USA: Man Sent To Prison For Smuggling Lion And Tiger Parts Worth $150,000

Officers monitoring black markets for wildlife products received intelligence in April 2016 that a man named Arogkron Malasukum, a U.S. citizen from Thailand, was on the hunt for a tiger skull. Malasukum, 42, who goes by Paul, said he’d pay $700 for the item.

Two weeks later Malasukum rapped on the door of a hotel room in the Dallas suburb of Lewisville, where his buyer and an associate, actually two undercover cops with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service were waiting with the merchandise.

Malasukum paid cash. Then he allowed one of them to come along while he packed and shipped the bleached skull to his address in Queens, New York.

Malasukum said he was looking for some straw buyers to purchase tiger and lion parts at an auction house in Fort Worth, Texas.

He couldn’t buy the items because he lived in New York, and if he transported them to another state he’d be committing a felony in violation of the U.S. smuggling law.

The buyers were from Texas, allowing them to appear to be purchasing the skull legally.

The next day the men went to the auction. Communicating by text messages, speaking in hushed phone calls, and holding hurried meetings outside the auction hall, Malasukum orchestrated an agent’s bidding on a variety of wildlife items.

This including some body parts from an endangered African lion, spending more than $1,700 for his purchases.

Arriving back in New York, he yanked the dagger-sharp teeth out of the skull and sorted them and the other parts and claws from the auction into separate packages, a precaution to protect him from losing everything if an intact skull was intercepted by authorities.

He organized claws into different parcels. To disguise the contents, he wrote dog toys and home decorations on the labels.

Then he shipped the packages to a wholesale buyer in Thailand who makes jewelry trinkets and pendant necklaces from the tiny fragments of fierce creatures that once prowled the African savannas, kings and queens of their former domains.

Tiger and lion teeth and claws are highly sought in Asia to be made into pendants, believed to provide protection, and for ingredients in traditional medicines used to treat ailments and disease ranging from insomnia to malaria.

For the next year and a half, the agents maintained their cover as straw buyers, continuing to gather evidence until in October 2017 Malasukum was finally charged for smuggling 68 packages of lion and tiger parts worth $150,000.

In November he pleaded guilty to the charges, and on August 1, 2018, a federal judge in Sherman, Texas sentenced him to nine months in prison followed by one year supervised release for trafficking endangered wildlife.

It took hundreds of hours of undercover work, going through emails and text messages, and executing search warrants to prove the case, said Phillip Land, a Fish and Wildlife special agent who supervised the investigation.

Justice department lead council Gary Donner added, Traffickers like Paul create the market for these animal parts, which results in poachers looking to make money.

Malasukum’s attorney, Denise Benson, advised her client not to comment on this sentencing, because his understanding of English is limited, she said. But she confirmed that the court has directed him to report to jail on September 10.

According to the Justice Department, Malasukum’s case stemmed from an ongoing major Fish and Wildlife Service investigation targeting the illegal trade in rhinoceros horn and elephant ivory in response to international poaching and smuggling syndicates.

Named Operation Crash, the term for a group of rhinos, the multinational covert operation began seven years ago when wildlife law enforcement became aware of an increase in rhino poaching.

To date, dozens of people have been convicted of illegally trafficking rhino horns from Africa, resulting in more than $2.1 million in fines, $5.6 million in restitution, and 438 months in federal prison, according to the Fish and Wildlife Service.

Each case has provided additional intelligence about other traffickers exploiting imperiled wildlife, from rhinos and elephants to tigers, lions, and pangolins.

Shennie Patel is a trial attorney in the Justice Department’s environmental crimes section who specializes in wildlife trafficking cases.

The Malasukum case reminded her of a 2013 Operation Crash conviction involving a father-son team, Vinh Chuong “Jimmy” Kha and Felix Kha, who were buying rhino horns and exporting them to Asia to be intricately carved into libation cups featuring twisting vines, landscapes, animals, and other designs.

Older people use the cups for traditional medicine, but the newly wealthy younger generation in Asia increasingly seek the cups, worth up to half-a-million dollars, as status symbols. Jimmy and Felix Kha made millions tapping into that high-end market.

When the Khas were arrested, in February 2012, agents seized in addition to the rhino parts a million dollars in cash, approximately a million dollars in gold ingots, jewelry, watches, precious stones, and a 2009 BMW.

Like the Khas, Malasukum was in the business of buying and selling, mainly at auctions. Those auctions often present opportunities for nefarious shoppers, Patel said.

