Wild elephant filmed wandering the streets of Chinese town

A wild elephant was filmed wandering the streets of a town on the China-Laos border.

The elephant had become separated from its group and crossed over the border to Meng’a in Luang Matha.

It returned back to neighbouring Yunnan Province in China two hours later.

The state broadcaster CCTV showed the massive animal looking somewhat lost as it roamed the streets.

CCTV said the authorities closely observed the Asian elephant’s movements and it was finally led to safety.

The Asian elephant is a protected species in China and Asia’s largest living land animal.

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https://expressmirror.uk/wild-elephant-filmed-wandering-the-streets-of-chinese-town/

Suspected poacher killed by elephant then eaten by lions

A suspected poacher was killed by an elephant at a South African national park, before a pride of lions ate his body.

The man was hunting rhino when the creature struck, South African National Parks said in a statement.

It added that his accomplices contacted the man’s family, who in turn asked rangers at the Kruger National Park to recover his remains.

Don English, the park’s regional ranger, led a search party for the body, assisted by field rangers and members of the park’s air wing, who flew above the area.

They later discovered the man’s remains.

“Indications found at the scene suggested that a pride of lions had devoured the remains, leaving only a human skull and a pair of pants,” a spokesperson for the national park said.

Glenn Phillips, the park’s managing director said: “Entering Kruger National Park illegally and on foot is not wise. It holds many dangers and this incident is evidence of that. It is very sad to see the daughters of the deceased mourning the loss of their father and, worse still, only being able to recover very little of his remains.”

Four of the man’s alleged fellow poachers were arrested by South African Police Service officers.

“The four arrested individuals are in custody and will appear in court in due course,” the park spokesperson said.

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https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/poacher-killed-elephant-eaten-lions-kruger-national-park-south-africa-a8858501.html

Elephant runs amok, kills two mahouts in Kottayam | Manorama News

Two mahouts were killed by captive elephant which ran amok at Karukachal near kottayam on Thursday. The deceased have been identified as Gopinathan Nair and Kannan. The elephant was brought to load wooden logs from a residential compund at Champakkara.

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Newborn Asian elephant in Hebei safari waiting for names from public

Shotlist

Hengshui City, Hebei Province, north China - April 1, 2019 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)

1. Mother elephant walking, elephant cub lying on ground

Hengshui City, Hebei Province, north China - April 5, 2019 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)

2. Various of mother elephant, cub

Xi'an City, Shaanxi Province, northwest China - April 6, 2019 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)

3. Various of entrance to Xi'an Qinling Wildlife Park, visitors

4. Various of alpacas, visitors

5. Baby leopard, visitors

6. Various of alpacas, visitors

7. Various of animals

8. Various of giraffe

9. Tiger

10. Visitors

Storyline

An Asian elephant delivered a cub in Hengshui Wildlife Park in north China's Hebei Province last Monday.

The five-day-old baby elephant began to meet the public on Friday, who was seen walking closely to her mother and appeared to be shy.

The 150-kilogram baby is the third child of her mother named Pengpeng, who is 35 years old.

The baby elephant is not yet named, as the park is to solicit proposals from the public before determining her name, according to the director of the park.

In northwest China's Shaanxi Province, a variety of adorable baby animals are also attracting visitors to Xi'an Qinling Wildlife Park.

Pudgy baby hippos, baby takins still unsteady on their feet, and a host of other newborn animals also make their debut at the park.

The park has started a similar activity to solicit public proposals for the newborns' names.

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Trouble-making elephant to be freed after "emotional evaluation"

Wildlife authorities in southwest China's Yunnan Province said they will release the Asian elephant they captured Friday back into the wild in an appropriate time.

The Asian elephants breeding and rescue center of Yunnan said Saturday the elephant, which ran amok in a town before it was captured Friday, would be released but needs to pass a comprehensive emotional and physical assessment first.

The 20-year-old elephant Weizhayo, meaning victor in the Dai language, was an underdog in a fight for mate and turned fractious after being expelled from the pack by the winning alpha, according to the forestry and grassland administration of Dai Autonomous Prefecture of Xishuangbanna.

The 4-tonne animal intruded into Meng'a Town, Menghai County, six times between March 17 and April 4, tramping crowded roads and damaging 16 motor vehicles and five buildings.

After meeting with experts, the provincial forestry authority approved the request for an "arrest." The prefecture government then formulated a hunting plan and an emergency pre-plan, and set up an operation command.

On Thursday, the elephant invaded Meng'a again and walked around a school and a sugarhouse. The hunt was on.

On Friday morning, an anesthetist stalked on the target near the town government building and shot a 1.2-ml narcotic needle in its rear using a blow pipe.

After 12 minutes, Weizhayo fell heavily to the ground and was caged. He woke up 35 minutes later showing normal vital signs and was sent to the center, "safe and sound."

During mating season, competition between male elephants can be intense and lead to frequent fights, imperiling residents in the area.

A wild Asian elephant came into the city of Pu'er last April and took a stroll for six hours before it was brought under control and kept in the elephant breeding and rescue center in Xishuangbanna.

Thanks to improving environment, the number of wild Asian elephants, which are under A-level state protection, has grown from 170 in the 1990s to about 300 in China, leading to more human-elephant conflict.

Last month, an elephant habitat reconstruction project was launched in Yunnan to build a 51-hectare "dining area" for wild elephants to solve conflicts between the endangered animal and local residents.

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Trouble-making wild elephant tamed by blowpipe in southwest China

Wildlife authorities Friday used a blowpipe to sedate and capture a wild Asian elephant after it ran amok in a town in southwest China's Yunnan Province. The elephant was an underdog in a mating fight and turned fractious after being expelled from the pack by the winning alpha, said the forestry and grassland administration of Dai Autonomous Prefecture of Xishuangbanna.

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An elephant in a ‘bad mood’ because it couldn’t find a mate went on a rampage through a Chinese town, damaging 9 cars

A male elephant has damaged nine cars in a Chinese town, all because he was upset he couldn’t find a mate.

Videos posted to Chinese social media site Weibo documented the adult elephant while it spent 30 minutes damaging cars.

The Asian elephant came into the town of Meng’a on March 24 and began venting its frustrations, before forestry officials and market stall owners were able to usher it away.

Experts said the male elephant — called “Xiang San” — was cut off by its herd after it couldn’t find a mate, leaving it in “a bad mood.”

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An elephant went on a ramage through a small Chinese town, stomping on and damaging nine cars during a mood-swing caused by its failure to secure a mate.

The adult male Asian elephant was filmed by residents of Meng’a, Yunnan province, on March 24 careering around the town and causing damage, footage posted on social media site Weibo by the region’s Political and Legal Committee shows.

Experts said the elephant — called “Xiang San” — got cut off by the rest of its herd when he couldn’t find a mate during the mating window of “estrus,” which left it in “a bad mood.”

No one was hurt during the 30-minute rampage, and a team of local forestry officials, market stall owners, and firefighters eventually managed to shoo the elephant out of town, the report said.

Read more: A photographer captured the last images of Kenya’s ‘elephant queen’ just before her death

Meanwhile, amused pedestrians watched the carnage from the sidewalk.

Three days after the elephant made its first appearance, it returned in a slightly more peaceful manner, walking around the streets.

Read more: Flavia, the ‘world’s saddest elephant,’ has died after living alone in a zoo for 43 years

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Mountain Rise couple arrested over elephant tusk

Altaaf Dawood (28) and his wife Alia (27) of Sterculia Drive, Mountain Rise, were arrested after being found in possession of the tusk on Sunday in Old Greytown Road by members of the Pietermaritzburg’s K9 unit.

While Alia has been released on R1000 bail, Altaaf, is still in custody as he has a pending murder case against him. In that case, he is alleged to have killed Cebolethu Ngcobo (17) on May 21, 2017 near the mosque in Church Street, for which he is out on R10 000 bail.

They have both been charged under the National Environmental Management Biodiversity Act for being involved in “restricted activity involving threatened or protected species without a permit”.

The couple was arrested after patrolling members of the K9 unit intercepted them driving a green VW Golf on Old Greytown road erratically.

The vehicle was searched and the elephant tusk was found wrapped in a black plastic bag in the back. The tusk is currently with the Pietermaritzburg Stock Theft Unit.

According to the conservation organisation WWF, the country is still wrestling with the scourge of elephant poaching.

This is despite the ban on international trade. The organisation adds that thousands of elephants are being killed for their ivory tusks. The ivory is usually carved into ornaments. China is the biggest consumer market for such trade. In most countries, the ban was introduced as far back as 1989, a move which yielded positive results.

Ivory is sold to the Chinese market – the biggest consumers for such products.

SANParks spokesman Ike Phaahla said 184 poaching suspects were arrested in 2018.

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Fire department helps an elephant get to her feet

WASHINGTON (SBG) — Firefighters stepped in Monday to save the life of an elephant at a zoo in Colorado.

Malaika, a 33-year-old African elephant at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, has a history of not being able to get up on her own and was found laying on her side during an overnight check.

"If an elephant can’t get up on its own and is down for too long, it can cause stress to its internal organs and can be fatal," the zoo posted on Facebook. More than 20 people were enlisted to help her to her feet, including her keepers, veterinary staff, grounds personnel, The Colorado Springs Fire Department Heavy Rescue team, and the Broadmoor Fire Department.

While some elephants have no issues standing up, the zoo said Malaika has a history of a weak back leg and often rests leaning on something for support. The zoo said her leg appeared to give out during her sleep, resulting in her having to lay on her side.

The team used a special crane-and-hoist system to help Malaika into a position where she could stand on her own. The staff performs "down elephant" drills to prepare for situations like this one so that they can step in to successfully save their animals' lives.

