Latest news with #TRAFFIC
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Yahoo
Indonesian police uncover online ivory trade via TikTok and Facebook
Indonesian authorities have arrested four people accused of trafficking elephant ivory disguised as smoking pipes and sold on TikTok and Facebook. The suspects were arrested in separate operations in the cities of Sukabumi, West Java and Jakarta, according to Brigadier General Nunung Syaifuddin of the National Police's Directorate of Special Economic Crimes. Two of the suspects were caught conducting a live sales session on TikTok, where they allegedly promoted smoking pipes made from elephant tusk. Officers seized about 300 ivory pipes and eight pieces of elephant tusk, along with mobile phones, bank books and livestreaming equipment. All trade in elephant ivory is banned in Indonesia under the country's wildlife conservation laws, which align with international efforts to protect endangered species. Asian elephants are classified as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), with their populations threatened by habitat loss and poaching for ivory. While the physical sale of ivory has been driven underground in many countries, conservation groups have warned traders are increasingly moving online, where enforcement is more difficult. A 2022 report by the wildlife monitoring network TRAFFIC highlighted Indonesia as one of several countries where online ivory trading has been increasing despite regulatory crackdowns. If convicted, the suspects could face prison sentences under Indonesia's conservation laws, which carry penalties of up to five years' imprisonment and substantial fines.
New Indian Express
27-05-2025
- New Indian Express
PTR seeks sniffer dogs to check poaching of wild animals, illegal meat trade
RANCHI: Palamu Tiger Reserve (PTR) has sought a sniffer dog, required to check poaching of wild animals and illegal trade of their meat. According to PTR officials, they have written to TRAFFIC, a joint initiative of World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and the International Union of Conservation of Nature, for the same and expect to get a least in the next few weeks. PTR Deputy Director Prajesh Kant Jena informed that, Honey, a sniffer dog which was brought here in 2023, died a few months back, and hence, they need at least one to detect wild life crime. The Belgian Malinois, a special breed of dog, is used by forest officials for the detection of wildlife crime. The Belgian Malinois is a medium to large-sized dog with an athletic, lean build and a short, tight coat. Sometimes mistaken for the larger, heavier boned German Shepherd Dog. The PTR management uses sniffer dogs to track and prevent poaching of animals, mostly deer, and their illegal trade. 'Sniffer dogs are a part of protection regime in PTR as they are trained to detect wildlife crime and used in multiple things by the forest officials like detecting the crime scene and the miscreants. In addition to that, they are also help us in detecting meat of any wild animals being sold in the local 'haat' or market by sniffing them,' said Jena.
Yahoo
24-02-2025
- Yahoo
A billion-dollar black market is thriving online — and tech platforms are struggling to stop it
It isn't hard to find the heart of the illegal wildlife trade in Vietnam. It's happening online. Per Mongabay, a recent report by nonprofit watchdog TRAFFIC found an "alarming breadth of online adverts" offering illegal wildlife products for sale in Vietnam. The research, conducted between June 2021 and July 2023, found widespread availability of products from endangered and threatened species — including elephants, tigers, pangolins, rhinos, tortoises, and freshwater turtles — across "major e-commerce and social media platforms." TRAFFIC identified 22,497 online advertisements for illegal wildlife products during the study period. That's equivalent to 30 posts per day. Of those, 8,232 advertisements were for elephant products, while 8,327 advertisements were for tiger products. The primary platforms used by traffickers were Facebook and Zalo, a Vietnamese instant messaging platform. A staggering 51.3% of illegal trade advertisements were found on Facebook alone. Importantly, the study noted that advertisements on Zalo dropped significantly toward the end of the study because the platform implemented a policy to lock accounts associated with the illegal wildlife trade. TRAFFIC reports tiger products, elephant ivory, rhino, and pangolin products are among the most popular illegally traded items online. Advertisements for tortoises and freshwater turtles also included critically endangered and protected species for sale — advertised both as pets and as meat. Products were advertised for various purposes, from ornamental to religious to medicinal to pets. Most listings were for animal-based traditional medicines, exotic pets, wild meat, jewelry, and ornamental pieces. TRAFFIC also found traffickers are getting craftier with their postings to avoid detection from monitoring software. Some sellers hop to new groups or platforms regularly to avoid detection, per the report. Others use code words, slang phrases, or emoticons to evade tracking systems. Though it's hard to quantify, illegal wildlife trading is estimated to be a billion-dollar industry. This harmful trade directly threatens the survival of many endangered and threatened species. The World Wildlife Fund states that