National Geographic: A Mysterious Rhino Horn Heist in Vermont

Photo credit: Mark Biercevicz Photo credit: Mark Biercevicz Mystery surrounds the theft of a rhinoceros horn from a natural history collection in the University of Vermont, in Burlington. Nobody knows its origins, or exactly when or why it was stolen. Its absence was first noted on April 27. It could have been taken as a…

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Mongabay.com: Innovative technology creates safe haven for rhinos

28 November 2016 / Laurel Neme Unveiled last week, the new system integrates a set of technologies — Wi-Fi, thermal cameras, biometrics, closed-circuit televisions, and sensors — to create a security network across an entire game reserve. The new technology system — called Connected Conservation — is a joint initiative between two international technology companies: Dimension Data…

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National Geographic: Hong Kong Starts Countdown to Ivory Trade Ban

  Hong Kong’s five-year plan for closing its ivory market will eliminate a legal loophole exploited by smugglers. By Laurel Neme PUBLISHED June 27, 2016   Today Hong Kong has taken a major step forward in phasing out its ivory trade. The government submitted its proposed plan to the Legislative Council, which began debating the details. This is a…

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National 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…

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National 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…

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National Geographic: Elephants Win as Hong Kong’s Leader Says It Will Ban Ivory Trade

Shutting down the world’s largest legal ivory market would be a conservation milestone. By Laurel Neme PUBLISHED January 14, 2016 Hong Kong’s Chief Executive, Leung Chun-ying, announced plans to ban the domestic ivory trade during his 2016 Policy Address. The annual speech lays out the year’s policy agenda. In the middle of the two-hour monologue, between statements on…

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National Geographic: Why Shutting Down China’s Ivory Trade Won’t Be Easy

 An undercover investigation shows how Chinese businesses launder illegal ivory into the legal market and also trade in illegal rhino horn.   By Laurel Neme PUBLISHED Fri Jan 08, 2016     China is the world’s largest ivory consumer, with its legal market often providing cover for illegal ivory. The intertwining of these two markets—legal and illegal—is…

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Huffington Post: Chinese Researchers Explore Options for Ivory Ban

    Posted: 12/16/2015    When Chinese President Xi Jinping announced in September 2015 that China would, together with the United States, work toward a complete domestic ban on ivory, it was a welcome step in the fight against elephant poaching. Yet it was also only the first step in a long road. Now comes the…

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National Geographic: Chinese Researchers Explore How to Implement Ivory Ban

China has a 3,000-year tradition of carving ivory. Shutting down its thriving ivory market won’t be easy. By Laurel Neme, National Geographic PUBLISHED Tue Dec 15, 2015   When Chinese President Xi Jinping announced in September 2015 that China would, together with the United States, work toward a complete domestic ban on ivory, it was a welcome…

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