The law says the auctions can sell protected species parts, and you can buy them, but you can’t turn around and sell them to someone in another state or another country, Patel explained.

That’s a federal violation. Most auction houses post signs about the law, but how do they keep track of what happens after buyers leave?

The demand for these parts is causing animals like rhinos, elephants, tigers, and lions to be poached at unprecedented rates. And the more rare an animal becomes, the more interest there is for trinkets.

A century ago, a hundred thousand wild tigers roamed Asia, from Turkey in the west to the eastern coast of Russia.

Today fewer than 4,000 remain in only 4 percent of their former range, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), which keeps a red list of species’ conservation status.

The downward spiral of the tiger population is expected to continue in the face of ongoing habitat loss and poaching for the wildlife trade.

Lions are in serious trouble too. In the span of only a hundred years, lion populations have fallen from 200,000 to 20,000, according to the IUCN.

Killings in defense of people and livestock pose the biggest threat, but the trade in bones and other parts is playing a significant role too.

As tigers become scarcer, poachers are increasingly targeting African lions. They’re even passing lion teeth off as tiger.

This has to stop, Patel said. We’re reaching a point where we are going to lose the tigers in a few years, and lions will be on their way too.

With Malasukum’s conviction, wildlife crime fighters can chalk up another victory, though a small one in the grand scheme of the $20 billion illicit wildlife trade.

The future of the world’s most charismatic species rests heavily on the unssuaged demand for their parts.


Tourism Observer

SOUTH AFRICA: Lions Maul Poachers At Sibuya Game Reserve

At least three suspected poachers who were hunting for rhinos have been mauled to death and eaten by lions on a game reserve in South Africa, the owner said on Thursday.

The men entered the Sibuya Game Reserve on the southeast coast armed with a high-powered rifle and an axe in the early hours of Monday and were found dismembered the following day.

They strayed into a pride of lions it's a big pride so they didn't have too much time, reserve owner Nick Fox said.

We're not sure how many there were, there's not much left of them.

There seems to be clothing for three people. I've not heard of it before in our area.

Police forensics officers were on the scene conducting tests on the remains of the victims, Fox added.

We went in yesterday. I got our vet to dart or anesthetize all the lions, he said.

I think we had a stroke of luck here that the lions got to them before they got to the rhinos.

We lost three rhino in March 2016.

Fewer than 25,000 rhinos remain in the wild in Africa due to a surge in poaching.

Rhinos are targeted to feed booming demand for rhino horn in China, Vietnam and other Asian countries, where it is believed to have medicinal qualities.

Fox said that the reserve was still open to guests despite the incident.

It's still business as usual, it doesn't change anything we do, he said.

The comments on our Facebook are all talking about karma and warnings.


Tourism Observer

KENYA: Food Vendors Want Ban On Game Meat Lifted

Kenya is seeking to reintroduce selling of game meat at restaurants and hotels to boost competitiveness of the facilities on the global culinary landscape.

Tourism secretary for tourism Najib Balala said his ministry will undertake research over the next year on farming of game ahead of the re-introduction.

We must benefit from game resource, my team is working on it and definitely we will encourage the farming of wildlife and then we will have availability of game meat being sold in our restaurants and our hotels, he said during the opening of Tamarind Tree Hotel in Nairobi.

Restaurants, including the Carnivore, have been lobbying the government to allow for the re-introduction since the 2004 ban, which only allows for sale of ostrich and crocodile.

Carnivore had been selling game meat since it was established in the early 1980s, but what it had been associated with for over two decades stopped abruptly, cutting out game meat enthusiasts from its customer base.

It has now become more of an events-hosting entertainment facility rather than the game meat haven it was famed for.

Killing of wildlife for sport was introduced in Kenya in 1910, but was banned in 1977 when the number of certain species fell drastically.

The poaching concern led to the ban on the sale or import of game meat despite constant lobbying by restaurants.

Since then, visitors expecting to sample game meat of antelopes, gazelles, zebras, wildebeests among other wild animals have had to bear with whetting their appetites with ostrich and crocodile.

Wildlife species that have significantly declined and are critically threatened in Kenya include elephants, rhinos, Grevy Zebra, bongos, lions and cheetahs, among others. Some are hunted in conflict, for game meat and trophies.

There are only 30 Sable antelopes in Kenya currently, 3,765 Grevy zebras and less than 2,000 lions, according to KWS data submitted to Parliament.

