The Wilder Traveller

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  • 105 Tons of Elephant Ivory set to be Destroyed

    The Kenyan government is set to destroy its stockpile of 105 tons of elephant ivory and 1 ton of rhino horn at the end of the month. The ivory and rhino horn destruction event will take place at 15:00hrs E.A.T. on Saturday, April 30, 2016 at the Ivory Burning Site inside Nairobi National Park.

    “We are losing elephants and rhinos across Africa at an unsustainable rate,” says African Wildlife Foundation President Kaddu Kiwe Sebunya. “This historic event will draw global attention to the illegal wildlife trade, and it has already sparked a national discussion in Kenya and beyond about this issue. With the right political commitment and support of law enforcement, we can move toward a zero tolerance approach to wildlife crime.”

    More than 20,000 African elephants are killed annually by poachers for their ivory, with rhino poaching steadily increasing from 2007 to 2015.

    AWF has worked closely with the Kenyan Government to help the country curb poaching and wildlife trafficking, including:

    • Training detection dogs and handlers deployed now within the Kenya Wildlife Service’s canine unit. Since January, the detection dogs have led to 18 seizures, mostly of ivory, but also pangolin scales, live tortoises and animal hides.
    • Hosting workshops for prosecutors, magistrates, police and other members of the judicial and law enforcement community aimed at strengthening the prosecution of wildlife crimes and increasing the number of deterrent sentences. In Kenya, 50 magistrates and 35 prosecutors have so far taken part in the AWF-hosted judicial workshops.
    • Supporting two critical populations of the Eastern black rhino in Kenya. AWF is also supporting the protection of a population of desert-adapted rhinos in Namibia and two populations of southern white rhinos in Zimbabwe and South Africa.

  • Telescopic Snake Hook

    For most people this will be a completely useless tool, however for people like me, with a keen interest in reptiles, this is a must have travel accessory!

    The nice thing about this hook is that when it is pushed together it is a mere 18 cm long, so easily fits in my camera bag (or just a trouser pocket for that matter).  However if you work with snakes you will know that an 18 cm hook is less than useless and as such it extends to 66 cm long, which is much more practical.  The movement is quite stiff, which is good because it stops it collapsing on itself whilst in use!

    It does have a couple of downers however.  The main one is that even though it is great to have such a space saving hook, there is only so much you can do with a 66 cm hook, and due to its structural strength I wouldn’t recommend using this with long or heavy set snakes.

    Remember that this is not just a tool to help you catch a snake. If you can avoid moving snakes that is always the best option, but this tool is also really useful for moving foliage and other obstacles when safely looking for snakes or trying to set up for a photo.

    So to close, would I use this as an every day hook? No…  Would I use it if I was going out on a dedicated and serious herping trip? No…  Am I glad I purchased it?  Absolutely!  This is a great little accessory to just have on you when ever and where ever you are – just in case you might need it!

    After all… it does only cost a fraction more than your average can of energy drink these days… It can’t NOT be worth that tiny investment!

  • Hong Kong Announces Ivory Ban

    All eyes may have been on the US with President Obama delivering his last state of the nation address but the leader of Hong Kong was also delivering his annual speech and it offered hope and a future for elephants. Hong Kong’s Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying in his annual policy address announced that Hong Kong will be joining with China in introducing a ban on ivory trading.

    Hong Kong Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying said “The Government is very concerned about the illegal poaching of elephants in Africa. It will kick start legislative procedures as soon as possible to ban the import and export of elephant hunting trophies and actively explore other appropriate measures, such as enacting legislation to further ban the import and export of ivory and phase out the local ivory trade, and imposing heavier penalties on smuggling and illegal trading of endangered species. Meanwhile, the Government will strengthen enforcement and take rigorous action against the smuggling and illegal trade in ivory.”

    While no date has been set or timeline offered the announcement is important in tackling the plight of the elephants. It will almost certainly lead to another slump in the value of ivory as speculators continue to dump their stockpiles as the final large market is set to close to them.

    Other south-east Asian countries, particularly Thailand, need to follow China, Hong Kong and the United States in banning the domestic trade but with the big markets closed or closing it will offer an opportunity for elephants to recover.

