Hugh Paxton’s Blog welcomes the Philippines to the fight against elephant poaching.
Manila is going to destroy five tonnes of confiscated tusks.
The tusks originated in Tanzania (or didn’t). They came to the Phillippines from Tanzania anyway. My sources indicate they came from Congo, DRC, CAR. Possibly even Sudan.
I’m shifting to AFP.
” The seized tusks represent a portion of the 13.1 tonnes of Tanzanian elephant tusks seized in 2005 and 2009 that are kept in a government vault.”
This action according to Theresa Lim of the Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau is designed to send a message that the Phils “is against the illegal trade of ivory and the merciless massacre of elephants.”
Theresa, you are doing good work! But why not destroy all of it? If you’ve got 13 tonnes why only destroy 5 tonnes?
We all know about blood diamonds. Maybe less people know about blood ivory.
It kills everybody and every elephant involved.
Time now, Manila, to intercept the increasing tons of ivory sneaking through the port. Because the ivory is increasing.
Hugh Paxton’s Blog suggests that this paper, published by Japanese researcher and, yes, expert! is worth a read. Published in Pachyderm.
He begins!
Dear All
Currently Japan has not much illegal evidence for ivory trade, but its ivory
management system is weak while they still have strong demand for forest
elephant ivory, and my country still has powerful politics in CITES. At
least, they have no intention to improve its management system (from our
meeting in Tokyo on Feb 22nd) while they strongly support any ivory trade
under CITES regulation.
Best wishes,
TOMO
Tomo Nishihara, PhD
Senior Technical Advisor
Protection and Operations
in northern Congo
WCS-Congo Program
Wildlife Conservation Society
Hugh Paxton’s Blog has just returned from a Monday spent at the CITES COP in Bangkok. The best of times (a chance to meet old friends in the conservation movement) and the worst of times (lots of potentially catastrophic developments if the Government ministers don’t take their heads out of the sand and take concerted action to save a very large number of species). See the following message forwarded by my friend Nik, from Kenya on elephant to me just now to see why elephants and rhinos are among the species in the spotlight. There are some very disturbing links.
Hugh Paxton’s Blog posted a jolly, feel good elephant story a few minutes ago. Just to spoil things here’s a bit of bad news. 1,500 unprocesssed tusks have been seized by customs officials in Port Klang harbour, Malaysia. They were hidden in a shipment of wood. That wood needs checking, too. My guess is that it’s about as legal as the ivory. The shipment originated in Togo – not a country famed for its vast elephant herds – made it to Spain, where the Spanish didn’t do much of a job in the customs and cargo inspection department – and then hit Malaysia where the Malays did much better work. No arrests made unfortunately. But there’s a paper trail. Interpol might do a better job than the Spanish. It’s always possible to a better job than the Spanish. Look at their Armada! Their economy! Their siestas!
But letting in dodgy logs and very dodgy ivory and then sending it on its merry way? Spain pull your socks up! I shall be writing to your Embasssy within the hour!
But enough complaining about Spanish negligence.
Quizz time!!!!!
Chaps! Take a wild guess!
Where was the ivory destined?
a) Telly Tubby High Command
b) an elderly lady currently resident in a respectable retirement facility in an English Home County.
c) Thailand, to be carved, then smuggled into China.
Well done!
B!!!!
Is that lady a criminal mastermind? Or is she yet another victim of identity theft?
Hugh Paxton’s blog is pleased to report that two men responsible for killing one of five wild elephants last month in Kaen Krachang last month. The men admitted shooting a ten year old male in the head with an AK-47 assault rifle then tracking the wounded bull for two days before finding its dead body and removing its tusks, trunk and penis for sale to a middleman who is currently being sought by police. The latest arrests follow the arrest of five parks staff implicated in attempting to destroy the five carcasses and allegedly making the tusks “disappear”.
In related news Edwin Wiek, Director of the Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand (WFFT), is calling a press conference at the Foreign Correspondents club of Thailand this Tuesday. Wiek’s wildlife sanctuary were raided by roughly 100 staff of the National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department, at least 30 of whom were armed and wearing balaclavas. The raids (there were several) were ostensibly to check that the paperwork for the 450 animals being cared for on the premises. Some animals were confiscated, several were injured and one monkey was killed by a parks staffer who accidentally drowned it while trying to capture it. Wiek’s wife was arrested. “It was just horrible,” said Wiek. “You see these Iranian bombers being surrounded by five or six officers. My wife was escorted by 30.” She has since been released on bail.
Who ordered the raids, which traumatised not just the animals but many of the 50 young WFFT volunteers, remains unclear. Wiek’s recent allegations that officials were involved in elephant poaching and the illegal trade in baby elephants. Wieks believes that between 100 and 250 babies are stolen after poachers shoot the mothers and anaesthatise the juveniles for sale to tourism industry entrepeneurs. Check the WFFT Facebook pages for more details.
Hugh Paxton’s blog hopes that the cloud cast by the killing of at least five elephants in Kaeng Krachan National Park may have a silver lining by focusing the country’s attention on the threats facing Thailand’s National Animal. Police have arrested four park staff and the park director has been suspended until an investigation into his role in the poaching incidents is completed. Following condemnation of the elephant killings by members of the Thai royal family, and widespread public outcry, the military has deployed in the area to sweep for poachers and “encourage” local people to become elephant friends.
Hugh Paxton’s blog reports that Thai police chief Piewphan Damapong has announced an investigation into the involvement of state officials in the slaying of five endangered wild Asian elephants in Kaeng Krachan National park, in Petchuburi province. The elephants were killed recently (how recently is as yet unspecified, but recently for sure) and their carcasses were burnt on piled rubber sheets. Ivory removed.
“Some (State) officials may be involved,” said the police chief. His deputy, Pol Gen Pansiri Prapawat has been assigned the task of bringing the horrible elephant burning bastards to justice. Hugh Paxton’s blog says “Go! General Pansiri! Go! And let capture and hard prison time commence!”
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