Posts Tagged ‘elephants’
Los Angeles Times: Terrorism and the Ivory Trade (OpEd)
The Shabab, which took responsibility for the deadly Westgate Mall attack in Nairobi, uses proceeds from ivory to fund its terrorist operations. By Laurel Neme, Andrea Crosta and Nir Kalron October 14, 2013 If the world needs another reason to get serious about combating elephant poaching, here’s one: The attack by terrorists on Westgate Mall…
Read MoreNational Geographic: Al Shabaab and the Human Toll of the Illegal Ivory Trade
Posted by Laurel Neme in A Voice for Elephants on October 3, 2013 By Laurel Neme, Andrea Crosta, and Nir Kalron As the bloody stain from Al Shabaab’s attack in Nairobi spreads, we grieve not only for those who died or were injured, and their families and friends, but also for the many innocents…
Read MoreElephant musings and articles
Elephants are getting more and more attention. From Obama’s call for action to Hillary Clinton today announcing her focus on them. The more I learn about these fascinating creatures, the more I want to know. But I admit that the more I know, the more disheartened I am by the poaching crisis currently going on.…
Read MorePoaching incident and rapid response in Botswana
You know it’s bad when….I find it extremely hard to believe that poaching has extended to Botswana, where I spent almost a couple years doing my dissertation research. During the week of May 17th, 5 elephants were found killed with trunks and tusks cut off (likely with a power saw). They were ambushed on a…
Read MoreNational Geographic: A Powerful Weapon Against Ivory Smugglers: DNA Testing
Posted by Laurel Neme in A Voice for Elephants on May 23, 2013 Hong Kong Customs seized 113 ivory tusks in a cargo shipment at Hong Kong International Airport on April 30 this year. Officers detected the ivory when they X-rayed a consignment labeled “spare parts” being shipped from Burundi, Africa to Singapore via Hong Kong. DNA analysis…
Read MoreNational Geographic: Chaos and Confusion Following Elephant Poaching in a Central African World Heritage Site
Posted by Laurel Neme in A Voice for Elephants on May 13, 2013 As poachers fired on forest elephants inside the Dzanga-Ndoki National Park, a World Heritage Site in the Central African Republic (CAR), the impotence of foreign governments and non-governmental organizations in preventing the slaughter of wildlife amid political chaos was, once again, revealed. Earlier this week, the World…
Read MoreIt’s been a busy 2013 for Kenya Wildlife Service
On March 26, a Chinese man (Tian Yi) admitted smuggling 439 pieces of ivory from Democratic Republic of Congo to Hong Kong via Nairobi. He was caught at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport on March 10, 2013 while in transit from DRC to Hong Kong. According to the Kenya Wildlife Service, the contraband…
Read MoreAnother paltry fine for ivory smuggling
On March 26, a Chinese man (Tian Yi) admitted smuggling 439 pieces of ivory from Democratic Republic of Congo to Hong Kong via Nairobi. He was caught at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport on March 10, 2013 while in transit from DRC to Hong Kong. According to the Kenya Wildlife Service, the contraband…
Read MoreNational Geographic: New Promises Follow Elephant Slaughter in Chad and Cameroon
Posted by Laurel Neme in A Voice for Elephants on March 27, 2013 In the aftermath of the largest elephant poaching episode thus far in 2013, Central African governments met to coordinate and adopt an emergency plan to combat the killings. But is it too little, too late? On March 14-15, at…
Read MoreMongabay.com: Elephant and Rhino issues to be debated at CITES 16th Conference of Parties
By Laurel Neme, special to mongabay.comMarch 04, 2013 Part 2 of 3PART 1: Overview | PART 2: Reflections of CITES Secretary-General John Scanlon When the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) meets from March 3-14 in Bangkok for its 16th Conference of Parties (CoP16), elephants and rhinos will be at the…
Read MoreThailand’s Prime Minister Pledges to End Ivory Trade
Great news! Thailand’s Prime Minister pledged to end ivory trade in Thailand. The announcement was made at CITES COP16 which opened today, Sunday. This follows a massive petition drive urging and ivory ban. Thailand is currently the largest illegal ivory market behind China. However, work still needs to be done to monitor the situation. The…
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