past several years, I’ve watched country after country destroy their stockpiles of confiscated elephant ivory, preventing that ivory from…
Read MoreNational Geographic: Myanmar Feeds China’s Pangolin Appetite
New study shows open availability of world’s most trafficked mammal in town bordering China. By Laurel Neme PUBLISHED January 19, 2016 Myanmar and pangolins. Not words I normally think of together. That’s why the recent report by TRAFFIC, a wildlife trade monitoring NGO, on pangolin trafficking in Myanmar took me by surprise. While I’ve followed…
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