illegal wildlife trading is second only to habitat destruction in threats to species' survival. Wildlife poaching can cause detrimental imbalances in a region's ecosystem, reducing the population of core species. This can have ripple effects across a region's animal and plant life, even impacting the people who live in those regions and depend on the natural environment. Should the government be paying people to hunt invasive species? Definitely Depends on the animal No way Just let people do it for free Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Simply put, thriving wildlife means thriving ecosystems and a healthier environment for all. While there are laws in Vietnam banning illegal wildlife trading, that isn't enough to evade traffickers. More needs to be done — and it may start with tech companies. In the report, TRAFFIC called for social media and e-commerce companies to "enhance their monitoring capabilities, train staff, and implement stricter policies against posts enabling illegal wildlife trade." The organization also said law enforcement and government agencies should partner with online platforms to investigate repeat posters — and to follow through with prosecution. The nonprofit highlighted the need for traditional medicine to move away from using protected species. Additionally, TRAFFIC called for nongovernmental organizations to collaborate with online companies and governments to increase awareness and understanding of wildlife protection laws. It's important to mention that TRAFFIC's investigation was done with support from the U.S. Agency for International Development's Saving Threatened Wildlife project. USAID, which provides billions of dollars in humanitarian assistance overseas, is under threat of being closed by President Donald Trump. His administration has said the agency is full of "ridiculous" and "malicious" pet projects with minimal oversight. Research such as TRAFFIC's report, however, is key to understanding — and stopping — poaching and illegal wildlife trade. You can reach out to your representatives if you want to advocate for a solution that would support the continuation of these initiatives. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Yahoo
22-02-2025
- Yahoo
Officials recover over 2,000 pounds of evidence after foiling smuggling attempt: 'The suspects must be punished to the maximum'
Authorities foiled a trafficking plot that would have seen over a million dollars' worth of illegal pangolin scales being smuggled out of Indonesia, the Associated Press reported. The traffickers were found in possession of over one ton of pangolin scales, which were the product of at least 5,900 dead pangolins. At a news conference, Rasio Ridho Sani, director general of law enforcement at the environment ministry, said that four suspects — three of whom are army members — have been charged with illegal possession of carcasses of protected animals. If they're found guilty, they will face up to 20 years in prison and $314,000 in fines. Pangolins are in demand for their meat in China and Vietnam, where they're considered a delicacy. These scales were headed for China, likely to be used in traditional medicine — an area where they serve as a popular ingredient, despite the lack of any scientific proof of their medicinal value. This was the eighth pangolin smuggling plot foiled in Indonesia in 2024; dozens of similar smuggling groups have been exposed around the world, as Down to Earth revealed. Trafficking does a great deal of damage. Eradicating a species disrupts an ecosystem's natural balance and food chain, putting the other species there at risk. Similar damage can occur when trafficked species are introduced to a new environment where they're geographically invasive, wreaking havoc on native populations. Pangolins, in particular, have become critically endangered due to this illegal trading. According to TRAFFIC, an anti-wildlife-trade nonprofit, 23.5 tons of pangolins were smuggled in 2021 alone, making them the most trafficked mammal on the planet. TRAFFIC described the species as "another wildlife victim of insatiable consumer demand." Sani, speaking at the Indonesian press conference, agreed. "Killing thousands of pangolins will disrupt the balance of nature and damage the ecosystem, thereby harming the environment and society," he said. "The suspects must be punished to the maximum sentence so that there is a deterrent effect." All international trade of pangolins — and other heavily trafficked species — is already prohibited under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, but trafficking remains a problem. Fortunately, many groups around the world are using multi-pronged approaches to drive down trafficking. For example, the African Wildlife Foundation writes on its website that its members "detect, deter, investigate, and prosecute wildlife crime" through collaboration with wildlife agencies and law enforcement. The WWF also emphasizes the need for governments to crack down on illegal wildlife trading. Should the government be allowed to restrict how much water we use? Definitely Only during major droughts No way I'm not sure Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. As a consumer, doing research goes a long way. Look for sustainably sourced products and non-exotic pets, and stay away from dubious animal-centered tourist attractions when you travel. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
