Airport seizure spotlights US demand for rare corals
Traffickers use hammers and chisels to remove corals from reefs in places like Australia and Indonesia
Eleven boxes containing some 200 rare corals were seized at JFK Airport in New York. The corals are now recovering at the city’s aquarium.
The incident highlights the demand for rare and endangered corals among collectors. Corals are invertebrates that play a crucial role in the building of reefs, and as such are classified as animals not plants.
They account for a quarter of all marine life. Traffickers in Australia, Fiji and Indonesia target them, prying them from reefs using chisels and hammers.
The corals seized in New York had apparently travelled from Indonesia and had been individually packed in plastic bags filled with water. Nevertheless, the travelling conditions were tough and 30 of the 200 specimens had died by the time they were discovered.
The US Fish and Wildlife Service says that the USA is the primary market for corals. You can read the full story in the New York Times here.
Peru: An environmental activist was shot dead in the Peruvian Amazon this weekend, according to local authorities. Prosecutors said the preliminary motive being considered for the murder of Hipolito Quispehuaman was the environmental advocacy work he had been involved in to protect the Amazon. At least 54 environmental defenders, more than half of whom were from indigenous communities, have been murdered in Peru since 2012. (CBS News)
Canada: A man who believes himself to be “unbound by laws” and has described short stints in jail as “literally a joke”, has been sentenced to six years for sea cucumber poaching. Scott Steer was accused of selling more than $1 million worth of cucumbers. He has also been involved in the illegal fishing of crabs. (CBC)
Indonesia: Nearly 100,000 turtle eggs have been seized at a port in Indonesia where they are thought to have been bound for illegal sale. One of two men arrested in connection with the case is a serving soldier in the army. Turtle eggs are protected in Indonesia and perpetrators can be jailed for up to eight years. (BNA)
South Korea: Members of a local archery club are being investigated for allegedly hunting black goats in the state of Busan. The group had permission to hunt wild boars but are accused of illegally targeting the goats. (Maeil Business Newspaper)
India: Fifteen members of a gang that killed a pangolin nine years ago have been jailed for three years. They were also fined for their crimes, which included trying to sell 3kg of pangolin scales. All species of pangolin are considered to be highly endangered. (PTI News)
Argentina: A native eagle was among the wild birds seized from a market in Mendoza, the northern city famous for its wine production. The black-chested buzzard-eagle is a protected species and is considered to be threatened. Six other animals were also seized in the raid. Argentina’s forests is home to many species of wild bird and trafficking is a known problem. (Noticias Ambientales)
Cayman Islands: Two men attempting to smuggle nearly 200kg of cannabis and two exotic birds were arrested off the coast of the Cayman Islands. The parrots were critically endangered yellow-naped amazons which are highly sought after as pets because of their mimicry skills. The case illustrates how wildlife crime often dovetails with other serious offences. (Cayman Compass)
UK: Twenty-five people, including a 13-year-old, have been charged over a suspected incident of hare coursing which took place in January. Hare coursers chase hares across fields with dogs or vehicles, usually for sport or entertainment but sometimes for the purposes of gambling. The hares are frequently torn apart by the dogs. Local farmers said their crops had been destroyed during the incident in question. (BBC)
Malaysia: A man who was trying to smuggle four monkeys and two armadillos out of Malaysia was arrested at Kuala Lumpur’s airport. He had planned to travel to India. (Bernama)
Myanmar: Tiger parts are being sold at the ‘supermarket of illegal wildlife’ in the town of Mong La in Myanmar’s Shan State. The town sits in the Golden Triangle, the infamous region where Myanmar, Laos and Thailand meet which is beset by issues of illegality, including the market in animal parts. A full tiger can earn a smuggler nearly £13,000. (Times of India)
Philippines: Illegal fishing is thriving in the Philippines thanks to weak governance and legal loopholes, according to the local branch of the NGO Oceana. Its new report highlighted the mounting crisis means that the government will miss its target to replenish fish stocks by 2028. Oceana called for stronger monitoring and surveillance of the issue, as well as stronger guidelines on monitoring devices. (AgTechNavigator)
Just a final note from me to say that I’m on holiday next week so there won’t be a newsletter. I’ll be back the week after with the usual updates.