Poachers thrive as Trump’s aid cuts cripple wildlife protections
Also this week: India’s mega-zoo under scrutiny, baby orangutans seized in Bangkok, and parrots smuggled in boots at the US border.
President Trump’s decision to slash the foreign aid budget has made animals an easy target for poachers, a leading animal NGO has claimed.
Danielle Kessler, US director at the International Fund for Animal Welfare, wrote in an online op-ed that the halt of US conservation funding had led poachers to take more risks and traffickers to exploit weakened enforcement systems.
Two of the organisation’s projects – CARE, which focuses on animal rescue, and Neotropical songbirds, aimed at halting songbird population declines – have been affected by Trump’s January decision to cut funding.
“These programs, along with similar others led by partners and colleagues around the globe, aim to disrupt the illegal wildlife trade that fuels a multibillion-dollar criminal industry tied to transnational organized crime,” Kessler wrote. “These are not just conservation issues—they are national and international security concerns.”
The US is one of the biggest consumer marketplaces for wildlife and wildlife products. The Lacey Act gives US enforcement officers global jurisdiction to combat the trade. But, if warnings like Kessler’s are to be believed, this important work could be threatened.
I’ve written before about how illegal wildlife trafficking is not just an environmental crime. It dovetails with the smuggling of drugs and weapons, and even human trafficking. It also poses the threat of the spread of disease as animals are taken from the habitats, kept in close confinement and arrive in a new ecosystem they were not designed to be in.
We should heed warnings like this carefully.
Also in the news this week:
India: Investigators have raised questions over how one of India’s richest families established the largest private collection of animals on the planet. The Ambani family’s Vantara complex was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi last year, but investigators in Germany and Austria have raised questions over how the specimens were collected. The estate houses 10,000 animals, including cheetahs, 160 tigers, 200 elephants and more than 800 crocodiles. But investigators allege that the true number is higher and some are alleged to be protected species. Vantara called the allegations “baseless” and said it works with authorities to combat illegal trafficking. (The Times)
Iraq: An Iraqi man was killed and eaten by his pet lion in his garden. The incident happened earlier this month and indicates the danger of keeping wild and dangerous animals as pets. The man, 50, had reportedly kept lions and other wild animals in his garden for years and had purchased another lion recently intending to tame it. His neighbour heard the man’s screams and attempted to save him, ultimately shooting the lion dead. (Metro)
Chile: Ports in Chile have seen an influx of Chinese fishing vessels since the introduction by neighbouring Peru of additional measures to combat illegal and unregulated fishing. The Chinese fishing fleet is the largest in the world and has been accused of involvement in illegal fishing, but also other serious crimes including modern slavery and human trafficking. Several Latin American countries have complained about the actions of the Chinese fleet off their shores. (Seafood Source)
Thailand: Police arrested a 47-year-old man at a petrol station in Bangkok as he was preparing to hand over a pair of baby orangutans to a buyer. One of the animals was just one month old and both were kept in a plastic basket wearing nappies. Orangutans are considered to be critically endangered and are native to Borneo and Sumatra. (South China Morning Post)
USA: A New York man who sold illegally imported, rare butterflies on online marketplaces including eBay and Etsy has been sentenced to two years of home confinement and fined. More than 17,000 butterflies were seized along with $30,000 of illegally obtained proceeds. His collection was valued at more than $200,000. (USFWS)
India: Mumbai customs seized 36 endangered reptiles, including six iguanas and 30 orange-bearded dragons, after their arrival on a flight from Bangkok. One man, who was allegedly travelling with the animals, has been arrested for wildlife trafficking. The reptiles have been sent to the care of a volunteer rescue centre. (Hindustan Times)
USA: Officers discovered 28 parrots suspected of being smuggled in two separate incidents on the US-Mexico border. A 50-year-old man was found to have six live parrots hidden in his boots, with several more hidden in the vehicle. Some of the birds were deceased. In the second incident, a few days later, 16 parrots were being kept together in a cage. (US Government)
UK: British police are searching for two teenagers after the “mutilated” remains of two kittens were found in west London. The animals had been “tortured and dismembered” officials said. CCTV images of the teenagers leaving the scene and an image of a duffel bag have been released to the public as officers look for more information. The kittens were found by a dog walker who said he interrupted the perpetrators. (BBC)
Cuba: Activists in Cuba have drawn attention to the role of Facebook in the sale of wild animals. A post on the social media network last week advertised several CUban parakeets for sale. The species is understood to be vulnerable and the activists have filed an official complaint. (CiberCuba)
USA: A man who was arrested for possession of methamphetamine during a routine traffic stop in California was also found with a baby spider monkey and two rattlesnakes. The animals were removed by officers from Animal Control and the monkey was placed in a zoo in Oakland. (ABC News)