The numbers are set to keep dropping if these animals are not protected.

Licensed game meat sellers in Kenya are rethinking their business models following a continued sales ban and refusal by the government to allow imports from South Africa.

A restaurant such as the Carnivore which has been selling game meat since the early 1980s has now become more of an events-hosting entertainment facility rather than a game meat haven it has been known for.

Sale of any game meat was banned in Kenya in 2004 because of concerns over poaching, forcing game meat outlets to restrict themselves to selling crocodile and ostrich meat whose sale remains open.

“Our customers have become disappointed over the last few years because the government won’t even allow us to import game meat from South Africa,” said Martin Dunford, the chairman of the Tamarind Group, which owns the Carnivore Restaurant.

Carnivore has been selling game meat since it was established in the early 1980s, but what is has been associated with for over two decades stopped abruptly, cutting out game meat enthusiasts from its customer base.

Since then, visitors expecting to sample game meat of antelopes, gazelles, zebras, wildebeests among other wild animals have to bear with the only two types on offer ; the ostrich and the crocodile.

“We shall continue lobbying the government to lift the ban or allow us to import from South Africa because it is an added advantage to the restaurant and the tourism industry,” said Mr Dunford, whose company also operated a game meat restaurant in South Africa.

“Our business has been under severe attack because we have specialised and associated with the game meat for many years.”

Kenya currently cannot sell game meat as one of the delicacies visitors can find in the country, letting the opportunity slip to South Africa, where game meat industry thrives.

Statistics indicate that South Africa has 11,000 private game ranches that supply to the game meat outlets across the country. Kenya has 17 private and group game ranches.

The ban has also affected ranchers like the Delamare, which supplied game meat outlets.

The trade offered them alternative income stream from culling the animals in their ranches.

Forestry and Wildlife Minister Noah Wekesa said that despite requests from game meat sellers, the ban will stay in place to check on poaching, a crime that has been rising in the country.

“I have said the ban will stay to safeguard the wildlife,” said the minister, without giving indications whether the lifting of the ban for game meaty sellers will be considered.

Game meat sellers urge that allowing controlled sale of the delicacy helps to put more value to animals in an addition to the value derived from tourism, as long as that animal is not classified as an endangered species.

Because more than 50 per cent of wildlife in Kenya live in unprotected areas, it is argued the policy of restricting consumption of game meat by the hosts mostly farmers and pastoralists, worsens the human-wildlife conflict to the detriment of the animals.

Despite the ban on sale of game meat, trends of poaching in Kenya over the last three years have been rising, with the number of elephant deaths in that period growing by five times.

Data from various sources show that while 47 elephants died in 2007 due to poaching, the number rose to 145 in 2008 and to 216 in 2009.

Bonaventure Ebayi, the director of the Lusaka Agreement Task Force (LATF), a regional anti-poaching initiative, said poachers are using technology to increase attacks against food and non-food wildlife.


Tourism Observer

MALAYSIA: Traditional Healers Fight Use Of Animal Parts For medicinal Purposes

Numerous endangered animals in Malaysia continue to be poached and killed for the silliest of reason: millions of people around the region continue to persist in the belief that the parts of rare and "exotic" animals have curative properties.

And so rhinos are killed mercilessly for their horns to cure cancer and other diseases.

Tigers are poached for their bones so their bones can be ground up and used as curatives for kidney and liver problems or arthritis.

Pangolins have been driven to the edge of extinction because their scales are used in traditional medicine to treat malarial fever, deafness or demonic possession.

Sun bears are condemned to a life of misery so that their bile could be harvested to treat a variety of ailments.

Needless to say, none of these body parts possess the magical curative properties attributed to them.

But here now comes some good news: 46 members of the Federation of Chinese Physicians and Medicine Dealers Associations of Malaysia (FCPMDAM) have joined forces with the anti-wildlife trafficking watchdog TRAFFIC to fight wildlife crimes in the country.

The federation's healers have agreed, by signing a pledge, to promote herbal and other alternatives to bear bile in traditional medicine.

It is the responsibility of each of us to cherish and protect wild resources, the federation's President Ting Ka Hua said.

Chinese medicine practitioners and retailers should choose the legitimately produced medicines, pay attention to the contents of the products, do not buy medicinal ingredients of unknown provenance, and consciously resist illegal items.

Practitioners of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) are duty-bound, he said, to correct unfounded and inaccurate concepts of the use of wildlife in traditional medicine.

