Gaborone, Botswana | AFP | Botswana’s government has moved to crack down on the multi-billion dollar trade in donkey skins following a spate of killings of the animals across the country fuelled by soaring demand from China. Export licences for donkeys and their products have been suspended indefinitely, the Ministry …
Read More »THIS WEEK: Uganda needs 400bn for conservation – UN
THIS WEEK: Uganda needs 400bn for conservation – UN The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has tasked Uganda to raise an annual fee of Shs418billion to finance management and conservation of its endangered animal and plant species. Almaz Gebru, the country director of UNDP says the current infrastructure binge and …
Read More »Malaysia seizes 300kg of pangolin scales
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | AFP | Malaysian customs officers have seized almost 300 kilograms of pangolin scales being smuggled through the main airport, officials said on Tuesday. The 288-kilogram (635 pound) haul was found at Kuala Lumpur International Airport last Friday in 12 boxes labelled as oyster shells on the …
Read More »Rhino kills conservationist in Rwanda
Kigali, Rwanda | AFP | A conservationist who was training rangers to track and protect black rhinos in Rwanda has been killed by one of the animals, the organisation he worked for has said in a statement. Information about the exact circumstances of Hungarian Krisztian Gyongyi’s death on Wednesday morning …
Read More »African park ranger hits out at Hong Kong ivory trade
Hong Kong, China | AFP | A frontline park ranger from the Democratic Republic of Congo on Tuesday delivered an emotive testimony to legislators against the ivory trade in Hong Kong, as the city faces criticism over how it plans to phase out the trade. The southern Chinese city, a …
Read More »Top conservationist Kuki Gallman wounded in Kenya gun attack
Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | Italian-born conservationist and writer Kuki Gallman was Sunday seriously injured after being shot in her conservation park in Kenya’s drought-stricken centre. The 73-year-old, whose best-selling autobiography “I Dreamed of Africa” was made into a film with Kim Basinger playing Gallman, was “shot in the stomach …
Read More »VIDEO: Human-wildlife conflicts affecting conservation in Uganda
VIDEO: There has been a rise in human –wildlife conflicts around protected National Parks that threaten conservation of biodiversity. The conflicts have increased as a result of the onset of the rain season as animals venture into gardens to enjoy the young crops. The problem is more pronounced in areas around …
Read More »Two men found with Hippo, Warthog teeth convicted
Buganda Road Court has convicted two men in Kampala who were recently arrested with protected animal species. Chief Magistate James Eremye convicted Daniel Gumwa and Calvin Mwanje both residents of Kampala, on their own plea of guilt, and ordered Gumwa to serve six months in Luzira prison while Mwanje should …
Read More »China to ban ivory trade by end of 2017
Beijing, China | AFP | China will ban all domestic ivory trade and processing by the end of 2017, state media reported Friday, in a move hailed by activists as a “game changer” for African elephants. African ivory is highly sought after in China where it is seen as a …
Read More »Year 2016: World burns ivory, battles poaching
Burning ivory, waging war: world battles poaching in 2016 Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | It was one of the most momentous events in the battle against poaching: 11 giant pyres of elephant tusks going up in flames in Kenya as the world looked on. The largest-ever destruction of ivory, which …
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