At least 200 kilogrammes of ivory worth over half a million dollars was intercepted at the Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport on Monday, while destined for Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The Zimbabwe National Parks and Wildlife Authority (ZimParks) confirmed the interception yesterday and said it is on high alert. The owner of the ivory, which was boxed, was still not known by yesterday. The interception of the loot followed a joint operation by parks and security agencies at the international airport.
ZimParks spokesperson Mr Tinashe Farawo confirmed the development in an interview with The Herald yesterday. Investigations to track down the criminals behind the attempted smuggling of the ivory were underway. The Herald is reliably informed that the net is fast closing on the suspects.
“The Zimbabwe National Parks and Wildlife Authority officers at the Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport, working with other security agencies, on Monday intercepted 200kg of ivory destined for Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia,” said Mr Farawo.
“Efforts to get the owner are underway.” Mr Farawo said the case had since been handed over to the Zimbabwe Republic Police. “The matter has been handed over to the ZRP Border Control and Minerals Unit,” he said. “As parks, we are on high alert. We will not allow such illegal activities to happen and this is in line with President Mnangagwa’s policy of zero tolerance on corruption.
“We are excited that we are moving in line with the Head of State and Government. I can assure you, we will get to the bottom of this matter, as the net is closing in on the culprits.” The country has 84 000 elephants, which it considers too many, but is unable to sell ivory due to CITES restrictions. Poaching has seen a good number of elephants being killed through shooting or poisoning using cyanide.
A total of 893 jumbos were poached between 2013 and 2016. Out of this number, 249 elephants were killed through poisoning using cyanide or shooting.
Please credit and share this article with others using this link:http://www.herald.co.zw/200kg-malaysia-bound-ivory-intercepted-at-rgm-airport/
Welcome to Elephant News Malaysia. This site is intended to be a public service to those wishing to keep up to date with events and issues affecting elephants in Malaysia.
Showing posts with label elephant ivory trading. Show all posts
Showing posts with label elephant ivory trading. Show all posts
Saturday, January 27, 2018
Wednesday, September 13, 2017
Clamp down on illegal wildlife parts trade, say groups
The rising cases of Malaysia being a transit point for the illegal wildlife parts trade is serious and has far-reaching consequences including animal extinction in the region.
Pertubuhan Pelindung Khazanah Alam Malaysia president Puan Sri Shariffa Sabrina Syed Akil said more stringent measures should be taken to deter would-be wildlife traffickers.
“The value of the poached animals is rather high resulting in an alarming number of exotic animals killed for commercial gains. This will inevitably diminish the species within years.
“This has to stop, otherwise we will have a crisis on our hands,” Shariffa Sabrina said.
The Aug 29 attempt by an international syndicate using the country’s port as a transit point to smuggle out the cache was thwarted.
Last July, the world’s largest seizure of ivory took place in Hong Kong when more than seven tonnes arrived in a shipping container from Malaysia.
The 7,200kg shipment – valued at RM39.1mil – was uncovered by the authorities in the former British colony, highlighting the huge demand in the illegal ivory trade.
World Wildlife Fund for Nature (Malaysia) CEO and executive director Datuk Dr Dionysius Sharma congratulated Customs over the recent confiscation of illegal wildlife parts.
“This is a huge crime against wildlife, especially as elephants and pangolins are also currently threatened by habitat loss and low reproductive rates.
“Each adult female for both species can only produce an offspring at a time and in the case of an elephant, it has the longest pregnancy period of all mammals, which lasts more than a year and a half.
“Therefore, the death of even one member of the species has a major impact on the whole population.
“I call upon the state government of Sabah, and federal agencies to share resources such as manpower and intelligence to clamp down on illegal wildlife trade,” he said in a statement.
Dr Sharma said WWF Malaysia remains committed to fighting wildlife crime by providing technical expertise and sharing information with government agencies, such as the district anti-poaching task force in Sabah.
“We must show the world that we mean business when it comes to the survival of wildlife.
“Therefore, let us all work together so that Sabah will no longer be a transit point for the illegal wildlife trade.
“Together, everything is possible,” he added.
Please credit and share this article with others using this link: http://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2017/09/10/clamp-down-on-illegal-wildlife-parts-trade-say-groups/#eFPteU2jQoTLMqhh.99
Pertubuhan Pelindung Khazanah Alam Malaysia president Puan Sri Shariffa Sabrina Syed Akil said more stringent measures should be taken to deter would-be wildlife traffickers.