He added: Under the leadership of the Federation, we will drive support for the effort to end the use of illegal and endangered wildlife products in traditional medicine, within the Malaysian Chinese Traditional Medicine community, while maintaining the highest, safest and most reliable services.

Kudos to members of the federation for taking a stance against the use of wild animals like bears in traditional medicine.

The TCM community of practitioners and users in Malaysia can be one of the strongest allies to ending illegal wildlife trade, and we are very glad to be partnering with Malaysia’s largest TCM community, noted Kanitha Krishnasamy, acting regional director for TRAFFIC in Southeast Asia.

The good news is that effective substitutes for bear-based products are available and being used worldwide and it’s important for the Malaysian community to know of these alternatives and work towards incorporating them into practice.


Tourism Observer
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South Africa Moves To Attract Indian Tourists

South Africa has identified India as a key focus market for boosting tourism and it will shortly launch an aggressive campaign to attract tourists from there.

South Africa has identified India as a key focus market for boosting tourism and it will shortly launch an aggressive campaign to attract tourists from there.

South African Tourism Minister Derek Hanekom announced this at the INDABA tourism fair here. He said that the country had received more than 80,000 Indian tourists last year and his ministry planned to dedicate to India a significant part of its advertising budget of nearly $8 million this year, with the objective of boosting significantly the arrivals from India.

“India has a huge potential and our challenge is to see what is needed in order for this market to grow and for us to get a fair share of the huge pool of Indian travellers,” Hanekom said.

He said Indian travellers felt at home in South Africa as they had a very large population of people of Indian origin, especially in Durban.
“Mahatma Gandhi had also lived here in Durban. Here, just like in India, we have different cultures and different religions living in harmony with one another,” he added.

INDABA, which means gathering in Zulu, has positioned itself as the largest tourism fair in the African continent and attracts participation from all African countries which come to display their new products and services, as tourism is an essential sector for creating employment as well as economic growth in the least developed continent in the world.

“The safari experience is certainly one of the key selling point of Africa. We don’t have the Taj Mahal or some of the incredible sites that you have in India, but here in South Africa, you can be guaranteed to see the Big 5 (Lions, Elephants, Rhinos, Buffaloes and Leopards) in just one, single safari,” Hanekom said.

Tourism to South Africa and other African countries was severely hit by fears arising from the fresh outbreak of Ebola epidemic in West African nations of Liberia, Sierre Leone and Guinea. The market has begun to show signs of recovery, now that the outbreak has subsided.

The minister said that tourists’ fears were misplaced about contracting the virus in South Africa. “In fact, Europeans were much closer to where Ebola was happening than we were in South Africa,” Hanekom said.

Apart from a subsiding Ebola, Hanekom placed his hopes on boosting arrivals from India on the ease of visa regulations for Indians visiting South Africa. Earlier, the visa regulations were strict and it would take up to three weeks for getting permission to travel. In April this year, after Hanekom’s visit to India, the norms have been eased and visas should be easier and quicker to obtain for Indians.

“The problem is that our consulate and embassies were having difficulties in answering and handling the visa demands during the peak travel season in India and it often took up to three weeks for delivering visas. That is simply too long. I am convinced that if we manage to make the visa easier we can double the numbers in a couple of years,” Hanekom explained.

For many Indians, the country is also perceived as an elite and expensive destination just like European countries, but in recent months a weakening Rand has allowed more Indians to visit and spend more.

Another peculiarity of the Indian travellers is that they like to visit several countries on a trip. While in Europe and North America it is simpler due to visa-free travel between nations, it is still a challenge in Africa.

This point was a focus of discussions at the INDABA this year and various African countries have begun looking at how to facilitate such seamless travel in Africa. Hanekom admitted that security and instability issues in some African nations remained an important barrier to visa-free travel within the continent.

The minister also allayed fears of travellers that that some areas in South Africa were unsafe.

Hanneli Slabber, country manager of South Africa Tourism in India, said: “I guess you have to beware of pickpockets anywhere in the world. Indians visiting South Africa enjoy adventure and activities and they buy triple the amount of activities than those from other nations. Indian women are actually leading in terms of numbers and they like the country and feel safe.”

Slabber said that now a lot of vegetarian options, including vegan and Jain food, are available in the country and there were several Indian restaurants. “Our cuisine is influenced by Indian curries as well and a lot of South Africans, not necessarily of Indian origin, can cook good Indian cuisine,” he added.