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Wild elephant chases tourist car along rural road in south India

Description

A wild elephant emerged from the bushes to chase a tourist vehicle on a rural road in south India yesterday (April 1).

The incident took place while the vehicle was travelling fm Udagamandalam to Adhivasi village in Tamil Nadu state, when the group was chased by a wild elephant for some distance. 

There is currently a drought in the Masinakudi forest area near Udagamandalam, causing many wild animals to travel searching for water and greenery.

Reportedly a group of wild elephants crossed the road in Masinapalli near to Adhivasi village and entered the Mudumalai Forest Tiger sanctuary, when they were interrupted by the passing tourist vehicle.

After the rest of the herd crossed, one female elephant broke off to suddenly chase the tourists, terrifying the whole group.

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https://www.newsflare.com/video/285757/animals/wild-elephant-chases-tourist-car-along-rural-road-in-south-india

Lonely Elephant Roams the Streets in Western China After Being Separated From His Herd

This elephant was forced out of his herd and ended up roaming the streets of a Chinese city. This video, "Lonely Elephant Roams the Streets in Western China After Being Separated From His Herd", first appeared on nowthisnews.com.

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https://portal.tds.net/player/category/news/article/nowthis_news-lonely_elephant_roams_the_streets_in_western_china-5min

Chinese ivory ban stokes woolly mammoth tusk 'gold rush' in Siberia

Valery Krivoshapkin was counting time in a motorboat on a river in the Russian Arctic when another scuba diver tossed in the tusk of a woolly mammoth that lived at least 10,000 years ago.

After a month of searching in a remote corner of the vast northern republic of Yakutia, Mr Krivoshapkin's six-man “brigade” had retrieved only mammoth teeth, a rib and part of a jaw, just enough to put them on the scent of a bigger find.

The diving was dangerous, with headlamp visibility less than two feet and the frigid black bottom cluttered by sunken trees. But on this August afternoon, the agonising search had been rewarded with a mammoth tusk that they would go on to sell to Chinese ivory carvers for £8,000....

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UN tackles wildlife trafficking as illegal trade hits $150billion

The United Nations said it is beaming searchight on wildlife trafficking in Nigeria, following recent seizure of more than $8 million worth of elephant tusks and pangolin scales by Hong Kong customs from a shipping container coming from Nigeria, making it the biggest catch of its kind, by value and weight and ever in the city.

Over the past twelve months, a total of 25 tons of ivory and pangolin scales were seized in Asia, which allegedly originated from Nigeria, while 13 tons of its kinds were seized in Nigeria.

United Nations Office on Drugs and Crimes (UNODC), which revealed this during activities to mark the 2019 World Wildlife Day in Abuja, noted that similar incident in October 2018 led Vietnamese authorities to intercept more than eight metric tons of pangolin scales and ivory arriving from Nigeria.

According to a statement by Mr. Sylvester Atere, Outreach and Communications Officer, UNODC, pangolins smuggled to Asia are unlikely to originate from Nigeria as the species is near extinction in the country.

“ It appears that Nigeria might risk to evolve rapidly into a transit hub for illicit wildlife products, including pangolins, elephant tusks and other protected species, destined for countries in Asia as well as Europe, the Middle East and North and South America.

“This marks a sharp increase from the almost eight tons of pangolin scales seized by States parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) in 2016 and 2017”, it added.

Over the past twelve months, a total of 25 tons of ivory and pangolin scales were seized in Asia which allegedly originated from Nigeria, while 13 tons of pangolin scales were seized in Nigeria.

Meanwhile, the Nigeria Customs Service has renewed commitment towards tackling illegal wildlife trade estimated to worth over $150 billion per year.

The illegal wildlife trade which is largely driven by high demand from Asia and elsewhere is the 4th largest illegal trade in the world (after drugs, weapons & human trafficking resulting in catastrophic declines of various wildlife species across Africa such as elephants and pangolins scales.

At a workshop organized for the Nigeria Customs Service, the National Contact Point for the World Customs Organization, Regional Intelligence Liaison Office for West Africa, Abimbola Animashawun said that Nigeria has attracted international criticism and sanctions as an important transit country for the illegal wildlife trade from Central Africa to China and Vietnam.

Animashawun stressed that despite the number of arrests and seizures made by Customs, prosecution has been weak.

Also the Country Director, Nigeria Programme of Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), Mr. Andrew Dunn said, “the elephant population across Nigeria and the rest of Africa has declined by 90 per cent in the last century due to hunting for ivory.

“Due to its porous borders, Nigeria has become an important transit country for the ivory trade from central Africa to China and Vietnam. There has been some huge seizures of ivory recently, illegally shipped from Nigeria. This includes 3.5 tons of ivory from Nigeria seized in Singapore in March 2018, with a value of N900 million”, he noted.

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https://guardian.ng/property/un-tackles-wildlife-trafficking-as-illegal-trade-hits-150billion/

Wild elephant breaks tusk from horseplay

Yang Zhongping, a local Asian elephant inspector in Nanbanghe Village, Liushun Township, in the Simao District of the city, spotted bloodstains in a cornfield, on the road and in the grass on Tuesday.

"The elephant comes to eat corn almost every evening. When I patrolled the cornfield around 7 a.m., I smelled blood and found a pond contaminated by blood."

Yang then reported the situation to the local government. After 10 hours of searching, elephant inspectors found a piece of tusk in the grass and sent it to the natural resources public security bureau in the district.

The tusk measures 70 cm-long and weighs 2.9 kg. Initial investigation shows that it broke off as a result of two Asian elephants playing fighting, said Li Li, an official with the bureau.

The elephant that lost the piece of tusk was identified as an adult Asian elephant that has lived in the township for years.

The elephant is known to play with another wild elephant that also lives in the area. The night before the tusk was found, villagers heard the elephants making strange noises.

"The physical condition of the two elephants is stable so far," Li said.

The local government has strengthened supervision over the elephant to learn what may have caused the tusk to break.

In China, wild Asian elephants mainly live in three prefectures and cities in Yunnan, with Xishuangbanna being home to the biggest population.

The species is under Class A protection in China and is listed as endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species.

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Nine Tonnes of Ivory Seized in Vietnam, World’s Largest Haul

Vietnamese customs has seized over nine tonnes of ivory found in a container shipment from the Republic of Congo, thought to be the largest ivory seizure in recorded history.

Officials in the coastal city of Da Nang discovered the illicit goods during an inspection of a container of timber originating in the Congo, the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA), a UK-based NGO, said Thursday in a press release.

Nine tonnes of ivory tusks is equivalent to over 1,000 slaughtered elephants.

All African elephants with the exception of a few populations are included in Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), a multilateral treaty in effect since 1975. Commercial international trade in Appendix I species taken from the wild is prohibited.

“While we welcome today’s ivory seizure in Vietnam, we would emphasise that without follow-up efforts resulting in prosecutions and appropriate penalties, seizures alone are no deterrent to the criminals involved in wildlife trafficking,” Mary Rice, EIA’s Executive Director, said.

EIA has been investigating the illegal wildlife trade in Vietnam for some time now, documenting how the country has fast become a transit hub for ivory and other goods travelling from the continent of Africa to elsewhere in Asia, especially China, where it is used in ornaments, jewelry and traditional medicine.

China announced a ban on all trade in ivory that went into effect at the end of 2017. But while a fall 2018 survey seemed to suggest that demand for ivory was easing up, more recent research suggests that the illegal ivory trade is still going strong in trafficking hotspots, like at the China-Vietnam border.

EIA authored a report last year on the Vietnamese ivory trade, “Exposing the Hydra,” the product of a two-year investigation in which researchers posed as wildlife traders in order to infiltrate the various levels of ivory trafficking syndicates.

The report found that Vietnam has grown to be a powerful figure in the global illegal ivory trade in the past decade, partnering with major organized crime groups operating in Mozambique, South Africa and elsewhere on the continent to traffic goods into and through Vietnam.

The country also has a growing carving industry, and the number of ivory goods for sale has grown sixfold and the number of carvers tenfold between 2008 and 2015.

Between 2009 and 2018, when the report was published, 56 tonnes of ivory were seized in Vietnam and an additional 20 tonnes with links to Vietnam were confiscated in other countries, the equivalent of ivory from some 11,414 elephants. The traffickers EIA followed sold ivory for between US$150 and $400 per kilogram. At those prices, the nine tonnes seized this week would fetch between $1.35 and $4.05 million.

Vietnam may have made some large seizures in the past few years, but enforcement and prosecution remain weak, according to EIA.

This does not bode well for the African elephant.

In the early 20th century there may have been as many as 3 to 5 million African elephants roaming the continent, but conservationists estimate there are now only around 415,000 left.

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Yunnan Stewer wild elephants play and fight, and many departments are looking for their teeth

Yunnan Stewer wild elephants play and play, broke broken teeth and multi-sectors for their "fingers teeth" Beijing News

According to CCTV news, a journalist learned from the Public Security Bureau for Natural Resources of Super City, Yunnan Province: local Asian elephants, recently discovered in the village of Nanbang, Simao County, Stuir City. The only Asian elephant that has long been active near the village …

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Rangers free 6 trapped baby elephants in Thailand

BANGKOK (AP) — Rangers at a national park in northeastern Thailand have rescued six baby elephants that were trapped in a mud pit.

Park officials say the elephants were unable to climb up the pit’s slippery banks. Rescuers took five hours on Thursday to dig a path for them to clamber out.

A video taken by rangers at Thap Lan National Park in Nakhon Ratchasima province shows the baby elephants climbing one by one from the muddy ditch.