“The value of the poached animals is rather high resulting in an alarming number of exotic animals killed for commercial gains. This will inevitably diminish the species within years.
“This has to stop, otherwise we will have a crisis on our hands,” Shariffa Sabrina said.
The Aug 29 attempt by an international syndicate using the country’s port as a transit point to smuggle out the cache was thwarted.
Last July, the world’s largest seizure of ivory took place in Hong Kong when more than seven tonnes arrived in a shipping container from Malaysia.
The 7,200kg shipment – valued at RM39.1mil – was uncovered by the authorities in the former British colony, highlighting the huge demand in the illegal ivory trade.
World Wildlife Fund for Nature (Malaysia) CEO and executive director Datuk Dr Dionysius Sharma congratulated Customs over the recent confiscation of illegal wildlife parts.
“This is a huge crime against wildlife, especially as elephants and pangolins are also currently threatened by habitat loss and low reproductive rates.
“Each adult female for both species can only produce an offspring at a time and in the case of an elephant, it has the longest pregnancy period of all mammals, which lasts more than a year and a half.
“Therefore, the death of even one member of the species has a major impact on the whole population.
“I call upon the state government of Sabah, and federal agencies to share resources such as manpower and intelligence to clamp down on illegal wildlife trade,” he said in a statement.
Dr Sharma said WWF Malaysia remains committed to fighting wildlife crime by providing technical expertise and sharing information with government agencies, such as the district anti-poaching task force in Sabah.
“We must show the world that we mean business when it comes to the survival of wildlife.
“Therefore, let us all work together so that Sabah will no longer be a transit point for the illegal wildlife trade.
“Together, everything is possible,” he added.
Please credit and share this article with others using this link: http://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2017/09/10/clamp-down-on-illegal-wildlife-parts-trade-say-groups/#eFPteU2jQoTLMqhh.99
Saturday, September 09, 2017
Sabah Customs seizes elephant tusks, pangolin scales worth RM80.5 million
KOTA KINABALU: Sabah Customs seized three tons of elephant tusks and five tons of pangolin scales, valued at about RM80.5 million, which were believed to be on the way to be smuggled through Sepanggar Port to another country on August 29.
Customs director-general Datuk Seri T. Subromaniam said the 1,148 elephant tusks, worth RM9.9 million, and pangolin scales, valued at RM70.6 million, were seized during a check on two containers declared as containing groundnuts on Aug 30.
"The elephant tusks and pangolin scales are suspected to be from Nigeria, Africa and had passed through the port of a neighbouring country before entering the country," he told reporters here today.
Also present was Sabah Customs director Datuk Hamzah Sundang.
T. Subromaniam said following the confiscation, a 43-year-old man had been remanded under Section 135(1)(A) of the Customs Act 1967 to facilitate investigations on suspicion of importing prohibited items.
He said investigations were also carried out under the Prevention of Money Laundering and Terrorism Financing Act whereby the accounts of suspected individuals and companies would be suspended.
The final destination of the containers was believed to be China but the matter was pending Customs' investigation, he said.
He said Malaysia should not be regarded as a transit for smuggling of prohibited goods but needed to be viewed from the aspect of the department's success in curbing the activity even though it had passed through the port of a neighbouring country.
"I want to warn any syndicates not to use ports in Malaysia for smuggling, especially prohibited items," he added.
Customs director-general Datuk Seri T. Subromaniam said the 1,148 elephant tusks, worth RM9.9 million, and pangolin scales, valued at RM70.6 million, were seized during a check on two containers declared as containing groundnuts on Aug 30.
"The elephant tusks and pangolin scales are suspected to be from Nigeria, Africa and had passed through the port of a neighbouring country before entering the country," he told reporters here today.
Also present was Sabah Customs director Datuk Hamzah Sundang.
T. Subromaniam said following the confiscation, a 43-year-old man had been remanded under Section 135(1)(A) of the Customs Act 1967 to facilitate investigations on suspicion of importing prohibited items.
He said investigations were also carried out under the Prevention of Money Laundering and Terrorism Financing Act whereby the accounts of suspected individuals and companies would be suspended.
The final destination of the containers was believed to be China but the matter was pending Customs' investigation, he said.
He said Malaysia should not be regarded as a transit for smuggling of prohibited goods but needed to be viewed from the aspect of the department's success in curbing the activity even though it had passed through the port of a neighbouring country.
