Sharks for sale, tiger poaching in India and smugglers using drones
Wild Crime: updates from the week in the world of wildlife trafficking and environmental crime
Sharks represented nine of the top 10 threatened species for sale online, a study has reported. The researchers found more than 500 listings of which 47 were advertising critically endangered species and 251 endangered animals.
The academics from the University of Miami combed through thousands of online sales for animal species threatened with extinction. The shortfin Mako, an endangered shark which is one of the fastest animals in the sea, was the most targeted species. Their jaws and other body parts were being sold across hundreds of online marketplaces, the researchers found.
The study authors said that society has “underestimated” the threat that the illicit trade in wildlife poses and that demand is being driven by a very small number of people. The researchers also found a number of other species being widely sold. You can read more about it here.
India: Poaching gangs have killed 100 tigers across India in the last five years, according to authorities. The highest number of cases was recorded in 2024, suggesting a worrying increase in recent months. However, determining the true number of animals killed is difficult, investigators said, because there is often a lack of concrete evidence. Authorities said the tigers are smuggled across the border into China. Thirteen arrests have been made. (Times of India)
Indonesia: Six green sea turtles were seized enroute from the island of Java to Bali at the weekend. Three turtles were being transported in a wooden cart pulled by motorbike when officers swooped in. The suspect fled but officers conducted a search of his home and the wider coast and found two more, as well as one which had been killed stored in his refrigerator. The five survivors have been sent to a conservation centre to be rehabilitated. (Bali Times)
Israel: Smugglers are flying monkeys and lion cubs into Israel using drones, law enforcement officials believe. Police believe that the drones are dispatched from Israel and Jordan bearing their illicit animal cargo. Israeli officers have overseen a weeks-long pursuit into a specific animal trafficking ring. They have seized several lion cubs and monkeys. (Times of Israel)
Australia: An international student in Australia has been jailed for attempting to smuggle 15 lizards to China. The lizards, split into 10 different packages, had a “street value” of $74,207 (£36,234), according to reports. The lizards were hidden in the packages among children’s toys and were intercepted by the postal service before they left Australia. (Mirage News)
Brazil: Illegal fishing has become ‘routine’ in parts of the Amazon rainforest according to reports in Brazil. Using data from Global Fishing Watch reporters established that fishing boats had been engaged in more than five months of activity between 2016 and the end of 2024 in the forest’s largest marine protected area. This sort of activity has an impact on local artisanal fishermen who fish for local consumption. (o-eco)
India: Authorities seized eight exotic animals – three of which were dead – at Chennai airport. The animals were being transported inside ventilated boxes in checked luggage by two individuals who had travelled from Malaysia. The species included four Eastern Grey Gibbons, which are endangered, two polecats and a civet. The live animals were fed and then returned to Malaysia. The case has been linked to an alleged smuggling ring. (Times of India)
Brazil: Efforts to evict illegal miners from the Amazon have led to a reduction in activity, government officials in Brazil have said. Some 90 camps have been destroyed and 15 vessels targeted since the start of the operation last November. Local organisations have acknowledged that there has been a reduction in activity but expressed fears that miners will simply return once security forces leave the area. (Mongabay)
Zambia: Last week we saw some good news about a decline in rhino poaching in South Africa. However, this week the WWF in neighbouring Zambia has expressed concern about a resurgence of the practice. The comments were in response to the killing of a three-year-old white rhino in the Mosi-Oa-Tunya national park. Poachers had fled with the animal’s horns. (Xinhua Net)
USA: The US Coastguard detained 16 Mexican fishermen allegedly engaged in illegal fishing in Texan waters. More than 1,000kg of fish was also seized. Authorities said lanchas, a type of Mexican fishing boat, are frequently used in US waters and that the poaching of red snapper is a revenue stream for wider criminal organisations engaged in drug smuggling. (US Coast Guard)
Mexico: Authorities seized 9,000m of nets used to catch endangered totoaba fish this weekend. Some 79 fish were found trapped in the nets, only seven remained alive. Totoaba are endangered and fishing for them is illegal in the region. They can grow to weigh up to 135kg and are fished for their swim bladders, which are believed by some to have health benefits. (Mexico News Daily)
USA: A Chinese national smuggled more than 2,000 turtles over five years to sell as exotic pets in Asia, according to US authorities. Eastern box turtles are native to the US but are coveted by pet owners and can be sold for up to $2,000 each. Law enforcement officials estimate that the turtle trafficking ring netted more than $4.2 million in the time it was in operation. (LA Times)
India: Fishermen in India are being disadvantaged by disruption caused by the Chinese distant water fishing fleet, according to an Indian Navy veteran. China has the largest fleet in the world, with ships that can stay at sea for more than a year at a time. The Indian Coast Guard has reported several instances of Chinese vessels turning off trackers in its seas in order to engage in illegal or unregulated fishing. (Sunday Guardian)
UK: Hare coursing has become the “sport of choice” for criminal gangs, according to a British farmer. The act of using dogs to chase and hunt hares has a long history in the UK, but it is illegal today. However, farmers see numerous examples of the blood sport and fear that it could spill over into further violence, according to a report. (BBC)
Canada: A judge told Canadian activists that their “noble cause” had limits as he convicted them of blocking an oil terminal for 24 hours. The judge said he was convinced that the defendants were “good people” practicing non-violence, but that “even if your cause is noble, there are limits”. The activists were protesting a pipeline in 2022 when they chained themselves to equipment causing the shutdown. They will be sentenced next month. (Montreal Gazette)
UK: British authorities are facing a backlash to a proposed waste crime levy due to be introduced in April. The levy would mean firms involved in waste management would need to pay a 10 per cent levy on permits in order to fund enforcement against illegal waste dumping. But the UK recycling industry is arguing that such a levy is unfair and could hurt the economy. The Environment Agency said the charge could lead to a 30 per cent increase in enforcement activities. Illegal waste operations are estimated to cost £1bn in England each year. (Environment and Energy Leader)