wildlife trade news reports, seizures, policy, development, conservation

Cambridge, UK, 22nd April, Earth Day 2019—this year’s Earth Day theme is Protect our species, a topic that should concern every one of us as the world lurches towards its sixth mass extinction event, with the effects of biodiversity loss plain to see.  read full story >

Cambridge, UK, 16th February 2019, World Pangolin Day—Until recently, pangolins or “scaly anteaters” were an obscure mammal few people had ever heard of. But now, seven years after the inaugural World Pangolin Day in 2012, they’ve been catapulted into the public eye—although for the wrong reasons. Hundreds of thousands of pangolins have been poached and all eight species are threatened with extinction in the wild, giving the animals the unenviable reputation of the world’s most trafficked mammal. read full story >

New Delhi, 15th February 2018—On the eve of #WorldPangolinDay 2019, TRAFFIC, in collaboration with WWF-India, the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau, and the National Zoological Park (NZP), New Delhi is urging the public in India to help decide the future of pangolins by “choosing their side” through the message “Pangolin in Wild or Pangolins in Illegal wildlife trade”. read full story >

Sabah, Malaysia, 11th February 2019 – Alarming news continues to pour in for pangolins, the scaly mammal beleaguered by illegal trade, ahead of World Pangolin Day this Saturday, February 16th. read full story >

Petaling Jaya, Malaysia, 6th December 2018–Close to three tonnes of pangolin scales went up in flames today as authorities incinerated several illegal shipments seized in 2017—a record year for pangolin scale seizures in Malaysia. read full story >

Hanoi, Viet Nam, 14th Dec 2018—A new study provides insights on consumption patterns for rhino, elephant, and pangolin products Viet Nam. The research, funded by USAID, will guide the design and implementation of demand reduction interventions to Vietnamese consumers.  read full story >

Sabah, Malaysia, 28th September 2018—A local businessman faces up to MYR2 billion (USD242 million) in penalties if convicted of charges stemming from Malaysia’s largest seizure of pangolin scales. read full story >

Hanoi, Viet Nam, 10th July 2018—A study released today by TRAFFIC suggests that most of Viet Nam’s online illegal wildlife trade does not take place on websites ending in .vn, as previously thought and instead monitoring efforts should focus on those ending .com, including social media websites.  read full story >

Beijing, China, 31st May 2018—With support from the European Union (EU), “China’s Champions of Change” initiative to reduce the demand for illegal wildlife products and promote responsible consumption for those that can be sustainably traded, was officially launched in Beijing this week. read full story >

Kampala, Uganda, 11 April 2018—A new TRAFFIC report identifies Uganda as one of the common transit points for the trafficking of wildlife and wildlife products in the Central and East Africa region. Criminal organizations in Uganda are mainly associated with the smuggling of ivory, but in recent years have also been heavily linked to pangolin trafficking. read full story >

16 February 2018, New Delhi, India—On the eve of World Pangolin Day 2018, a TRAFFIC study has revealed that at least 5,772 pangolins were found in illegal wildlife trade in India during the period 2009–2017; close to 650 pangolins every year since 2009. However, this is a conservative estimate and as only a fraction of illegal wildlife trade is detected, the actual number is likely to be far higher. read full story >

Sabah, Malaysia, 13th February 2018—There’s a little good news for the world’s most trafficked mammal ahead of World Pangolin Day this year. read full story >