The head of the park, Prawatsart Chantep, says rangers found the animals stuck in the pit on Wednesday afternoon. He said there were signs that a herd of elephants believed to be related to the trapped infants was circling the area.

It was unclear how the elephants became trapped.

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https://chinapost.nownews.com/20190329-538415

Frustrated elephant 'that failed to find a girlfriend to mate' returns to Chinese town for a second rampage in five days

A large wild elephant has returned to a Chinese town for a second visit in five days, causing chaos once more.

The Asian elephant wandered into Meng'a Town in south-west China's Yunnan province on Sunday morning after it failed to find a female to mate and was driven out of its herd.

After local forestry police carefully herded it out of the town, the elephant was sighted trudging along the busy streets again on Thursday.

The large mammal destroyed nine vehicles and damaged houses during its first rampage, causing quite a commotion, according to Chinese media.

Forestry officials previously told reporters that the male elephant was driven out of its herd after it couldn't seek out a female in oestrus, resulting in the temper tantrum. Luckily, no one was injured.

In the new footage released by video news site Pear, the elephant is seen swinging its trunk while walking slowly along the busy street in the town in Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture.

Curious locals were seen running away as the large animal approached them calmly.

A wild elephant observer confirmed to Pear that the animal still couldn't find a female to mate, which left it 'broken-hearted'.

The observer added that the elephant did not show any sign of aggression and hurt anyone.

The endangered Asian elephant is listed as a first-class protected species in China. About 300 of them live in Xishuangbanna, Pu'er and Lincang in Yunnan province.

Officials have warned members of the public to keep a safe distance and evacuate the area if they encounter similar circumstances.

According to the provincial forestry bureau cited by Xinhua, wild elephants have caused 32 deaths and 159 injuries from 2011 to 2017.

Population growth, reclamation expansion and a decrease of habitats for wild elephants are the primary causes of the conflicts, causing elephants to stray into farmlands and human habitats for food.

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Wild elephants having fun in mud bath

Let's get mucky! Footage shows two adorable wild elephants rolling around in mud bath in Yunnan, SW China

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‘China committed to supporting conservation of African wildlife’

A senior Chinese official has stated that the government of China is committed to conserving African wildlife that faces serious threats due to poachers hunting for animals parts to be used eventually in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) by cooperating with the continent’s governments and people.

"In recent years, China-Africa cooperation in wildlife conservation has been well developed. The Chinese government and private sector have provided funds, equipment, manpower and technology to support African countries in the conservation of endangered species and habitats, and conducting capacity building trainings,” said Peng Youdong, deputy administrator of the National Forestry and Grassland Administration (NGFA) of China.

He was speaking in Nairobi during a workshop on addressing wildlife trafficking that was attended by Chinese officials and business executives, Kenyan policymakers and international conservation non-profit representatives.

"The Chinese government has successfully raised the awareness among citizens and enterprises (based in Africa), and also asked them to engage in local wildlife conservation and fundamentally eradicate illegal wildlife trade," said Peng.

A burgeoning Chinese nouveau riche population that also happens to be fixated with the country’s ancient system of medicine, TCM, has meant death for millions of animals across Africa.

Rhinos, elephants, lions and leopards face the greatest threats from Chinese aspirations. Rhino horns, made of keratin (from which human nails and hair are also made) are prized in TCM and demand in China has meant that rhino populations have been diminished in both Africa and Asia.

Tiger bones are also prized in TCM. Since tigers are already very few, TCM manufacturers have looked for and found alternatives in Africa’s lions and leopards. In recent years, there have been increasing reports about African lions and leopards being hunted for their bones.

But the most dangerous result of Chinese aspiration is the fate of African Elephants. Ivory has long been prized in China, throughout its long history. Since Asian elephants with tusks have already been hunted down and newer generations have evolved to bear no tusks at all, Chinese ivory makers have turned to Africa, where the Continent’s Bush or Savannah Elephant has been decimated in the last 20 years to satisfy Chinese demand.

Another animal being hunted is the pangolin, now the 'most trafficked animal in the world'

Speaking to Down To Earth, Kenya-based conservationist and author, Mordecai Ogada said, "This is just Kenyan non-profits trying to make money from the Chinese government, which, on the other hand, is trying to look good at conservation. I would not take it seriousely."

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Watch: Elephant destroys nine cars during downtown stroll

A wild elephant headed for the bright lights of downtown after being forced to leave his herd by another male on Sunday.

He cut a lonely figure as he wandered the streets of Meng'a in southwest China's Yunnan Province, destroying nine cars as he went.

The elephant was led back to the safety of the forest after 30 minutes.

Local forestry station staff used a drone to record the Asian elephant's visit to the nearby community. The footage shows the massive animal looking somewhat lost as he explores the downtown streets.

Public workers evacuated pedestrians and cars along his path and tried to guide the elephant towards the forest, but failed. Eventually, they contacted local police and firefighters, who managed to lead the animal away to safety. He was feeling down because another male elephant in his herd kept forcing him away.

The Asian elephant, a first-class protected wild animal in China, is the largest-living land animal in Asia and is found only in Yunnan Province.

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In China, a wild elephant came to the people after the expulsion from the forest by another male

In the province of Yunnan in southeastern China, a wild elephant went into the city after another male drove it out of the forest. On the record with the drone can be seen that the animal behaves calmly. Nevertheless, as a result of the “walk”, nine cars were damaged. According to eyewitnesses, the elephant seemed confused. Police and firefighters were able to quickly take the animal back to the forest.

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Japan rolls out tough measures to curb illegal ivory trade

Under intense pressure to shut down its domestic ivory market, Japan has announced strict measures to control the illicit trade.

The country's Environment Ministry has made it mandatory for traders to prove the legal status of ivory pieces through carbon dating. The new law would be enforced starting July.

The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), a global wildlife trade regulator, bans international trade of ivory obtained from African elephants after 1990.

But a large number of countries, including Japan, allow domestic trade of ivory procured before 1990.

For law enforcement agencies, it's a major challenge to ascertain the age of carved and raw ivory pieces. To make things worse, ivory traders often forge certificates to sell illegal ivory pieces procured from recently poached elephants.

The carbon dating method would make it difficult for traders to falsify the origin of ivory and its age, reducing the influx of illegal tusk.

"By shutting down the movement of ivory of unknown origin, the domestic market is moving closer to an effective closure," Japanese Minister of Environment Yoshiaki Harada said at a news conference, according to Japan Times.

In 2016, nearly 90 percent of large seizures of ivory shipments were from tuskers of elephants that died less than three years back, a radiocarbon dating and genetic analysis of 231 samples conducted by the University of Utah and the University of Oxford revealed.

Such loopholes have boosted the smuggling of ivory leading to large-scale poaching of African elephants. Every year more than 20,000 elephants are brutally killed in African countries for ivory.

Carbon dating is a positive step in the right direction to control illegal ivory trade, Peter Knights, CEO of WildAid, an environmental organization told CGTN.

"But now Japan needs to announce a phase-out of all ivory sales to join China, the U.S. and the rest of the world in protecting elephants," he added.

Japan and the European Union (EU) are facing sharp criticism from wildlife protection organizations for failing to take stringent action against illegal wildlife trade.

Last month, CITES termed Japan as one of the largest ivory markets in the world, reportedly creating demand in countries that have already closed domestic ivory markets.

The U.S., the UK, and China, including Taiwan and Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, have all closed domestic ivory trade. Despite a ban in place, customs officials in these countries and regions regularly intercept large consignments of illegal ivory pieces.

Last year, Japan in a bid to tighten the noose around illegal ivory trade enforced regulations like registration of whole ivory tusks, traceability information for every cut piece and every worked product of ivory, and increased the penalty and prison term in case of violation.

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Jumbo-sized attraction in Xishuangbanna Wild Elephant Valley, SW China

The bridge between human and Asian elephant

Hidden in a tropical rain forest of Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture in southwest China's Yunnan Province is an elephant paradise.

With the species under first-class state protection in China, wild Asian elephants mainly live in Xishuangbanna, as well as in Pu'er and Lincang, two cities also in Yunnan.

The Xishuangbanna Wild Elephant Valley is China's first national theme park for the animal and it claims to be the only place in the world that offers visitors the chance to safely observe wild Asian elephants at close quarters.

More than 300 such elephants are in the park, and visitors can also watch the elephants dance, walk on a single-plank bridge or play with balls using their trunks, besides intimate interactions with the giant animals.

A pedestrian lane runs more than 4,000 meters through the tropical forest, ensuring close contact with the nature.

An elephant museum there could help people who want to know more about the animal.

Meanwhile, the park received more than 100,000 visits during the recent Spring Festival holiday.

"elephant papas"

At the park, its employees in gray suits also attract attention as they feed and play with the elephants and offer guidance to visitors while keeping visitors from leaving the sight-seeing lanes to see the elephants.

Major holidays like Spring Festival mean more work park's employees. Most of them have spent more time with the elephants than with their own children. So, some refer to them as "elephant papas."

At the moment, around 10 elephants receive professional medical care and rehabilitation training at the park.

A three-year-old elephant, Yangniu is getting back on its feet at the rescue center. The cub which suffered an umbilical cord infection and arrhythmia was abandoned by its mother, but was rescued by the park's staff. Now, Yangniu is alive bursting with energy and is not timid in human presence.

Yangniu is just one of some elephants rescued out of a miserable life due to injuries and abandonment, among others.

All elephants are taken out everyday to adapt themselves to the wild, to develop their survival skills and maintain their wild nature.