    The biggest fear now has to be South Africa’s likely proposal to re-open a regulated trade in rhino horn later this year at CITES. It is unlikely to pass the required vote but if it does and a legal market is opened the threat to the rhino will increase substantially. With speculators who are willing to trade in wildlife products dumping and walking away from elephant tusks due to markets being closed they will start to invest in rhino horn if a market does develop. This will lead to a substantial rise in rhino poaching as poachers seek to supply the investors.

    But today is a day of celebration as Hong Kong, the very heart of the world’s ivory trade, turns away from exploiting a magnificent species.

  • As Speculators Dump Ivory Can Elephants Recover in 2016?

    May 2015 was a turning point for ivory prices according to an unpublished report commissioned by the China office of a major international wildlife charity. Since that time the price of illegal ivory has more than halved. The study indicate that dumping of ivory by speculators is the cause of the price drop. International efforts to control poaching and – more importantly – the closure of markets means that ivory is no longer attractive to commodity dealers.

    The study which indicates that investors and not consumers drove the massive increase in poaching since 2007 does answer a number of questions. Those who have been watching and reporting on the illegal ivory trade over a number of years have been vexed over why there has been such a big boost to prices and demand but the shops and dealers have not seen the increasing demand on the street. Yes there has been some increase in demand as Asia becomes more wealthy but for the increase in poaching to be explained then the ivory shops and dealers would be packed with panic buyers. That is not the case and there had to be another reason for the price trend that did not take into account the supply and demand in the marketplace.

    The indication and gut feeling for many was that international speculators – mainly based in Hong Kong – was driving the market and these speculators were hoarding the ivory for profit-taking at a later date. 2015 saw a number of major moves that made ivory a bad buy for speculators and caused them to start dumping their stocks.

    Markets are being closed and the opportunity for cashing in the stocks are diminishing. The United States has effectively closed their ivory trade. Chinese government-owned shops in Hong Kong have closed their ivory departments or moved to mammoth ivory, the Chinese clampdown on bribery and ‘gifts’ in government and business has also impacted the luxury market. China’s temporary closure in imports of new ivory and a declaration of their intention to ban the domestic trade has all played a role in making ivory a bad buy for investment. Even the heart of the world’s ivory trade, Hong Kong, has said that it is open to considering restrictions and even a ban on ivory trading.

    As the speculators continue to dump their stocks the price of ivory and tusks will probably continue to fall during 2016 and that will eventually play back into the price that poachers are paid for tusks. Currently the full impact of price drops at the end of the trail has not fully fed into the price paid to poachers but that will almost certainly start to happen in 2016.

    A combination of cheap plentiful dumped ivory and the removal of major buyers (speculators) of ivory will mean that the price of poached elephant ivory should crash and with higher sentences, better enforcement and investigations there should be fewer people willing to take the risks of poaching for the lower rewards on offer.

    While the value of unworked tusks have halved since May 2015 there is probably still room for further falls in price throughout 2016. The surge in poaching and rise in ivory prices began in 2007 following the global financial crash. As shares and other investments began to fall in value, unethical speculators looked for other investments such as ivory in which to place their money. This would suggest that there are about 8 years worth of illegal tusks being hoarded, Some have come onto the market since May 2015 but there is still plenty of stock to be released. If China and Hong Kong begin to firm up their proposal to ban or severely restrict ivory trading then a lot of that remaining stock will almost certainly be dumped on the market as speculators seeks to limit their losses. It would not be a surprise if the price of raw ivory over 2016 dropped by another 40% or 50% as those markets come closer to eventual closure.

    Trying to monitor an illegal market such as ivory is, by its very nature, difficult but there are a number of signals that dumping of ivory is happening apart from the obvious fall in price. That fall in price is being caused by an increase in supply but there has been no significant increase in poaching in the last year that could cause a glut of ivory and crash in price. While consumer demand has reduced slightly over the years it has not dropped to such an extent that it would cause a crash in price.

    A telling sign that tusks are being released from storage is the size and weight of tusks now coming onto the market. Over recent years the size of tusks gained from killing elephants has decreased as the big tuskers are taken out of the population by being killed. This has been observed over the last few years from the tusks on offer online and through illegal channels and also the size of tusks seized. But many more larger tusks and heavier tusks have come onto the market in recent months. This could suggest that they have been killed in previous years and stored and only now being placed on the market.