However, in a blow to tourism from India, the national carrier, South African Airways, facing a shortage of aircraft, has stopped the only direct flights from India (Mumbai) to South Africa, forcing Indian tourists to go for alternatives like Emirates or Qatar with one-stop flights.

UAE: Thank You Emirates Airline For Supporting Wildlife,Super Jumbo Message Against Illegal Wildlife Trade

Two massive Emirates A380 jets will take to the skies this week, wearing special livery in support of United for Wildlife, a global collaboration that unites the efforts of the world’s leading wildlife charities in the fight against the illegal wildlife trade.

The livery, featuring some of the planet’s wildlife threatened by poaching and the illegal wildlife trade, is aimed at raising awareness of the illegal wildlife trade and communicates the need for urgent action.

In a press release, Lord Hague of Richmond, Chair of the United for Wildlife Transport Taskforce, said: “We welcome the efforts and commitment made by Emirates airline to combat the illegal wildlife trade. This is more than just an environmental issue. The illegal wildlife trade is now recognized as a serious and organised trans-national crime. It drives corruption, is linked to money laundering and can damage economic development in many of the world’s poorest countries and communities. It will take a concerted effort, involving not only effective deterrents against poaching and smuggling, and vigilance in policing and punishing these crimes, but also efforts to increase consumer education to cut demand to protect these animals for the future. “

Tim Clark, President Emirates Airline said: “Many animals, in particular African elephants, rhinos, tigers, and pangolins, are under extreme pressure because of an unprecedented spike in the illegal wildlife trade. The world is in a global poaching crisis, and everyone has to do their part to stop this, before it is too late. Emirates believes that the global transport industry, including airlines, can play a significant role to break the supply chain of illegal wildlife trade. And at Emirates, we are committing the resources to do our part.”

Consumers too, can contribute in a big way, by boycotting products made from the parts of these endangered animals and discouraging others from doing so.

Emirates’ two A380s will initially operate flights to London (LHR) on November 2 and to Mauritius (MRU) on November 5 each wearing a different design featuring endangered wildlife. The decal on the first flight will feature six endangered species, while the second flight will feature a decal with rhinos and elephants. Both designs cover the world’s largest passenger aircraft almost from nose to tail, spreading over the wings and under-belly of the plane. Approximately 40 per cent of the surface area of the A380 will be covered by the decal. The larger of the two designs span over 42.5 metres in length and 6.2 metres in width, and weighs 70kg. Entirely designed, produced, and applied by Emirates’ in-house staff, both of these are the largest decals the airline has put on any aircraft, to date and took a team of 28 people 2.5 days to apply the decals on one A380, or approximately 900 man hours per aircraft.

In addition to its two A380s literally “flying” the flag for the cause, Emirates will run regular feature stories about wildlife protection in its in-flight magazines, and showcase podcast interviews, wildlife programming and feature films on its award-winning ice inflight entertainment system.

The airline is also collaborating with international organisations to train and better equip its ground and cargo staff to detect and deal with illegal wildlife products in transit. As the required paperwork for movement of some wildlife products is often forged, Emirates also made the decision to ban trophy shipments.

KENYA: 107 Wildlife Face Extinction

Up to 107 of Kenya’s wildlife species are slowly edging towards extinction with their numbers having more than halved in the past three decades, a new report says.

The report, which was compiled by Parliament’s Environment and Natural Resources committee, says wildlife populations of different species have declined by between 30-90 per cent since 1977 and warns that some animals could disappear in the next few decades if the trend is allowed to continue.

“The wildlife species that have significantly declined and are critically threatened include elephants, rhinos, Grevy’s zebra, roan and stable antelopes, hirolas, bongos, lions and cheetahs, among others,” the committee chaired by Nominated MP Amina Abdalla says.

Besides poaching, the committee found that habitat loss due to increasing human settlement and developments, human-wildlife conflict, bush meat hunting, climate change and diseases is also contributing to the dwindling numbers.

“Trade in wildlife bush meat was widespread and went on unabated, reaching a commercial scale where meat is sold openly in markets such as Burma in Nairobi,” the committee said.

The MPs found that although much of the publicity on loss of wildlife has focused on elephants and rhinos, other species are facing similar or even higher levels of threat to their survival.

Kenya has a total of 8,654 known wildlife species, according to the report which further states that the years 2011, 2012 and 2013 witnessed the highest levels of poaching since the crisis began in the 1980s.