"I want to warn any syndicates not to use ports in Malaysia for smuggling, especially prohibited items," he added.
Please credit and share this article with others using this link:http://english.astroawani.com/malaysia-news/sabah-customs-seizes-elephant-tusks-pangolin-scales-worth-rm80-5-million-154632
Thursday, August 24, 2017
Sabah minister decries wildlife poachers as ‘traitors’
Sabah Tourism, Culture and Environment minister Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun said illegal wildlife traders willing to serve up the state’s animals for the exotic meat trade were betraying the country.
He said such people were not just abusing the state’s pride and blessings, but also contributing to wildlife extinction here.
“If there are Sabahans doing this, then they are traitors who are doing a great disservice to their own state and country,” he said.
He was commenting on reports that unscrupulous parties were serving exotic meat from creatures such as pangolins, which are believed to have medicinal to tourists, for a hefty profit.
Masidi said that Sabah was among the most privileged places in the world, and blessed with exotic and abundant flora and fauna that has become the state’s source of pride and resources.
“To do this to our wildlife shows that they are not patriotic and betraying their country and those who have worked so hard at conserving our natural treasures,” he said.
Sabah’s wildlife like pangolins, sun bears, rhinoceros, elephants and orangutan have been under heavy pressure from human wildlife conflict like development, hunting, and the illegal pet trade.
Most recently, Indonesian authorities seized a 2.7kg elephant tusk from an Indonesian migrant worker travelling from Tawau to Kalimantan at the Nunukan port last week in the second similar case this year.
Conservationists fear that the tusks belong to Sabah’s Bornean Pygmy Elephants, a rare and endangered species of elephants that is struggling to maintain its habitat among Sabah’s rapid growth rate and plantation industries.
The carrier of the tusks claimed that they were bought for RM1,500 from a seller in Kota Kinabalu and was being taken to his hometown in Kalimantan for a traditional ceremony as a dowry.
“I’ve actually heard of this custom, from Timorese people. Some women told me they came here to work and raise money for their brother’s dowry of an elephant’s tusk. So this could be true. But it could also be used for other purposes. The fact is we cannot be sure of anything unless we actually catch them red-handed,” he said.
Masidi said that the government was concerned over the recent incident and raised questions about the tusk’s origins.
“But it has never been established that it was from here. We know it is probable, but we need to prove it,” he said adding that he has instructed his department to meet their counterparts in Indonesia to investigate the matter and obtain DNA samples of the tusk.
“If it is true that the tusks from here, we’ll obviously need to increase our border security and figure out how they got pass Malaysian checkpoints,” he said.
Read more at http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/sabah-minister-decries-wildlife-poachers-as-traitors#61C0t5MDXWDgqckl.99
He said such people were not just abusing the state’s pride and blessings, but also contributing to wildlife extinction here.
“If there are Sabahans doing this, then they are traitors who are doing a great disservice to their own state and country,” he said.
He was commenting on reports that unscrupulous parties were serving exotic meat from creatures such as pangolins, which are believed to have medicinal to tourists, for a hefty profit.
Masidi said that Sabah was among the most privileged places in the world, and blessed with exotic and abundant flora and fauna that has become the state’s source of pride and resources.
“To do this to our wildlife shows that they are not patriotic and betraying their country and those who have worked so hard at conserving our natural treasures,” he said.
Sabah’s wildlife like pangolins, sun bears, rhinoceros, elephants and orangutan have been under heavy pressure from human wildlife conflict like development, hunting, and the illegal pet trade.
Most recently, Indonesian authorities seized a 2.7kg elephant tusk from an Indonesian migrant worker travelling from Tawau to Kalimantan at the Nunukan port last week in the second similar case this year.
Conservationists fear that the tusks belong to Sabah’s Bornean Pygmy Elephants, a rare and endangered species of elephants that is struggling to maintain its habitat among Sabah’s rapid growth rate and plantation industries.
The carrier of the tusks claimed that they were bought for RM1,500 from a seller in Kota Kinabalu and was being taken to his hometown in Kalimantan for a traditional ceremony as a dowry.
“I’ve actually heard of this custom, from Timorese people. Some women told me they came here to work and raise money for their brother’s dowry of an elephant’s tusk. So this could be true. But it could also be used for other purposes. The fact is we cannot be sure of anything unless we actually catch them red-handed,” he said.
Masidi said that the government was concerned over the recent incident and raised questions about the tusk’s origins.