Travel tips

Wild Elephant Valley is arranged in a circular shape. Visitors can enter the scenic area from either the south gate or the north gate. The whole valley is connected through sky plank trestle, pedestrian walkway and tropical rain forest sightseeing rope-way. Thus tourists can take a 3-hour loop in the valley, and no need of backtrack.

Wild Elephant Valley opens from 8:00 to 18:00, and the ticket price is 84 yuan (12.5 U.S. dollars).

There are couples of must-see events await. One of them is the Elephant School. Visitors will have the chance to see how elephants learn to survive in the wild, as well as elephants taking physical classes and music classes. The other one is the Rain forest Theater, where many traditional folk dances from Xishuangbanna are performed every day here.

Lizards Garden is not only the wildlife exhibition area which favorites by tourists but also the shelter for lots of injured wildlife. Most of the animals that live here are rescued from the wild, including national protected animals such as pythons, king cobras, lizards, wild boars, etc.

The best season for encountering a wild elephant is from November to next year's February. If you are lucky enough, you may even encounter the whole wild elephant's family by accident. But it's rarely seen.

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http://www.ecns.cn/travel/news/2019-03-24/detail-ifzfsfwt8638600.shtml

Jumbo-sized attraction in Xishuangbanna Wild Elephant Valley, SW China

The bridge between human and Asian elephant

Hidden in a tropical rain forest of Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture in southwest China's Yunnan Province is an elephant paradise.

With the species under first-class state protection in China, wild Asian elephants mainly live in Xishuangbanna, as well as in Pu'er and Lincang, two cities also in Yunnan.

The Xishuangbanna Wild Elephant Valley is China's first national theme park for the animal and it claims to be the only place in the world that offers visitors the chance to safely observe wild Asian elephants at close quarters.

More than 300 such elephants are in the park, and visitors can also watch the elephants dance, walk on a single-plank bridge or play with balls using their trunks, besides intimate interactions with the giant animals.

A pedestrian lane runs more than 4,000 meters through the tropical forest, ensuring close contact with the nature.

An elephant museum there could help people who want to know more about the animal.

Meanwhile, the park received more than 100,000 visits during the recent Spring Festival holiday.

"elephant papas"
At the park, its employees in gray suits also attract attention as they feed and play with the elephants and offer guidance to visitors while keeping visitors from leaving the sight-seeing lanes to see the elephants.

Major holidays like Spring Festival mean more work park's employees. Most of them have spent more time with the elephants than with their own children. So, some refer to them as "elephant papas."

At the moment, around 10 elephants receive professional medical care and rehabilitation training at the park.

A three-year-old elephant, Yangniu is getting back on its feet at the rescue center. The cub which suffered an umbilical cord infection and arrhythmia was abandoned by its mother, but was rescued by the park's staff. Now, Yangniu is alive bursting with energy and is not timid in human presence.

Yangniu is just one of some elephants rescued out of a miserable life due to injuries and abandonment, among others.

All elephants are taken out everyday to adapt themselves to the wild, to develop their survival skills and maintain their wild nature.

Travel tips

Wild Elephant Valley is arranged in a circular shape. Visitors can enter the scenic area from either the south gate or the north gate. The whole valley is connected through sky plank trestle, pedestrian walkway and tropical rain forest sightseeing rope-way. Thus tourists can take a 3-hour loop in the valley, and no need of backtrack.

Wild Elephant Valley opens from 8:00 to 18:00, and the ticket price is 84 yuan (12.5 U.S. dollars).

There are couples of must-see events await. One of them is the Elephant School. Visitors will have the chance to see how elephants learn to survive in the wild, as well as elephants taking physical classes and music classes. The other one is the Rain forest Theater, where many traditional folk dances from Xishuangbanna are performed every day here.

Lizards Garden is not only the wildlife exhibition area which favorites by tourists but also the shelter for lots of injured wildlife. Most of the animals that live here are rescued from the wild, including national protected animals such as pythons, king cobras, lizards, wild boars, etc.

The best season for encountering a wild elephant is from November to next year's February. If you are lucky enough, you may even encounter the whole wild elephant's family by accident. But it's rarely seen.

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https://news.cgtn.com/news/3d3d514e7a55544e33457a6333566d54/index.html

Chiang Rai to House Saved Elephants in Newly Built Sanctuary

CHIANG RAI – The state-run Myanmar Timber Enterprise employed 3,000 captive elephants to move natural resources out of the rain forest. This makes it the largest population of captive Asian elephants in the world.

However, since 2014, a ban on exporting raw materials left these elephants without a purpose and, crucially, without proper care. They became vulnerable to unethical tourism companies and poachers.

Fortunately, help has finally come, with elephants being relocated to sanctuaries around Southeast Asia. One of the biggest is located in Chiang Rai. This is good news not just for the elephants, but for Chiang Rai’s tourism industry. The region can hope to become world leaders in ethical elephant tourism.

The Importance of Responsible Sanctuaries

Elephants put to work by the government are fully domesticated, which puts them at risk when released back into the wild. They are unaccustomed to threats and can be easily targeted by poachers. Exact poaching numbers are hard to acquire, but when 19 were fitted with GPS trackers, seven of these had been poached within a year.

Myanmar has the largest population of elephants other than India. A border with China more than 2,000 km long means there are many remote areas that are difficult for the government to control. Chinese ivory hunters have it too easy.

A sanctuary in Chiang Rai would remove elephants from dangerous areas and provide them with both freedom and security.

Tourism Opportunities

Elephant tourism has a bad reputation, with many being kept in cruel conditions and forced to dance for food. However, ethical tourism allows for the funding which keeps these incredible animals safe. Travelers fly many miles to get a glimpse at one of nature’s most beautiful and endearing creations.

By allowing visitors to spend time with the elephants, Chiang Rai’s economy could boom. While an elephant tusk sells for $21,000, a single elephant brings in $1.6 million revenue from ecotourism. This makes a live elephant worth 76 times more than a dead one.

The new sanctuary in Chiang Rai is a win for everyone. The local community will benefit from increased tourism to the area, without any of the guilt that elephants are being exploited. It is essential to get domesticated elephants out of the uncontrolled wild of Myanmar and into sanctuaries where they will be cared for and kept safe.

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https://www.chiangraitimes.com/chiang-rai-to-house-saved-elephants-in-newly-built-sanctuary.html

Myanmar And The Elephant Project Made History By Signing Agreement For Elephant's Care

The Myanmar government and The Elephant Project signed a new historical agreement that aimed to relocate elephants into a safer place, avoiding human conflicts. It was the first time the country made a settlement for the care of this animal after the government-owned elephants were turned into an attraction and forced to perform in parks, following the ban of raw timber export in 2014.

"We have to take action now," Dane Waters, The Elephant Project founder, and president, said, per the South China Morning Post. The worsening case of deforestation in Myanmar destroys Elephants' habitat, so they are left wandering in villages in search of food. However, their search often leads to human-elephant conflicts that put both parties in danger.

Under the new agreement, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation and The Elephant Project's forest department will look for elephants that need to be moved. They also have to find a place where they can be safely relocated.

The Elephant Project will begin relocating 10 to 15 elephants to designated safe zones. However, the organization has bigger plans to build a sanctuary that will be home to Myanmar's many captive elephants. About 5,520 gentle giants live in captivity, which are almost two folds of the 3,000 estimated elephants that live in the wild.

"Our sanctuary plan is different to any that has ever been built before," Waters said. If it happens, it will be the biggest sanctuary ever constructed and may hold up to 3,000 elephants.

There will be different investment opportunities to fund the sanctuary project. It includes ethical elephant experiences and eco-friendly stays near the shelter. Waters assured that these things would be built with the elephants' welfare in mind. "Investment is going into protecting elephants," he said.

Freelance documentary photographer Ko Myo revealed elephants' story in Myanmar is a sad one. According to The Irrawaddy, he saw how people treated these animals when wild elephants passed by a town in Kyaukpadaung, Mandalay Region.

About six elephants from the Bago mountain range wandered into Kyaukpadaung Township. When villagers saw them, they came together and used tame elephants to force them to change their director. They went back to their habitat in the mountains, where elephant poaching usually happened.

If wild elephants continuously lost their habitat, there will be more conflict with humans and illegal trading. Hence, their species may disappear in Myanmar.

Ko Ye Min Thwin, Senior Communications Officer at WWF Myanmar, said Ko Myo's photos could help people to know more about elephants. "They are lovely and worth protecting; that we should value them and they don't deserve to be killed," he added. The photographer, on the other hand, disclosed that the only solution to solve this problem is to raise awareness and urge people to stop using products made of animals' part.

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China plans to grow crops specifically for wild elephants to spare livelihood of farmers

China said it plans to grow crops specifically for wild elephants to graze on in an effort to spare the livelihoods of local farmers. The southwestern province of Yunnan will set up the special farm in a habitat protection area in Menghai county where 18 of the animals frequently raid the crops of farmers from villages in the area. The 51-hectare (126-acre) farm will grow corn, sugarcane, bamboo and bananas.

The official Xinhua News Agency quoted an unidentified official with the local forestry bureau as saying protecting local residents was key to Asian elephant conservation Wild Asian elephants are a protected species in China, and conservation efforts have allowed their numbers in the country to rise to about 300. As is the case with their African cousins, Asian elephants are critically endangered due to habitat destruction and poaching. An estimated 30,000 are left in the wild.

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Close ivory markets to end poaching, CS Balala urges the EU

Kenya has asked the European Union to stop all trade in ivory, often falsely labelled as antique and hence legal.

“All legal ivory markets — whether in Asia or Europe — fuel illegal trade, poaching and killing of elephants,” Tourism CS Najib Balala said.

