National Geographic: Justice for Rhinos–When Will it Come?

Nothing prepared me for the venom in his eyes. While not directed at me, nobody in the courtroom could escape the anger seeping from his pores. Through a twist of fate, I was in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), a province on the eastern coast of South Africa, on September 19, the day the trial of a suspected…

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National Geographic: Rescued Circus Lions Airlifted to Safety in Africa

First posted on 2016-06-27     Wildlife Watch Rescued Circus Lions Airlifted to Safety in Africa Lions rescued from circuses in Peru and Colombia are set to arrive back home in Africa. By Laurel Neme PUBLISHED April 28, 2016   This lion and 23 others removed from circuses in Peru are being airlifted to South Africa, where a…

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Huffington Post: How Legal Markets Fuel Ivory Smuggling in Hong Kong

Posted: 10/27/2015  Hong Kong’s legal ivory market fuels ivory smuggling and elephant poaching says a new report by WildAid, an international nongovernmental organization that aims to eliminate illegal wildlife trade. Together with undercover video by independent investigators provided to WildAid and WWF-Hong Kong, the report, Illusion of Control, released Oct 23 in Hong Kong, reveals that ivory traders…

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National Geographic: East African Smugglers Push Ivory Out of the Continent

Posted by Laurel Neme in A Voice for Elephants on September 18, 2015   Elephant poaching and ivory trafficking in East Africa is driven not only by foreign consumers but also by African nationals who actively “push” ivory to these markets. A recent report, Pushing Ivory Out of Africa: A Criminal Intelligence of Elephant Poaching and Ivory Trafficking in East Africa,…

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National Geographic: Elephant Killings in Chad’s Signature Park Cause Alarm

    After three years of zero poaching in Zakouma National Park, killing of two female elephants shows no population is safe. By Laurel Neme, for National Geographic PUBLISHED September 01, 2015 A routine aerial surveillance flight over the western part of Chad’s Zakouma National Park has uncovered the deaths of two female elephants and their calves…

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National Geographic: Ethiopia Burns Entire 6.1-Ton Ivory Stockpile

  Posted by Laurel Neme in A Voice for Elephants on March 20, 2015       ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia – At a ceremony today in the capital, Ethiopia burned its entire 6.1-ton ivory stockpile. The event was held at the Gulele Botanical Garden, close to the headquarters of the Ethiopian Wildlife Conservation Authority (EWCA), where the ivory had been stored.…

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National Geographic: Will Mobilization of Military Forces Stop Elephant Poaching in Cameroon

  Posted by Laurel Neme in A Voice for Elephants on February 14, 2015      Ten elephant carcasses discovered in mid-January in and around Cameroon’s Bouba Ndjida National Park are raising fears that poachers may again be targeting the park. But information remains sketchy. According to the Cameroon Tribune, a government newspaper, the military made several patrols following reports of gunfire…

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USA Today Cites Laurel Neme’s Work

The following USA Today article disputes Laurel Neme’s Op-Ed in the Los Angeles Times on Terrorism and the Ivory Trade.   Illegal ivory may not be funding African terror group Tristan McConnell, GlobalPost 10:41 a.m. EST November 14, 2014 (Photo: Jason Straziuso, AP) 41 CONNECT 37 TWEETLINKEDIN 1 COMMENTEMAILMORE NAIROBI, Kenya — Hollywood director Kathryn Bigelow has made a 3-minute animated short…

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