“But it has never been established that it was from here. We know it is probable, but we need to prove it,” he said adding that he has instructed his department to meet their counterparts in Indonesia to investigate the matter and obtain DNA samples of the tusk.
“If it is true that the tusks from here, we’ll obviously need to increase our border security and figure out how they got pass Malaysian checkpoints,” he said.
Read more at http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/sabah-minister-decries-wildlife-poachers-as-traitors#61C0t5MDXWDgqckl.99
Saturday, August 19, 2017
Another Vietnamese Ivory Smuggler is Nabbed at KLIA
And on and on it goes. The smuggling of ivory into and out of Malaysia, that is.
Exasperating? You bet.
Encouragingly, however, Malaysian officials tend to be on the ball and keep making arrest. The latest such arrest has involved that of a Vietnamese national who was trying to take 36kg of partially processed elephant tusks out of the country via Kuala Lumpur International Airport. The tusks, which had been cut up, tied up into 10 packages and packed into two suitcases, would have been worth around RM300,000 (US$70,000) on the black market.
The Vietnamese smuggler had brought the African elephant tusks from Addis Ababa, using Malaysia as a stopover. If convicted of trafficking, he is facing up to three years in jail and a hefty fine under Section 135 (1) (a) of the Customs Act 1967 for illegal importing prohibited goods into the country.
A Malaysian Customs officer displays the ivory contents of one of the two suitcases seized from a Vietnamese trafficker at Kuala Lumpur International Airport.
This latest case serves as yet another reminder that Malaysia continues to remain a hub for international ivory traffickers, several of whom are Vietnamese. In March last year Malaysian customs officials intercepted two Vietnamese men who were found to have 101kg of ivory inside their luggage. The same day officials discovered another haul of elephant tusks, amounting to 58 kilograms, in the bag of another Vietnamese passenger who had just flown in from Addis Ababa in Ethiopia and was on his way to Hanoi.
But it’s a two-way street. Just as illicit shipments of ivory are brought into Malaysia, so other shipments are taken elsewhere from here. Only a couple of weeks ago customs officials in Hong Kong discovered 7,200kg of elephant tusks shipped in from Africa via Malaysia. Valued at around US$9 million, it was the largest haul of contraband ivory seized in Hong Kong in three decades.
“A string of recent seizures in Malaysia has put a spotlight on wildlife trafficking between Africa and Asia,” explains the anti-wildlife trafficking watchdog TRAFFIC. “[It] shows that illegal traders continue to use Malaysia when smuggling wildlife products into and through Asia,” said the group’s Acting Regional Director for Southeast Asia, Kanitha Krishnasamy. “It is important that African, Malaysian and Vietnamese authorities to work together to break the links in this cross-continental illegal wildlife trade.”
Please credit and share this article with others using this link:http://cleanmalaysia.com/2017/07/27/another-vietnamese-ivory-smuggler-nabbed-klia/
Exasperating? You bet.
Encouragingly, however, Malaysian officials tend to be on the ball and keep making arrest. The latest such arrest has involved that of a Vietnamese national who was trying to take 36kg of partially processed elephant tusks out of the country via Kuala Lumpur International Airport. The tusks, which had been cut up, tied up into 10 packages and packed into two suitcases, would have been worth around RM300,000 (US$70,000) on the black market.
The Vietnamese smuggler had brought the African elephant tusks from Addis Ababa, using Malaysia as a stopover. If convicted of trafficking, he is facing up to three years in jail and a hefty fine under Section 135 (1) (a) of the Customs Act 1967 for illegal importing prohibited goods into the country.
A Malaysian Customs officer displays the ivory contents of one of the two suitcases seized from a Vietnamese trafficker at Kuala Lumpur International Airport.
This latest case serves as yet another reminder that Malaysia continues to remain a hub for international ivory traffickers, several of whom are Vietnamese. In March last year Malaysian customs officials intercepted two Vietnamese men who were found to have 101kg of ivory inside their luggage. The same day officials discovered another haul of elephant tusks, amounting to 58 kilograms, in the bag of another Vietnamese passenger who had just flown in from Addis Ababa in Ethiopia and was on his way to Hanoi.
But it’s a two-way street. Just as illicit shipments of ivory are brought into Malaysia, so other shipments are taken elsewhere from here. Only a couple of weeks ago customs officials in Hong Kong discovered 7,200kg of elephant tusks shipped in from Africa via Malaysia. Valued at around US$9 million, it was the largest haul of contraband ivory seized in Hong Kong in three decades.