Balala, urged the EU — one of the world’s largest ivory traders — to close its domestic markets. He is in Brussels, Belgium. The CS met senior EU Commission and member state officials on Monday.

Yesterday, Balala met Jyrki Katainen, vice president of the European Commission, to present the case on ivory trade.

Balala also met the Japanese Ambassador to the EU.

“Most countries with significant legal markets have realised there is a clear link between their domestic ivory markets, illegal trade and poaching. We call on the EU and Japan to follow suit,” he said.

Balala said the EU is always seen as the global standard-bearer for promoting and protecting international biodiversity. “We need Europe to join us and become a leader with those countries that are taking action to close domestic ivory markets.”

Balala also communicated the concerns of the Africa Elephant Coalition. Elephant numbers are declining significantly in Africa and Asia.

Every year, at least 20,000 African elephants are killed for their ivory. Kenya’s elephants population is estimated at 35,000. Conservationists says only bold action can save jumbos from extinction.

China, US, Taiwan, Singapore and Hong Kong are taking steps to close their domestic ivory markets.

Other countries have, however, allowed the trade to flourish.

In the streets of European capitals, ivory trade is flourishing as long as it is sold as ‘antique’. This makes it difficult for the law enforcement to easily determine the age of ivory, treated to look ‘antique’.

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Wild elephant's "hit and run" in Yunnan

(Xinhua) -- When a panicking Wang tried to run away from a wild Asian elephant, she was rolled up by the mammal's trunk and lifted off the ground. She grabbed a tusk and screamed, scaring the elephant away.

Wang, a resident of Jinghong City in southwest China's Yunnan Province, was attacked by the male elephant on Wednesday morning near the Wild Elephant Valley, a tourist attraction in Yunnan's Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture, according to the local public security bureau.

"I was picking vegetables in my field, when the elephant ran towards me all of a sudden," Wang said.

After Wang scared the elephant away, she painfully crawled to a highway 10 meters away, stopped a passing car and went back home. Her husband later called police, and sent her to a hospital. Her injuries are not life-threatening, according to doctors.

Wang is the latest victim to suffer an attack from the wild species in Yunnan. Last year, a villager was injured by a wild Asian elephant while picking mushrooms. The same year, a wild elephant walked through the city of Pu'er for about six hours before heading back into the forest, while a man was trampled to death by another wild elephant in Xishuangbanna.

Wild Asian elephants, with a population of about 300 in China, are under Class A protection. In China, they are mainly found in Yunnan.

With stronger environmental and wildlife protection efforts, the number of wild Asian elephants in China has grown in recent years.

"Enhanced protection has led to a rise in the number of the mammals in recent years," said Bao Mingwei, an elephant doctor. "In the 1990s, only about 180 wild Asian elephants were living in China, but now the population is estimated to exceed 300."

However, according to the provincial forestry bureau, wild elephants caused 32 deaths and 159 injuries from 2011 to 2017.

"Population growth, reclamation expansion and a decrease of habitats for wild elephants are the primary causes of the conflicts," said Chen Mingyong, a professor at Yunnan University.

The simple digestive system of Asian elephants makes them hungry often. They have to eat about 300 kg of plants every day. "If the forests can't meet their needs, they risk stepping into farmland to fill their bellies," Chen said.

Since 2014, Yunnan has purchased commercial insurance for residents of the province. The government pays the premiums and insurance companies compensate residents if wild animals attack them.

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Humane Society slams 'barbaric' capture of wild baby elephants

Humane Society International/Africa has condemned the capture of 35 baby elephants, some as young as two years old, in Zimbabwe to export to foreign zoos.

According to The Times of London, the young elephants are being held in pens in Hwange National Park while travel crates are prepared and the documents finalised for their journey to China.

According to the publication, this practice dates back to the era of former Zimbabwe president Robert Mugabe, where wildlife was often sold to Asian and Middle East countries to settle debts.

Human Society in a statement confirmed it had received footage showing the young elephants frantically pacing around the Hwange pens, some showing signs of stress such as temporal streaming (dark streaks down the side of the face from the temporal gland) and others demonstrating wide-eyed, ear-splayed defensive postures.

The organisation said, based on the trade data of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), since 2012 Zimbabwe has exported 108 young elephants to zoos in China despite opposition from other African countries, elephant experts and non-governmental organisations including Humane Society and its subsidiaries.

Commenting on this was Humane Society International/Africa’s wildlife director and an elephant biologist Audrey Delsink, who said: “The capture of baby elephants from the wild is barbaric, and captivity will be a life sentence of suffering. Video footage shows that these young animals are already displaying stress behaviour after being ripped away from their mothers and bonded family groups, and are terrified.

"Calves normally remain closely bonded to their natal family groups; females never leave their families whilst males only leave the herd at 12 -15 years of age. With no adult females to look to for reassurance, guidance and learning, one can only imagine the youngsters’ distress.

"Zimbabwe continues to exploit its wildlife to the highest bidder with no meaningful oversight. Recognising elephants as sentient beings, South Africa has banned the capture of elephants from the wild for captivity. Zimbabwe must urgently follow suit to redeem itself.”

Delsink’s sentiments echo those expressed last week by Kenya’s cabinet Secretary for Tourism & Wildlife, Najib Balala, who was speaking at the African Elephant Coalition (AEC) Summit in Nairobi.

Balala had remarked: “Trade in live elephants should only be for the purpose of enhancing the conservation of the species in its natural habitats (in-situ) as the only appropriate and acceptable destination.”

Iris Ho, senior wildlife policy and programs specialist at Humane Society International, who attended the summit, added to this, saying: “Ripping baby elephants from their mothers is morally indefensible and ethically reprehensible.

"We cannot agree more with the Honourable Balala and the African Elephant Coalition regarding the conservation and welfare concerns related to the deliberate capture of wild elephants for the purpose of holding them in permanent captivity outside their natural range.”

The AEC’s press statement of the summit also called for an end to the export of wild elephants to zoos and other captive facilities.

These positions are reflected in the proposals and documents submitted by the AEC to the 18th meeting of the CITES Conference of Parties which will take place this May in Sri Lanka.

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Breaking News! Urgent Help Needed To Save 35 Baby Elephants Waiting To Be Exported From Zimbabwe To Zoos In China

The recent capture of another 35 baby elephants who were torn from their mothers by Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority, is heartbreaking enough. To learn that the frightened young animals, some as young as two years old, are now in Zimbabwe waiting to be exported to Chinese zoos for profit, makes the situation that much more unconscionable.

According to The Times of London, the elephants are being held in pens in Hwange National Park while travel crates are prepared and the documents finalized for the detrimental 7,000-mile journey to China; a move condemned by animal advocates and animal welfare organizations around the world.

“The capture of baby elephants from the wild is barbaric, and captivity will be a life sentence of suffering. Video footage shows that these young animals are already displaying stress behavior after being ripped away from their mothers and bonded family groups, and are terrified,” Audrey Delsink, Humane Society International/Africa’s Wildlife Director & Elephant Biologist, said in a statement, further explaining that calves normally remain closely bonded to their natal family groups; females never leave their families, while males only leave the herd at between the ages of 12 to15 years old. “With no adult females to look to for reassurance, guidance and learning, one can only imagine the youngsters’ distress.”

“Zimbabwe continues to exploit its wildlife to the highest bidder with no meaningful oversight,” continued Delsink. Recognizing elephants as sentient beings, South Africa has banned the capture of elephants from the wild for captivity. Zimbabwe must urgently do the same to redeem itself.”

Footage provided to Humane Society International/Africa shows the youngsters frantically pacing around the Hwange pens, some showing signs of stress such as temporal streaming, and others demonstrating wide-eyed, ear-splayed defensive postures.

Based on the trade data of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), since 2012, Zimbabwe has exported 108 young elephants to zoos in China despite opposition from other African countries, elephant experts, and non-governmental organizations including the Humane Society of the United States and Humane Society International.

Delsink’s sentiments echo those expressed last week by Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary for Tourism and Wildlife speaking at the African Elephant Coalition Summit in Nairobi.

The African Elephant Coalition (AEC) is an alliance of 32 African countries, the majority of which are range states for the African elephant, and committed to the survival of the species, free from the threat of the international ivory trade. The AEC Secretariat is based in Nairobi, Kenya.

A statement released by AEC during the Summit called for an end to the export of wild elephants to zoos and other captive facilities. These positions are reflected in the proposals and documents submitted by the AEC to the 18th meeting of the CITES Conference of Parties which will take place this May in Sri Lanka.

In collaboration with the AEC, Humane Society International co-authored a report highlighting the challenges that the live trade in elephants poses to the CITES regulations.

Help Stop The Appalling Capture And Export Of Baby Elephants From Zimbabwe To China!

Now is your chance to urge the Zimbabwean government to stop the horrific and cruel export of live elephants to foreign zoos. Let’s stand together and tell Zimbabwe to keep African elephants in the wild, on African soil, and not subject them to lifelong captivity for entertainment in facilities in China or elsewhere. PLEASE SIGN HERE!

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CONVICTED ‘IVORY QUEEN’ SENTENCED TO 15 YEARS IN PRISON

A Tanzanian court sentenced a convicted ivory trafficker, nicknamed the “Ivory Queen,” to fifteen years in prison.

Between 2000 and 2004, Yang Fenglan worked with two Tanzanian men, Salivius Matembo and Manase Philemon, to smuggle 860 pieces of ivory to Asia. The trio smuggled the tusks of more than 350 elephants — over two tons of ivory — valued at $5.6 million.

All three criminals, who have denied the allegations against them, were convicted of leading an organized criminal gang.

Prosecutors stated in court documents that Fenglan “intentionally did organize, manage and finance a criminal racket by collecting, transporting or exporting and selling government trophies.”