    If 2016 continues to see speculators pull out of the ivory market and a continued release of the hoarded tusks into the market there is a good chance that the scale of elephant poaching seen in recent years will start to fall. This could give the elephants a breathing space until China and Hong Kong get their domestic ivory market bans in place (and the UK too as promised by the Conservative government).

    This year could turn out to be the beginning of the end of the threat to elephants. It should also be seen as a warning for CITES delegates. If South Africa does propose to open up a rhino horn trade and there is a market then international speculators and commodity dealers will move in and that will almost certainly increase rhino poaching as unethical speculators look for rhino horn.

  • Killing Veerappan releases in New Year

    LUSH Cosmetics may choose to romanticise and use Veerappan as a model for a range of hair care, perfume and other glamour products but the real story behind Veerappan is one of murder, torture and killing of animals, especially elephants, on a grand scale.

    Hunting him down took over 20 years and he was subject to the biggest manhunt in Asian history. During his time in the forests of India he killed over 900 elephants, 184 people and 97 police. Those killings were not clean and painless either but one of brutality and showed a total lack of any sort of humanity. Quite why Lush decided to make him a ‘poster boy’ and feature him on their make-up and publicity remains a big question – but in business money speaks.

    A new film showing the brutality of Veerappan is to go on release in India in the New Year and the trailer has just been released. The 1st January release is almost a month later than first scheduled but from the film footage that has been released it will be worth the wait.

    Will the film make it into western cinemas? We can only hope so – at least in some of the smaller more specialist cinemas. Africa has been the focus of attention for poaching and wildlife with the world’s media generally ignoring the plight of wildlife in India. This film may help to bring into focus the work that rangers do in India under very difficult circumstances. Low pay that is often delayed, no equipment and poor management is often the case for rangers in India’s wildlife reserves.

    If it does make the Western cinema’s hopefully it make people realise that the image of Veerappan is not one to be glamourised and used as promotion for products. They might realise before handing over money for product that they are paying into a life that was based on hatred, murder, torture and a total lack of concern for the natural world.

    Watch the Killing Verrappan trailer and if you get the chance go and see the movie. you might change your mind about that brand of hair wax or perfume. You might even choose to sign the petition.

     

  • 6 Jailed in Tanzania for Total of 122 years for Wildlife Trading

    In less than a week the Tanzanian courts have made a bold and strong statement in order to protect the country’s wildlife. Six people involved in wildlife trafficking have been jailed for a total of 122 years.

    In one court case, yesterday (Monday 22 December 2015),  two ivory traders were sentenced to 21 years each for their part in trying to smuggle 4 elephant tusks out of the country.

    Resident Magistrate Odira Amwol sentenced the two to the long jail term after the court had proved beyond reasonable doubt that they committed the offence.

    The prosecution told the court that Justin Bruno, 50, a resident of Usevya Village and Philbert Leo, 35, a resident of Ikuba Village, were arrested on Thursday in possession of the haul. The magistrate ignored their pleas for lenient sentencing because they had families to look after.

    Last Thursday another bold sentence was handed out by magistrates in Mbeya Region when the courts sentenced 4 Chinese citizens to 20 years each for rhino horn smuggling. The heavy sentences were given to Song Lei, 33, Xiao Shaodan, 29, Chen Jianlin, 34, and Hu Liang, 30 for ‘economic sabotage’ of Tanzania. The Chinese were caught with 11 rhino horns.

    Michael Mteite, a Senior Resident Magistrate in the Tanzania’s Southern Highlands region of Mbeya, sentenced the four Chinese to imprisonment at the end of 23 consecutive days of hearing the case.

  • Sri Lanka to start New Year with Ivory burn

    Sri Lanka has made an unexpected and sudden U-turn in its resistance to destroy its ivory stockpiles. The government has announced that on 26th January it will burn a stockpile of 5,000 seized tusks to put them beyond economic use.

    Sri Lanka has always resisted pressure to destroy its stocks and had announced that seized tusks and ivory would be given to temples and religious buildings. The new mandate, announced on 16th December, will see the government stockpile burned at the Holcim Cement Plant in January 26, 2016. Senior government and NGO members will be present at the burn. The tusks will also undergo a religious ceremony before the destruction.

