Wildlife Smuggling Ring Broken Up In Central Africa

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.care2.com/causes/animal-welfare/blog/wildlife-smuggling-ring-broken-up-in-central-africa/



Good news for wildlife! Sting operations in the central African countries of Cameroon, Gabon, the Central African Republic and the Republic of Congo have busted several highly organized smuggling rings responsible for sending endangered species abroad.

Several Key Dealers Arrested

As a result, authorities arrested key dealers and recovered hundreds of pounds of ivory, turtle shells and animal skins. Too late for these creatures, but hopefully thousands more will be safe in the future.

It is wonderful to be able to share some positive news on this front: last summer I wrote here about the horrible discovery that more than five tons of illegal bushmeat is smuggled from Africa every week in personal luggage through Paris's Charles de Gaulle airport. While plenty of legal sanctions exist, they were clearly not being enforced.

Enforcing Laws To Protect Endangered Species

By contrast, this operation coordinated by the Last Great Ape Organization (Laga), a wildlife law-enforcement NGO in Cameroon, Gabon, the Central African Republic and Congo-Brazzaville, marks a step forward toward enforcement of the laws protecting endangered species.

From The Guardian:

In Gabon, undercover agents posing as smugglers picked up 16 dealers in possession of 150kg of illegal polished ivory. The haul, estimated to be worth about £90,000 on the international market and probably destined for China, the world's leading market for "white gold", was going via Nigeria, one of the main smuggling routes. All 16 were remanded in custody, having been refused bail following the operation, which focused on a hotel, a local market and a sculptor's studio following a long investigation…..

In Cameroon, three dealers trading 17 turtle shells were arrested. A cargo of 1,000 African grey parrots worth an estimated £65,000 was intercepted being smuggled into Nigeria and a policeman was arrested on suspicion of accepting a £2,000 bribe to release it and allow it on its way.


FULL story at link.

[PearliePoo2]

1. These scumbags are the lowest of the low.

I grieve for all the animals that lose their lives for human stupidity, greed and narcissism.
Their fate should be to spend the rest of their wretched lives in a steel-bar cage.

[loudsue]

2. Nigeria seems to be a central spot for illegal and slimey operations

for people all over the world. Someone needs to interfere, and fix that place. I don't know much about their government, but everything illegal from yellow cake to parrots find their way there.

[tabatha]

3. Chinese decimating Rhinos as well.

"very happy to see that U.S. Ambassador report from Kenya, leaked by Wikki leaks, highlights what many of us have been saying for a long time, Where ever there are chinese contract workers in Afica, there is a marked increase in elephant and rhino poaching, never mind the lessor species such as pangolin."

http://www.rhinoconservation.org/2010/12/08/south-africas-rhino-death-toll-for-2010-skyrockets-to-304/#comments