Each smuggler was sentenced to fifteen years by Kisutu Court Magistrate Huruma Shaidi. Shaidi also imposed a fine of twice the market value of the elephant tusks or two additional years in prison.

Fenglan, a Chinese national, has lived in Tanzania on-and-off since the 1970s and owns a restaurant in Dar es Salaam. She was also the secretary-general of the Tanzania China-Africa Business Council. The disgraced businesswoman was arrested for her crimes in October 2015 following a high-speed traffic chase with law enforcement.

The sentence has received mixed reactions. Some wildlife conservation groups, including Tanzania-based PAMS Foundation, praised the ruling. Krissie Clark, the organization’s executive director, stated: “The government is taking wildlife trafficking very seriously, and an attack on Tanzania’s wildlife is seen as an attack on Tanzania.”

Other organizations believe a fifteen-year sentence is too short. In a statement to Reuters, WWF country director Amani Ngusaru said: “(It) is not punishment enough for the atrocities she committed, by being responsible for the poaching of thousands of elephants in Tanzania.”

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang expressed support for the Tanzanian government’s actions against Fenglan while speaking in Beijing Shuang cited China’s policy of prosecuting individuals who break the country’s strict wildlife protection laws.

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Demand justice for elephants calfs robbed from their mothers for Chinese circuses and zoos!

Over 35 elephants calfs have been robbed today from their mothers for China!

The export of live elephants is not illegal. It should be!! Many countries are taking action to prohibit the export of live elphants around the world, but China stands apart and wants to go backwards. The practice of exporting baby elephants was banned when searches were showing to authorities the suffer and trauma that the calfs were passing. Elephant calfs wont survive without their mothers! They will suffer and mistreated just for entertainment! Why can't we just live animal wildlife in peace? Demand justice now!

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https://www.thepetitionsite.com/789/887/817/demand-justice-for-elephants-calfs-robbed-from-their-mothers-for-chinese-circuses-and-zoos/

35 more baby elephants being sent from Zimbabwe to lives of hell in China

Since 2012 about 100 elephant calves have been sold to Chinese zoos and safari parks, some of which offer elephants performing stunts in circus shows. Such deals require permits, under the multilateral Cites treaty that governs the wildlife trade. Network for Animals has documentary evidence showing that in the past, phony documents have been used.

Now another 35 baby elephants are to be sent to Chinese zoos after being forcibly separated from their mothers in the Hwange National Park.

“Network for Animals is appalled by Zimbabwe’s continued export of very young elephants to lives of hell in China,” said David Barritt, NFA’s chief campaigner.

“Many of these babies will still be breast feeding. Scientists say they will never fully recover from the trauma. To make this horror even worse, they are sent to zoos, where they will be held in cages or small areas, totally unsuitable for elephants, for the rest of their lives.”

Barritt said Zimbabwe authorities have previously exported baby elephants using invalid or duplicated CITES permits. “When NFA raised this issue with authorities, they ignored us. What they are doing is morally wrong and in breach of CITES regulations, but they go on doing it anyway.”

At the moment, the elephants, some as young as two, are being held in pens in Hwange while travel crates are prepared for the 7,000-mile journey. Conservationists say calves can be entirely dependent on their mothers for emotional and physical support until they are five; others can still be taking their mother’s milk until they are ten or another sibling is born.

During the rule of Robert Mugabe, Zimbabwe’s wildlife was regularly sold to Asia and the Middle East to settle debts. “It was hoped that when the present president Emerson Mnangagwa came to power in a coup, he would stop this practice which shames Zimbabwe,” said Barritt. “Instead, he is continuing on the road of cruelty and callous indifference to animals.”

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TANZANIA CONVICTS CHINESE ‘IVORY QUEEN’ TRAFFICKER

NAIROBI - A Tanzanian court on Tuesday convicted a Chinese woman dubbed the “Ivory Queen” for her role in trafficking tusks from more than 400 elephants.

Yang Fenglan, 69, was convicted in Dar es Salaam of trafficking 860 tusks between 2000 and 2014, a haul representing the slaughter of dozens of herds of elephants.

Two Tanzanian men were also found guilty for their role in illegal commerce.

“The prosecution proved the case against the accused beyond a reasonable doubt,” Judge Huruma Shaidi told the court.

The sentences are yet to be announced, but Fenglan faces up to 30 years in prison.

Wildlife campaigners have called it one of the most important cases for several years.

Fenglan, who has lived in the East African nation since the 1970s, was convicted of organising a smuggling ring between Tanzania and Asia.

When she was arrested in 2015 she was vice president of the China-Africa Business Council of Tanzania.

Poaching has seen the population of African elephants fall by 110,000 over the past decade to just 415,000 animals, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

The slaughter is being fuelled especially by demand in Asia, where ivory is used for jewellery and ornamentation.

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https://ewn.co.za/2019/02/19/tanzania-convicts-chinese-ivory-queen-trafficker

Sanctuary owner killed by elephant in central Thailand

BANGKOK, Feb. 17 (Xinhua) -- A mahout was trampled to death by an elephant he raised in central Thailand's Sukhothai Province, reports said on Sunday.

The man, 38, was killed on Saturday near an elephant sanctuary he owned, according to police.

He was found lying his face down with bruises along his body in a corn field. His 10-year-old pachyderm was also found not far from the body, reports said.

The man has raised the bull elephant with one left tusk since it was young, and he founded the sanctuary in 2007, his wife said.

He took the elephant to graze in the field without carrying a hook. The irritable pachyderm attacked him.

It was the third elephant attack reported in the southeastern Asian country within just a week.

A woman was violently killed by wild elephants near a national park in central Thailand's Hua Hin on Friday.

A Buddhist monk was killed by wild elephants near a Wildlife Sanctuary in Chachoengsao Province in central Thailand.

It is estimated that about 3,500 domesticated elephants live in Thailand and roughly 3,340 wild elephants live in 69 wildlife sanctuaries and national parks across the country.

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Sanctuary owner killed by elephant in central Thailand

BANGKOK, Feb. 17 (Xinhua) -- A mahout was trampled to death by an elephant he raised in central Thailand's Sukhothai Province, reports said on Sunday.

The man, 38, was killed on Saturday near an elephant sanctuary he owned, according to police.

He was found lying his face down with bruises along his body in a corn field. His 10-year-old pachyderm was also found not far from the body, reports said.

The man has raised the bull elephant with one left tusk since it was young, and he founded the sanctuary in 2007, his wife said.

He took the elephant to graze in the field without carrying a hook. The irritable pachyderm attacked him.

It was the third elephant attack reported in the southeastern Asian country within just a week.

A woman was violently killed by wild elephants near a national park in central Thailand's Hua Hin on Friday.

A Buddhist monk was killed by wild elephants near a Wildlife Sanctuary in Chachoengsao Province in central Thailand.

It is estimated that about 3,500 domesticated elephants live in Thailand and roughly 3,340 wild elephants live in 69 wildlife sanctuaries and national parks across the country. Enditem

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Woman killed in wild elephants attack in Thailand

BANGKOK, Feb. 16 (Xinhua) -- A woman was found stomped to death by wild elephants by a roadside near a national park in central Thailand's Hua Hin, reports said on Saturday.

Police found the woman lying face-down in bushes with her shoulders crushed and her skull fractured. Elephants footprints were seen nearby.

The woman's husband said she left home on Thursday evening to visit her sick mother and didn't return. He was informed that his wife's body was found the next morning.

The couple's house is about five kilometers away from the spot where the woman was killed by the pachyderms. Police said the spot is adjacent to a national park and the area turned into pineapple plantations later.

Villagers are living under threats of wild elephants in Thailand's forest area. The southeastern Asia country has seen the second elephant attack in just 48 hours.

Previously, a Buddhist monk of a 19-day seclusion was killed by wild elephants near a Wildlife Sanctuary in Chachoengsao Province in central Thailand.

It's estimated that about 3,500 domesticated elephants live in Thailand and roughly 3,340 wild elephants live in 69 wildlife sanctuaries and national parks across the country. Enditem

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Shipment Of Baby Elephants: CITES Not Sincere In Its Mandate

Another group of young wild elephants have been abducted from families and “prepared” through harsh training for shipment to zoos some 7000 miles away from home. What happened to the post- Mugabe promises that Zimbabwe’s wildlife would be protected, assumed to mean among other things they would no longer be regularly offered up to settle debts with China, or sold to the Middle East?

By Judy Malone

ZimParks spokesperson, Tinashe Farawo is quoted as saying,“We never export baby elephants, only sub-adults of four or five years old”, as if this – even if true – would somehow make a horrific, ongoing operation acceptable.

The export of animals to China mostly and Dubai has been challenged by conservationists and by world opinion. None of the defences that have been put forward by Zimbabwean ministers and wildlife officials justify the unconscionable actions.

China declines to comment on its interest in collecting live elephants, and anyway its investments in Zimbabwe industries and infrastructure surely help to ensure the new regime is in line with Beijing interests.

CITES too has nothing to say, even though this trade violates regulations stating authorities need to ensure “the export of the animals would not be detrimental to “the survival of the species in the wild” and that they would be taken “to appropriate and acceptable destinations”. If both of these rules were applied, the export of elephants to China or anywhere else would be banned

Addressing the first, elephants are a species in danger of extinction, with no end to poaching in sight. The violent removal of juveniles from their herds is detrimental to individuals and to the herd as a whole. And to the second point, experts and common sense tells us no zoo, and demonstrably no circus-themed wildlife park in China, is acceptable as a destination. The world has seen heartbreaking images from China of the lost souls from previous shipments standing chained and listless in cement cells. Since 2012, Zimbabwe has exported over 100 young elephants to Chinese zoos. There is a standing order for least 200, who knows, and each time these planes lift off with their loads of misery, there is opposition from within Zimbabwe, from other African countries and from the international community.

