'Coffee' shops selling illegal wildlife products to tour groups in Laos
An investigation has discovered more than 20 shops on a trail popular with Chinese organised tours selling products from ivory to rhino horns
“Coffee” shops on tourist routes in Laos are selling illegal animal products including ivory, rhino horn and bear bile, according to a new investigation. Investigators from Mongabay and the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organised Crime also found several Chinese medicinal products which use wild animal parts as ingredients.
It is unclear whether the coffee shops actually serve coffee, but they certainly serve other, more illicit products.
The report found more than 20 locations across Luang Prabang, a town in the Vientiane region. The region is popular with elderly Chinese tourists who go on organised, all-inclusive tours via the China to Laos railway. The shops selling wild animal products are catered towards these Chinese groups.
Traditional Chinese medicine is a key driver of wildlife trafficking worldwide. Its practitioners believe that different animal products have medicinal properties and can treat issues like constipation, headaches, or even impotence. Powders made from dried seahorses, rhino horns, or the stomach bile of bears is commonly used.
The investigation claims that the tour companies receive between 20 and 40 per cent commissions to deliver an estimated 11,000 tourists a year to the shops.
You can read the Mongabay story here, while the Global Initiative’s detailed report is available here.
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Malaysia: A syndicate breeding chickens for cockfighting has been broken up in Malaysia. The raid, carried out last week, saw two Indonesian men arrested and 470 fighting cocks seized. Officers also found 40 cockfighting blades. (New Straits Times)
Australia: Indigenous rangers say there has been a spike in illegal fishing off the coast of northern Australia. Prosecutions in the territory have more than tripled in the past 12 months according to official data. Aboriginal ranger groups have requested stronger enforcement powers in a bid to deal with the issue. Foreign fishermen are believed to be targeting sea cucumbers and shark fins, which are popular in China. (NT Independent)
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