01 February 2013 | WWF-Singapore
and TRAFFIC Southeast Asia commend authorities
on intercepting 1.8 tonnes of raw ivory
tusks found in transit from Africa, on Monday.
The next steps taken by the Agri-Food and
Veterinary Authority and Singapore Customs
will be as important as the seizure itself.
Both organisations urge
the authorities to notify CITES of the seizure,
allow an independent audit of the seized
tusks and provide the details to the Elephant
Trade Information System (ETIS), the world’s
largest database of elephant product seizure
records.
If the 1,099 tusks are
to be returned to the country of origin,
there may a chance for them to slip back
into the supply chain of illegal wildlife
products. Therefore, WWF-Singapore and TRAFFIC
Southeast Asia encourage Singaporean authorities
to incinerate the tusks once the audit and
investigations are complete.
Globally, illegal trade
in ivory is at its highest levels in nearly
two decades, and 2011 witnessed a ‘major
surge’, said a report released by the Convention
on International Trade in Endangered Species
of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) in December
2012.
Asia is contributing
significantly to the worldwide demand for
illegal wildlife products, as the rising
affluence in the region results in an increase
in Asian consumers with the means to purchase
illegal products including Elephant ivory.
Tens of thousands of African elephants are
estimated to be killed annually to supply
the ivory markets in Asia.
“This seizure is a big
win for the Singapore authorities, but it
also reminds us that Singapore needs to
be vigilant and should not be used as a
loophole for illegal wildlife trade passing
through to Asia. This must continue to be
a critical issue because Singapore prides
itself on its effective enforcement system.
Therefore, Singapore can be a leading voice
at the 16th CITES meeting taking place in
Bangkok in early March,” said Elaine Tan,
CEO, WWF-Singapore.
“This seizure very clearly
illustrates the need to not only increase
protection for elephants in range States,
but to increase efforts to disrupt trade
chains and to put the kingpins behind the
poaching and trade out of business,” said
Dr Chris R. Shepherd, Deputy Regional Director
of TRAFFIC Southeast Asia.
“Singapore has the capacity
to put an end to its role as a transit point
for the illegal ivory trade. Enforcement
and continued vigilance should now become
their major focus.”
Both organisations also
urge Singapore authorities to clarify how
much ivory it still holds in stockpiles
and how these, and seized ivory, are being
managed.
+ More
Kony's LRA engaged in
poaching and ivory trade
04 February 2013 | Joseph
Kony has commanded his Lord’s Resistance
Army soldiers to kill elephants in Central
African forests, a new study has revealed.
The LRA Crisis Tracker 2012 Annual Security
Brief says LRA escapees have reported witnessing
rebels shoot elephants and remove their
tusks at Kony's demand. Individuals that
have escaped abduction by the LRA also say
that unknown persons arriving by helicopter
to remote locations have provided rations
in exchange for ivory.
“The LRA has been responsible
for some of the most egregious violations
of human rights in Central Africa. Now Kony
and his rebels appear to be engaging in
elephant poaching and ivory smuggling to
sustain their terrorist operations. The
security implications of illegal wildlife
trade extend far beyond conservation. It
is a national security issue and a threat
to human life,” said Bas Huijbregts, head
of policy engagement for WWF in Central
Africa.
Last month the United
Nations Security Council requested an investigation
into LRA's sources of funding, including
elephant poaching and ivory smuggling. The
move came just after a briefing of UN ambassadors
by WWF and TRAFFIC experts highlighting
the national security threat posed by wildlife
crime.
Poaching of elephants
has reached crisis levels in Central Africa,
largely due to demand for ivory products
in Asian markets such as China and Thailand.
Through a global petition, WWF and our supporters
are calling on the Thai prime minister to
ban ivory trade in the country.