Zimbabwe’s reputation as a tourist destination has suffered greatly through recent years as relentless exploitation of wildlife, through trophy hunting and trade, is widely exposed. The defences put forward by Zimbabwean ministers and wildlife officials when these transgressions occur are shameful. Tourists like elephants do not forget, and are increasingly making informed decisions about African destinations, often based on the well-being of the animals we come to see. The trade of wild animals for commercial exploitation is highly controversial because it is ethically wrong.

What we want to see is a CITES recognition that China is an “inappropriate and unacceptable destination” for elephants. In a just world and if this international regulatory body was sincere in its mandate, CITES would issue an order to reverse direction. It would demand that these 35 already captured be reintegrated with herds and the kidnapped captives now in China be loaded for the flight back to Hwange, to be prepared for reentry into the wild.

At the very least it would be an official statement that trade to turn this highly intelligent, socially complex and endangered species to into “live specimen exhibits” is judged the world community to be illegal.

Judy Malone writes for Tourists Against Trophy Hunting, an international coalition to oppose the exploitation of wildlife everywhere.

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Cracking down on illegal ivory trade: Tusks from more than 300 elephants hidden inside wooden logs on the Sudan-Uganda border are seized thanks to British scanner technolog

The scale of the industrial slaughter of elephants for their tusks was laid bare after officals seized 750 ivory tusks hidden in treetrunks worth £6.5million.

A scanner funded by Britain is being used to scan shipping containers being carried by road through Africa.

Around 325 elephants would have been slaughtered to provide the ivory found in the containers.

As well as ivory, scales removed from endangered pangolins were also found on the shipment.

Two Vietnamese men who were transporting the illegal goods were arrested.

The scanners were provided by the Department for International Development to the Ugandan Revenue Authority.

The illegal wildlife goods were seized in a town called Elegu, in northern Uganda, on the border with South Sudan on January 31.

Ugandan customs officers suspect the goods originated in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and were then smuggled via South Sudan into Uganda.

The scanners are called non-intrusive cargo inspection scanners, which act like x-rays and mean that customs officers don’t physically have to open up the lorries to search inside.

They can scan through the metal cargo containers.

Aside from tackling illegal wildlife goods the scanners can also help stop other illicit items from crossing borders, such as drugs and illegal immigrants.

They can scan up to 200 trucks per hour meaning each scan takes about three minutes per truck.

Despite a ban on trade in ivory, poaching of African elephants is still rampant.

China is the biggest market for the tusks.

There are an estimated 415,000 elephants remaining on the continent, compared with as many as five million in the early part of the 20th century, according to the WWF.

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Baby elephants torn from mothers, shipped to China

Thirty-five young elephants are to be own from Zimbabwe to zoos in China after being
forcibly separated from their mothers, The Times has learned.

The animals, some as young as two, are being held in pens in Hwange National Park while
travel crates are prepared and documents finalised for the 11,000km journey.

During the Mugabe era, Zimbabwe’s wildlife was regularly sold to Asia and the Middle East to
settle debts.

A source close to the operation described how rangers flew helicopters at family groups to
isolate the young, who were immobilised with tranquilliser darts and loaded on to trucks.

‘‘It can take several attempts to successfully part the young from their mothers, who are extremely protective,’’ he said.

‘‘The helicopter has to y very close in order to create the panic that leaves the young elephants exhausted, disorientated and isolated from the rest of the herd. While the juvenile is
being loaded, the helicopter buzzes around the herd to stop the animals from attempting to
defend their young.’’

A veterinarian from Zimbabwe’s wildlife agency has certified all the young elephants as fit
enough for the long, stressful journey, which will begin in the coming days with a 130km trip
by road to the airport at Victoria Falls and on to cargo planes.

The bankrupt country’s fuel crisis has hampered the operation, and it took months for 

officials from the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority, known as ZimParks, to

complete the order from China.

A spokesman for ZimParks declined to confirm that elephants had been captured for live export but said: ‘‘We never export baby elephants, only sub-adults of four or five years old.’’

Conservationists say elephant calves can be entirely dependent on their mothers for emotional and physical support until they are five. Others can still be taking their mother’s milk

until they are 10 or another sibling is born.

Hwange National Park was the site of the killing of Cecil the lion in 2015 by an American trophy hunter.

News of the imminent export comes two years after 31 elephant calves were own to China,
creating an international outcry.

Such incidents have tarnished Zimbabwe’s reputation as a tourist destination despite its
many spectacular wildlife attractions. The country is now increasingly reliant on its Chinese
allies, as it is threatened with a return to pariah status amid reports of human rights abuses
during recent protests.

Since 2012, about 100 elephant calves have been sold to Chinese zoos and safari parks, some
of which offer elephants performing stunts in circus shows.

Such deals require permits, under the multilateral Cites treaty that governs the wildlife trade.
But the unknown fate of the 35 elephant calves underlines the lack of oversight over such
deals.

Dan Bucknell, executive director of British elephant charity Tusk, said: ‘‘People imagine that
in this day and age zoos are being restocked from captive breeding or from zoo-to-zoo transfers, not by animals being taken from the wild. Yet this sort of trade is perfectly legal under
Cites.’’

– The Times

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Wild Asian elephants enjoy Spring Festival at Yunnan's Wild Elephant Valley

Wild Asian elephants are celebrating their own Spring Festival at the Wild Elephant Valley.

Spring Festival is not only the most significant holiday in China, it also is the peak time for wild elephants to converge on the valley from Pu'er City and Xishuangbanna in Yunnan Province.

"The wild elephants like to come to our valley every Spring Festival because the food is abundant and no one disturbs them. Therefore, the number of wild elephants during Spring Festival is higher than normal. We saw 44 elephants on Friday," said Yan Hanlu, head of the observation team of Asian elephants in the valley.

The wild elephants in the valley consist of five herds, all of which include elephant calves. The largest group consists of 17 elephants, and the smallest is a single male elephant.

These wild elephants hang around in the valley, bathing and playing with each other in the river.

"Unlike tigers, the wild elephant will not fight for territory. Once they've had enough to eat and drink, they'll split into groups and walk away. They like to switch places and have interactions with each other," said Yan.

Asian elephants are listed as endangered by the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) and are under first-class state protection in China.

During the dry season from February to April, when there is less food and water in the mountains, wild elephants head to the valley for food. About 40 to 50 will show up in a day.

Local forestry and other departments have reminded the surrounding residents to help in the protection of wild elephants and to avoid human-elephant conflicts.

(Cover image shows two wild Asian elephants via VCG.)

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How traffickers use Chinese New Year

A balone will be on the banquet table of many Chinese families celebrating Spring Festival this year. The sea mollusc will probably have been illegally poached and smuggled all the way from Africa by criminal syndicates to be steamed, braised, sautéed or turned into a creamy sauce.

The animal is a popular ingredient in Cantonese cuisine, particularly for celebrations. Individuals caught in the wild fetch a higher price than those farmed in China. Those from South Africa, where abalone used to be abundant, are especially popular.

When commercial trading to China started in the 1990s, abalone numbers quickly dwindled, leading the South African government to impose quotas. That only served to move the trade underground. In the past 18 years, a staggering 96 million abalone were caught in South Africa, worth a total of nearly US$900 million. More than 90% of those were exported to Hong Kong, with considerable numbers then moved on to mainland China, according to NGO Traffic.

“Serving something expensive at Chinese New Year can show your status to the people around you,” says Traffic’s Michelle Owen, who leads the USAID Reducing Opportunities for Unlawful Transport of Endangered Species (ROUTES) Partnership.

Traffic estimates that more than 30% of people in Hong Kong consume the pricey delicacy during the festival. Processors say to meet demand they have to double production ahead of Chinese New Year.

Unwitting families feasting on South African abalone during their New Year celebrations are more likely to be supporting organised crime than not. In Hong Kong, only around 35% of South African abalone was farmed or caught legally.

Traffic in the post

In their covert operations, wildlife traffickers are increasingly relying on the same transport routes and means that any of us use to send mail or travel home.

The shipping industry and parcel couriers are overburdened in the weeks leading up to Chinese New Year. Customs officials are stretched so thinly that the ratio of inspections drops. That’s why illicit goods are more likely to get through.

“In plane sight”, a report published by ROUTES in 2018, tracked seizures of trafficked wildlife in cargo and passenger planes and found that they more than quadrupled between 2009 and 2017.

“The transport industry has very good infrastructure, and traffickers have been exploiting this to their benefit,” Owen says.

This can include bribing customs officials, exploiting their shift patterns, knowing which locations are less stringent on controls, or when an increased flow of traffic will make it impossible for customs to keep up with controls.

Holiday smuggling

Chinese New Year and other festivals that see an increase in shipping and air travel provide good cover for wildlife traffickers.

Between February 4-8, Hong Kong customs and police forces are expected to handle a staggering 7.32 million people crossing its borders by land, sea or air. The Civil Aviation Administration of China said that between January 21 and March 1, it will help handle 73 million passenger trips by air, an increase of 12% on the previous year. This mass of travellers makes it harder for customs to check passengers and their luggage.

Similarly, shipping increases ahead of Chinese New Year as importers preemptively make up for the one- to two-week standstill in work and production over the national holiday.

Even in non-festive periods, customs stations are struggling to keep up with the rapidly growing international shipping and parcel delivery industry.