    The 5,000 tusks that will be destroyed represents the killing of at least 2,500 elephants. The tusks were seized by customs on May 14th 2012 and all come from Africa. The consignment was on route to Dubai from Kenya when the consignment was discovered.

    Minister Gamini Jayawickrama Perera said the destruction would ensure that the seized ivory would not make its way back onto the illegal market and would be in keeping with international laws to protect the survival of elephants.

  • Four Dead as International Forces Turn their Backs on Rangers in Need

    It is with deep regret that African Parks announces the death of Garamba rangers Anselme Kimbesa Muhindo, Andre Gada Migifuloyo and Djuma Adalu Uweko, and Colonel Jacques Sukamate Lusengo, the member of the Congolese Armed Forces (FARDC), who was assisting with patrols. The four men leave their wives and a total of 14 children.

    The incident occurred when the men, all members of a 10-man Garamba patrol team, tracked the collar of a poached elephant to a poachers’ camp in the western Azande hunting area. An exchange of fire ensued during which the out-numbered Garamba unit was forced to disperse.

    The African Parks helicopter that was part of the operation was immediately deployed to help rescue the rangers. Despite coming under fire it managed to retrieve six members of the patrol unit and drop them at a safe area where they re-grouped. Two men were flown back to the park headquarters at Nagero, one of whom had sustained injuries. The helicopter took multiple hits and was unable to fly back for the remaining men. The four rangers that were evacuated managed to walk to the closest road, a two day walk from the site of the attack. Yesterday, the bodies of the remaining four men were discovered when a reinforced patrol team managed to access the site of the incident.

    Despite extensive efforts by the Garamba park management team to elicit reinforcements from other international forces in the region in order to help retrieve the four missing men, and track and apprehend the poachers, very little support or assistance was forthcoming. Some logistical help was provided by MONUSCO to retrieve the bodies of the four men.

    “Our sincere condolences go to the families of the four men who tragically lost their loved ones while they were bravely eliminating the scourge of elephant poaching from Garamba National Park“, said Peter Fearnhead, CEO African Parks.  “This brings to eight the number of people who have lost their lives in Garamba in 2015 alone.”

    Guest Contributor:

    Cynthia Walley is the Communications Manager for African Parks that takes on total responsibility for the rehabilitation and long-term management of national parks and protected areas in partnership with governments and local communities.

    Image credit: African Parks.

  • Lions Return to Rwanda

    People know lions as the most dangerous prey eater in the wild but when it comes to beauty, no one can resist its naturally sport light yellow-brown coats which out shine the green grass and vegetation in the jungle. The most desired encounter in Africa game viewing are the lions especially if moving as a family. The males are always looking unique and always lead others to grab the prey.

    Mature lions are too protective and care for their young ones like humans that they can’t hunt until one year old. Besides, the elders can steal, kill for the young ones to survive in the wild. In the entire world, lions are celebrated in history and their existence make the wild the most adorable place to spent time with family on any holiday as you view lions and other wildlife flex to survive in the wild.

    Today lions have made Rwanda the most excellent wildlife viewing destination in Africa offering amazing wildlife tours together with birds and primates to travellers. After a short while of Rwanda lion reintroduction in Akagera National park, the great news came with joy that when the park female lions are set to give birth creating a complete family of lions with cubs for Rwanda wildlife tourists.The expectant lioness that was imported last year from South Africa is set to bring a new family members which will spice up more the all the Rwanda game viewing tours for travelers year round.

    It was in 2015 when Rwanda celebrated the reintroduction of seven lions five female and two male wiping away the sorrow of travelers who could travel millions of miles to catch up with lion viewing in the neighboring countries of Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania. The attractive Big cats in the savanna grassland are grand prize to Akagera National Park and Rwanda as a country after a long time decline in wildlife population.

    “There is an excitement at the Park as the lionesses introduced last year are showing signs they will deliver cubs very soon. The behavior of two lionesses shows that they are pregnant and may give birth soon.

    This is an important milestone in wildlife conservation,” Jes Gurner, manager of Akagera National Park told reporters on Wednesday. The park manager also observed the lion bellies becoming relatively massive, and their movements declined which are common signs of mature pregnancy and holding just on await list of delivery.

