news reports, seizures, policy, development, conservation

Libreville, Gabon, 27th June 2012—Today, more than 1,200 ivory tusks plus assorted ivory carvings were burned publicly as Gabon sent out a strong signal demonstrating its commitment to tackle elephant poaching and illegal wildlife trade. read full story >

Libreville, Gabon, 27th June 2012 – In a bold move against poaching and illegal wildlife trade, Gabon is expected to burn its government-held ivory stockpile today. The decision comes at a time of intense poaching pressure in Central Africa, where the illegal killing of elephants for ivory is at record levels. Gabon’s President Ali Bongo will ignite the ivory pyre later today in Cité de la Démocratie.  read full story >

Geneva, 21st June 2012 – Elephant poaching levels are the worst in a decade and recorded ivory seizures are at their highest levels since 1989, according to a report published today by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).  read full story >

Colombo, Sri Lanka, 1st June 2012 — Sri Lanka Customs authorities in the port of Colombo have seized 1.5 tonnes of ivory last Tuesday –which is  the single largest-ever haul of ivory in the country. read full story >

Libreville, Gabon, 5th April 2012—As a symbol of its commitment to tackling illegal wildlife trade, Gabon will burn its entire ivory stockpile in the coming months, at a date to be announced shortly.  read full story >

Cameroon, 29th March 2012—Just weeks after a military offensive against elephant poachers in Bouba N’Djida National Park in the north of Cameroon, 12 suspected poachers have been arrested and 14 elephant tusks confiscated close to protected areas in the southeast of the country.  read full story >

Update: A 29 year old man appeared in Alor Setar Sessions Court on 15th February, charged under the Wildlife Conservation Act 2010 of possessing pieces of 8 Tiger skins, 22 Tiger bone pieces, 6 African Elephant tusks and one antelope horn. Bail was set at MYR70,000 (USD23,000). The trial date is yet to be announced.  Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 10th February 2012—Eight Tiger skins, elephant tusks and bags of bones were seized in northern Malaysia, according to a statement released today by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment. read full story >

New Delhi, India, 9th February 2012—Tracey, a two-year old female Alsation dog trained to sniff out wildlife products, has helped recover two elephant tusks, weighing over 32 kg from the forests of Dalma Wildlife Sanctuary in Jharkhand, India.  read full story >

Egypt, 30th January 2012—the illegal trade in elephant ivory is flourishing in Egypt due to a lack of law enforcement, combined with the entrance into the market of a major new consumer—the Chinese buyer, according to a new TRAFFIC investigation. read full story >

Port Klang, Malaysia, 9th January 2012—Malaysian Customs Department in Port Klang has seized close to half a tonne of ivory exported from Cape Town, South Africa; the third ivory seizure at this port in just over six months. read full story >

Cambridge, UK, 29th December 2011—As the year draws to a close, TRAFFIC warns that 2011 has seen a record number of large ivory seizures globally, reflecting the sharp rise in illegal ivory trade underway since 2007.  read full story >

News update: according to a Vietnamese media report, Customs in the port of Hai Phong seized 300 kg of ivory on 5th November, said to be imported by a company based in Mong Caihttp://bit.ly/skOtFg Ha Noi, Vietnam, 4th November 2011—Following scientific analysis, Vietnamese officials have confirmed that all 211 items seized during a raid in northern Viet Nam last month were, as suspected, African Elephant ivory.  read full story >