According to DHL, the world’s largest international delivery service, worldwide cross-border retail has been growing by an average of 25% per year – twice that of domestic retail. In China, the express delivery sector has been handling 10 billion more parcels each year since 2015, according to the State Post Bureau.

While cargo fleets are growing by around 4% per year, and volumes grow by between 4 and 4.5% globally, these rates are much higher for most of East Asia. The port of Shanghai, for instance, saw a growth of 142% over a ten-year period from 2007.

A global problem

China is the biggest market for trafficked wildlife but it is not the only one. Customs and law enforcement agencies in 136 countries recorded around 7,000 different species in wildlife trafficking seizures between 2009 and 2017, ranging from elephant tusks and pangolin scales to live lizards and rare dog breeds, according to the UN.

Smaller shipments sent through delivery services are growing.

“If you see what’s going on in the international parcel industry today, and how it has grown, it’s just enormous,” says Harold Gerretsen, an inspector with the Nederlandse Voedsel-en Warenautoriteit, the Dutch food and consumer product safety authority. It’s responsible for detecting violations of CITES, the international treaty to protect endangered species, and works closely with Dutch customs at points of entry such as Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport and the port of Rotterdam. Both were highlighted as prime wildlife trafficking locations by the EU, which acknowledged in 2016 that it “has an important role to play in tackling this traffic”.

Gerretsen says that although containers full of trafficked wildlife continue to be intercepted, big hauls are becoming rarer. Instead, smaller shipments sent through delivery services are growing.

“The best way to smuggle is to go with the flow, wherever the stream is biggest,” he says. “If you have millions of parcels every year, how much can you possibly inspect?” he says.

In Europe and other Western countries, customs officers are stretched during Christmas, the busiest time of the year for mail and parcel services.

In the weeks leading up to and right after the holiday, parcels and mail passing through major airports more than double. To handle the massive spike in deliveries, Deutsche Post, for instance, said that it would hire 10,000 seasonal workers in 2018, mostly for low-skill tasks such as parcel sorting and delivery driving.

But hiring seasonal help isn’t an option for customs authorities. Officials need at least two years of training, including in local and international law, and rely on their experience to know which shipments are suspicious, said a press spokesperson for customs in the German city of Frankfurt, one of the world’s busiest airports.

At Frankfurt airport’s International Postal Centre, about 90 customs officials inspect 10,000 to 12,000 parcels a day on average, one of the officials, Marcus Redanz, estimated. In 2017, his team seized 5,500 shipments that contained trafficked animals and plants. They had come from all parts of the world and included ivory, the pelts of bears, mountain lions and polar foxes, and wallets and handbags made from crocodiles. These animal products are now stored in a fenced-off area of the postal centre.

Keeping up with the traffickers

How quickly professional traffickers can adapt is evident in the South African abalone trade. In 2007 and 2008, smugglers started to explore alternative trafficking routes to avoid the government’s new regulations and stricter controls on imports into Hong Kong. It’s now believed that smugglers are taking abalone first to neighbouring countries like Mozambique and Zimbabwe, before then exporting.

In September, for instance, South African police found 10 kilogrammes of illegally poached abalone on a truck headed to Botswana. News reports claimed the abalone was worth US$400,000. According to Traffic, 90% of South African abalone is exported to Hong Kong.

The challenge, says Owen, is staying a step ahead of the traffickers but she acknowledges that customs are often busy with bigger threats to national security.

If staff at airports, flight attendants and luggage handlers could be customs’ additional eyes and ears, more wildlife could be seized – no matter the time of year.

“They do the check-in, they talk to passengers, they handle their bags. It’s important to build their awareness of what to look for in someone who might be trafficking wildlife and who they can contact to make their suspicion known,” Owen says.

Currently, ROUTES is working with airlines and the delivery industry to find ways to help overburdened customs officials, including by offering short training modules for staff.

The fact that traffickers are using the same routes as mail or passengers “can actually be a big opportunity,” says Owen.

Reporting for this story was supported by a grant from Internews’ Earth Journalism Network.

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The new ivory: Endangered pangolins dominating illegal wildlife trade in SE Asia

China's shutdown of the domestic ivory market has crashed the price of elephant tusks by more than 60 percent, forcing smugglers to shift their trade towards another lucrative trade – endangered pangolin scales.

After the Chinese government's crackdown on the once thriving wildlife trade, smugglers are shifting to Vietnam and Laos for selling wildlife products, said experts citing recent ivory and pangolin scale seizure data.

The ivory price declined by nearly two-thirds – from 2,100 U.S. dollars per kg to less than 700 dollars per kg – after China's mainland and its regions Hong Kong and Taiwan closed their domestic markets last year. The massive global demand for ivory has led to the poaching of more than 20,000 African elephants every year.

“(Chinese) President Xi's ivory ban turned the tide in the ivory wars,” said Peter Knights, CEO of WildAid.

“As the price of ivory falls, smugglers appear to be turning increasingly to beleaguered pangolins,” a statement by WildAid, a conservation group maintained. “Pangolin scales can still be legally sold when smuggled into China,” it added.

The recent wildlife seizure data shows wildlife traders prefer to trade pangolins scales over ivory. Most of the consignments, originating from African countries, are routed to various Southeast Asian countries, with Vietnam and Laos emerging as a favorite destination.

Hong Kong, as a Chinese special administrative region and a major illegal wildlife product destination, intercepted 17.6 tons of pangolin scales in 2018, up from 7.9 tons in 2017. Ivory seizures dropped for around 20 times, from 7,600 kg in 2017 to barely 370 kg in 2018.

On Friday, customs authorities of Chinese mainland and Hong Kong announced a record seizure of 8.3 tons of pangolin from Nigeria, worth 5.4 million U.S. dollars. An estimated 13,000 pangolins were believed to be poached, given the large consignment size.

“This is the largest amount of pangolin scales ever seized in Hong Kong,” officials announced

In three other separate operations, Vietnam, Uganda, and Angola law enforcement agencies intercepted a massive haul of ivory and pangolin scales.

Around 750 pieces of ivory and thousands of pangolin scales were seized in Uganda on Thursday. The seized consignment, sent from neighboring South Sudan, is one of the country's largest seizures. Authorities arrested two Vietnamese nationals for smuggling the banned wildlife products.

At Vietnam's Haiphong port city, 1.4 tons of pangolin scales and 20 elephant tusks were seized last week. In Angola, five Vietnamese nationals were arrested for attempting to smuggle in 800 kg of ivory and 900 kg of pangolin scales.

The ant-eating pangolins are the most illegally traded mammal in the world. Concerned over the large scale poaching, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) declared all eight pangolin species as threatened with extinction.

Massive use of the product for traditional medicines, mostly in Southeast Asian countries, is leading to their extinction, IUCN said.

“China could help save African and Asian pangolins. Pangolins cannot be bred commercially, and all populations are banned from trade, so there is no possible legitimate source for ongoing scales sales,” Knights added.

(Top Image: Hong Kong Customs officials showing a record seizure of endangered pangolin scales on Friday, February 1, 2019. /Pix courtesy of WildAid)

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Record seizure of pangolin scales, ivory in Hong Kong

A record nine tons of endangered pangolin scales and 21 tons of ivory were seized after a joint operation by Hong Kong Customs and Chinese Mainland Customs.

Officials estimate that more than 13,000 pangolins and 500 elephants were brutally poached for such a large consignment. The shipment, on the way to Vietnam, was valued at nearly eight million U.S. dollars.

“This is the largest amount of pangolin scales ever seized in Hong Kong,” officials announced at a press conference on Friday.

Following a confidential tip, customs launched a massive operation screening containers at various ports to track the illegal consignment. The product dispatched from Nigeria was found hidden in a container at Hong Kong's Kwai Chung cargo port.

The container was labeled as frozen beef and deliberately kept at a low temperature to disguise the smell of pangolin scales.

Last July, Hong Kong customs seized more than seven tons of pangolin scales from Africa en route to the Chinese mainland. These frequent massive seizures expose a thriving trade of wildlife products, most of which has been banned by China. Last year, the country banned domestic trade in both wildlife products.

The ant-eating pangolins are the most illegally traded mammal in the world. Concerned over such large scale poaching, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) declared all eight pangolin species as threatened with extinction.

Massive use of the product for traditional medicines, mostly in South East Asian countries, is leading to their extinction, IUCN said.

Wildlife experts believe the smuggling routes for wildlife trade are undergoing significant transformation after China's wildlife trade ban. Vietnam is emerging as a lucrative destination.

Recently, TRAFFIC – a wildlife trade monitoring agency – found more than 10,000 ivory items being sold in the country' s 852 physical stores and 17 online platforms.

Alex Hofford, campaign manager at conservation group WildAid in Hong Kong, pointed out that there are two possible explanations for smugglers trying to sneak the consignment into Vietnam. The first is that this illegal consignment was never intended to go there.

Vietnam's Haiphong port, listed on shipping documents, would be a ploy to mislead the Hong Kong Customs. The couple arrested for the illegal consignment may have been planning to repackage these illegal wildlife products and send them to the Chinese mainland via speedboat.

“The second theory is that the illegal consignment could genuinely have been on its way to Vietnam, a country which shares a long and porous border with China,” Hofford told CGTN.

The couple arrested for importing the banned wildlife items owns a trading company in Hong Kong's Mong Kok district. “Investigation is ongoing, and all arrested persons have been released on bail pending further investigation,” Hong Kong Customs said in a statement.

(Cover Image: Hong Kong Customs and Chinese Mainland Customs seized a large consignment of pangolin scales and elephant tusks from Nigeria en route to Vietnam. /Photo courtesy of Hong Kong Customs.)

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