Comments on: Another Inconvenient Truth

By: Kill Trade to save endangered species – Baraza

Kill Trade to save endangered species – Baraza — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 04:26:29 +0000

[...] an article titled “Another inconvenient truth” (a convenient title I must admit), Elizabeth Bennet states that “A continuing global failure [...]

By: paula kahumbu

paula kahumbu — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 03:56:20 +0000

I just witnessed the burning of 5 tons of contraband ivory from Zambia and Malawi in Kenya that was seized in Singapore in 2002. The scary thing was that this ivory came from government stockpiles that had been raided! Secondly, it was headed for China and Japan, both countries are authorized by CITES to trade in ivory because they can “control the illegal trade”. This was the 19th shipment from southern Africa. The solution demands that Africa invests in high tech enforcement to save species that are in demand in China and Japan. It is garbage that the revenues raised from legal sales through CITES ‘help’ to conserve these charismatic species. In fact, the legal trade triggers demand and leads to unmanageable illegal trade. With China’s growing status in Africa, we know that regardless of penalties in Africa, Chinese nationals are getting off scot free. The solution is not greater enforcement – that is just driving up an arms race that African countries simply can’t win. So long as there is a demand for trade in those countries elephants and rhino’s will continue to die. The solution is to destroy the trade, remove China and Japan as trading partners for ivory, destroy the supply, and kill the demand by changing cultures in China and Japan. We all know that these two countries can do it but they simply don’t have the will.

By: For Tomorrow

For Tomorrow — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 23:45:18 +0000

Finally, officials are taking organized illegal wildlife trade at least a little seriously. It is a major problem that reels in startlingly close to the amount of money that illegal drug trafficking does. Without stopping the root of the problem (organized wildlife related crime) the problem will persist. Awareness is SO important in this aspect because most people don’t even know that the situation exists.

By: anton bakker

anton bakker — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 09:41:35 +0000

the actual figure for Rinp kild in South Africa in 2010 is 330. That is neerly one Rino per day. This year 141 Rino has been ilegaly kild (not consedering the pregnat cows) that is sofar 1.2 Rino per day

By: Julia

Julia — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 14:13:07 +0000

Another important factor to consider in battling illegal wildlife trade is the cultural significance and perception of rare wildlife body parts in Asia and other places where parts are valued for their medicinal or spiritual uses. As long as people believe those wildlife body parts serve invaluable functions spiritually and/or medically, there will be a demand for that illegal trade. Izilwane, an online conservation magazine, talks about the vital intersections between human perception of their relationships with other species and conservation. Check it out! http://www.izilwane.org

By: Daniel Francis

Daniel Francis — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 06:12:14 +0000

Unfortunately most of this trade heads into China, who care not a jot for the health of the planet. Natural resources are being plundered worldwide particularly in Africa and South America by the Chinese to fuel their economy. Animal parts fuel their highly lucrative medicine market that is built on lies and ignorance purely for profit, lets face it one of the main organisations investing in this trade in China is also an arms dealer – highly ethical then!!

Our Governments do little because all they are interested in is growth in the economy and China is good for trade – if it was down to the Chinese all wildlife would be in a cage ready to be farmed and the whole planet covered in tarmac.

What can we do? Boycott everything made in China, its tough but check the label, if its made in China DO NOT BUY IT…