The spectacle of magnificent, endangered creatures such as tigers, elephants and rhinos reduced to broken, bleeding carcasses, plundered for illegal trades in home decór, trinkets and fake ‘traditional’ medicines, can be all but impossible to view without provoking distress and fury in equal measure
When I was offered EIA’s events and fundraising internship, I was ecstatic and couldn’t wait to start working with some of the world’s most dedicated environmental campaigners. I was brought in to work on Tiger Tracks – the largest ever event to save wild tigers
Hard-fought battles that commenced years ago have come to a constructive and logical conclusion in the interests of sharks, manta rays and rosewoods. For Asian big cats, there was a good decision that will review of efforts to combat illegal trade and to end trade in parts and products of captive-bred tigers
Rhino populations are being hammered by poachers, pushing the species ever-closer to extinction to satisfy demand for rhino horn in Vietnam and elsewhere – yet despite 668 rhinos being slaughtered by poachers across South Africa in 2012, there are indications it is contemplating pushing for a legal trade in rhino horn
The UK’s Home Office is urged to fund the country’s National Wildlife Crime Unit, one of the world’s premier wildlife crime enforcement bodies which sets the international standard for intelligence-led enforcement, maximising the use of limited resources to target key criminals engaged in serious and organised crime
If 2012 has shown anything, it’s that we’re still small and that our concise reports anchored in hard documentary evidence – often obtained undercover in potentially dangerous circumstances – continue to give us the clout to punch well above our weight