You may have seen some of the extensive media coverage in recent weeks of Japan’s infamous drive hunts in Taiji after some 250 bottlenose dolphins were driven into the infamous cove to be captured for aquaria or slaughtered for food, with the remnants of the fractured pod later driven back out to sea
Vixay Keosavang is one of the most ruthless and prolific wildlife criminals operating in South-East Asia today. Some call him the “Pablo Escobar of animal trafficking” in Laos, the tiny one-party communist state bordered by Myanmar, China, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam that continues to harbour him
Alongside significant trade and abundant forests, some reports have estimated as much as US$17 billion dollars' worth of illegal trade flows from the East Asia Pacific region, with the Mekong particularly susceptible because of poor forest governance, weak regulation, corruption and porous border controls
In a special guest blog, respected author and activist Judith Mills assesses the credibility and likely outcomes of South Africa’s decision to seek a legal trade in rhino horn and so cash in on its stockpiles
A propaganda battle – or charm offensive, if you’re feeling expansive – is already under way in a bid to win over hearts and wallets if not minds to secure international approval for a legal trade in rhino horn, overturning a ban which has been in place for more than 30 years
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