    The Wildlife conservationist added joy to the celebration when they said that a single female lion can produce over four cubs though the chances of survival are minimal due to wild predators, like hyenas in the park. Besides, lately lions in Akagera are easily spotted because the pregnant females move slowly giving chance to game viewing tourists to capture exciting moments.

    However, travelers looking at visiting Rwanda for primate safaris to see mountain gorillas ,golden monkeys and chimpanzees in Nyungwe forest should now starting adding on other exciting game viewing activities in Akagera national park  for an outstanding Rwanda safari.

    For bird lovers this is a place to be where one can spot hundreds of different bird species including the epidemics. Relaxation and leisure by lake, climbing the Rwanda volcanoes and a culture exploration are other travel activities which one shouldn’t miss out while in Rwanda .Don’t forget climbing any of the Rwanda volcanoes, karisimbi, bisoke and others needs when you fit enough.

    The Big five fans, the time is out for you to visit Rwanda because even rare black rhinos will soon be in Akagera national park the only Rwanda special wildlife viewing ground. The process of reintroducing missing wildlife species in Rwanda has boosted Rwanda’s tourism industry attracting more tourists compared to the previous years when the Rwanda Development board registered revenue receipts worth 304.9 million U.S dollars.

    Rwanda hosted a total number of about 1.22 million visitors in the same year but the number is anticipated to shoot high due to the new picture the country has got in the tourism industry and business aspect. While in on Rwanda wildlife safari to all the country’s attractive parks, expect to see mountain gorillas, chimpanzees, zebras, giraffes, hippo, antelopes, buffaloes, elephants ,golden monkeys and many others.

  • More Seals Saved from the Threat of Ghost Fishing Nets

    Many marine wildlife groups working in Cornwall often get calls about sighting of seals who are injured, or entangled in fishing gear, or marine litter.

    Over the last month, British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) and the National Trust received several calls about a seal entangled in lost fishing gear but despite repeated search attempts by BDMLR, the seal in question could not be found. A concern to all as injuries from entanglement are known to end the life of a seal prematurely.

    On Saturday 25 April another trip was undertaken to find the stricken seal and when the groups arrived at the beach they found not one, but two entangled seals, one on the beach at the West Cornwall haul out and another out to sea.

    Despite facing rain and slippery rocks, the team from BDMLR, Cornwall Seal Group and a rope safety adviser abseiled down a 45m cliff to the beach in order to save the seals, whose injuries would have certainly lead to their premature death.

    Seals are spooked by humans very easily and can move incredibly fast over land, so the rescuers waited cautiously until both seals were on the beach, out of sight from the abseil point and in a position that they could be reached before the seals were aware of human presence.

    With years of experience in handling marine mammals, the team were able to free both the seals from the dangerous netting and rope and after assessing their condition they were able to release them safely back into the sea.

    Sue Sayer, from the Cornwall Seal Group, said: “One of the seals was a few months old and had green trawl net trapped around her neck whilst the other seal was slightly older at a year, with blue rope trailing from several loops of monofilament net entangling her neck. Our research shows that neither of these young seals would have survived to adult hood with their entanglements.”

    The BDMLR and CSG work closely with international campaigning organisation, World Animal Protection, who have a campaign to free the seas of ghost fishing gear. ‘Ghost gear’ is the term used to describe fishing equipment that has been lost, abandoned or discarded in the worlds’ oceans. It includes fishing nets, ropes, pots and traps. Ghost gear represents one of the biggest threats to animals in our oceans, entangling, injuring and killing millions of animals every year.

    An estimated 640,000 tonnes of fishing gear – around 10% of total marine debris – is added to our oceans annually. Combined, it weighs more than the RMS Titanic.

    Most fishing gear is made out of plastic meaning that it persists in the oceans for centuries, accumulating year on year. World Animal Protection estimates that more than 136,000 seals, sea lions and large whales are killed by ghost fishing gear every year. An unimaginable number of birds, turtles, fish and other species are also injured and killed.

    Guest contributor:

    Sarah Dickinson is the UK Communications Manager (interim) at World Animal Protection World Animal Protection (formerly WSPA) seeks to create a world where animal welfare matters and animal cruelty has ended.