Highly organised, transnational ivory smuggling syndicates don’t just have a massive impact on elephants.

Our investigations in Africa and Asia have revealed time and again that these criminals are mobile and quick to adapt to changes in both enforcement and demand, diversifying into the trafficking of many other endangered species and accelerating the decline of such species in the wild.

Illegal African and Asian ivory is trafficked and sold alongside parts and products from other wildlife also threatened by trade, such as tigers and other big cats, rhinos, pangolins and helmeted hornbills.

Our ground-breaking exposé 'The Shuidong Connection' infiltrated such a syndicate and found it also active in smuggling pangolin scales, rhino horn and totoaba fish maws; you can read about the investigation at eia-international.org/chinese-town-centre-global-ivory-smuggling

So every blow struck against criminal ivory traffickers is also a blow struck for the many other species caught up in their trade net.

Learn more about our work at eia-international.org/ ... See MoreSee Less

18 hours ago  ·  

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After a two-year hiatus, Iceland’s whaling kingpin has announced he intends to resume hunting endangered fin whales this summer.

The last two killing seasons were scrapped, with Hvalur hf CEO Kristján Loftsson citing ongoing difficulties with Japanese customs on imports of his whale products and the strong krona.

Clare Perry, leader of our Ocean Campaign, said: “The Government of Iceland needs to take a long, hard look at Loftsson’s activities, and its own collusion in enabling them, and ask itself whether the profound damage done to the country’s credentials as a tourist destination is worth allowing a wealthy maverick to continue pursuing what can only been viewed as a perverse vendetta again these magnificent creatures.”

Full story at eia-international.org/two-year-break-iceland-resume-hunting-endangered-fin-whales

#Iceland #whales #whaling #Japan ... See MoreSee Less

2 days ago  ·  

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A Mr Big of wildlife trafficking: could elusive Laos casino operator be behind rackets that run to drugs, child prostitution?

Powerful, well connected and fabulously wealthy, 58-year-old Su Guiqin is queen of the Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone, a small enclave in the far northwest of Laos that, just over a decade ago, was a poor fishing village on the Mekong River. With her husband, Zhao Wei, she now runs the Kings Romans empire ...

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* Find out about our landmark Sin City expose at eia-international.org/laos-sin-city-is-an-illegal-wildlife-supermarket-for-chinese-tourists
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A 2015 report by the British-based Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) paints a different picture of his activities in Laos, however. Calling the Kings Romans resort “Sin City”, it describes “a lawless playground, catering to the desires of visiting Chinese gamblers and tourists who can openly purchase and consume illegal wildlife products and parts”.

Full story at www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/long-reads/article/2141464/mr-big-wildlife-trafficking-could...

#Laos #tigers #illegalwildlifetrade ... See MoreSee Less

3 days ago  ·  

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