“A string of recent seizures in Malaysia has put a spotlight on wildlife trafficking between Africa and Asia,” explains the anti-wildlife trafficking watchdog TRAFFIC. “[It] shows that illegal traders continue to use Malaysia when smuggling wildlife products into and through Asia,” said the group’s Acting Regional Director for Southeast Asia, Kanitha Krishnasamy. “It is important that African, Malaysian and Vietnamese authorities to work together to break the links in this cross-continental illegal wildlife trade.”
Please credit and share this article with others using this link:http://cleanmalaysia.com/2017/07/27/another-vietnamese-ivory-smuggler-nabbed-klia/
Wednesday, August 02, 2017
Malaysia arrests Vietnamese man for 'ivory smuggling'
Authorities said the haul was worth about 300,000 ringgit (almost $70,000).
Malaysian authorities have arrested a Vietnamese man and seized a stash of elephant ivory worth almost $70,000, an official said Monday, highlighting the country's role as a hub for the wildlife-smuggling trade.
The man was detained Friday at Kuala Lumpur's main international airport after flying into the country from Addis Ababa in Ethiopia, said airport customs chief Hamzah Sundang.
Officials stopped the suspected smuggler, whose identity was not revealed in the airport terminal as he was acting suspiciously.
When they checked his luggage, they found 10 packages containing elephant ivory weighing 36 kilograms (80 pounds) that had been cut into small pieces, which activists said was likely going to be fashioned into jewelry.
Authorities said the haul was worth about 300,000 ringgit (almost $70,000).
The man had been due to travel on to Vietnam, where there is high demand for ivory which is prized locally for decorative purposes and in traditional medicine.
The latest seizure underlines Malaysia's role as a transit point in the global wildlife smuggling trade. Earlier this month, Hong Kong customs officials discovered 7.2 tones of ivory tusks in a shipment from Malaysia.
The global trade in elephant ivory, with rare exceptions, has been outlawed since 1989 after populations of the African giants dropped from millions in the mid-20th century to around 600,000 by the end of the 1980s.
Anyone found guilty of importing rare animals or their parts into Malaysia can be jailed for up to three years and fined.
Kanitha Krishnasamy, acting regional director for wildlife trade monitoring network Traffic, hailed the latest discovery by Malaysian authorities, which follows recent seizures of rhino horns and pangolins.
She said the operations were "crippling illegal traders from profiting from this business".
Please credit and share this article with others using this link:http://e.vnexpress.net/news/news/malaysia-arrests-vietnamese-man-for-ivory-smuggling-3614826.html
Malaysian authorities have arrested a Vietnamese man and seized a stash of elephant ivory worth almost $70,000, an official said Monday, highlighting the country's role as a hub for the wildlife-smuggling trade.
The man was detained Friday at Kuala Lumpur's main international airport after flying into the country from Addis Ababa in Ethiopia, said airport customs chief Hamzah Sundang.
Officials stopped the suspected smuggler, whose identity was not revealed in the airport terminal as he was acting suspiciously.
When they checked his luggage, they found 10 packages containing elephant ivory weighing 36 kilograms (80 pounds) that had been cut into small pieces, which activists said was likely going to be fashioned into jewelry.
Authorities said the haul was worth about 300,000 ringgit (almost $70,000).
The man had been due to travel on to Vietnam, where there is high demand for ivory which is prized locally for decorative purposes and in traditional medicine.
The latest seizure underlines Malaysia's role as a transit point in the global wildlife smuggling trade. Earlier this month, Hong Kong customs officials discovered 7.2 tones of ivory tusks in a shipment from Malaysia.
The global trade in elephant ivory, with rare exceptions, has been outlawed since 1989 after populations of the African giants dropped from millions in the mid-20th century to around 600,000 by the end of the 1980s.
Anyone found guilty of importing rare animals or their parts into Malaysia can be jailed for up to three years and fined.
Kanitha Krishnasamy, acting regional director for wildlife trade monitoring network Traffic, hailed the latest discovery by Malaysian authorities, which follows recent seizures of rhino horns and pangolins.
She said the operations were "crippling illegal traders from profiting from this business".
Please credit and share this article with others using this link:http://e.vnexpress.net/news/news/malaysia-arrests-vietnamese-man-for-ivory-smuggling-3614826.html
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