Estimates vary. But with the level of corruption in the countries involved, the small amount of manpower allocated to this problem probably very, very low. Even in the US when you find an officer who is honest, they compare it to drug busts, well the emphasis is on the drugs, higher visibility of arrests, higher penalties, and animals? Only by accident. And based on a so-called tour of the Miami port, a major port for reptiles to go through, I am amazed any get caught by the level of ignorance of the USF&WS people there who are suppose to enforce the law.
On Mar 20, 2013, at 11:22 AM, Judith S. Weis wrote: > I wonder what percentage of these wildlife shipments are actually caught - > probably relatively low. > > >> Largest seizure of Critically Endangered Ploughshare Tortoises made >> in Thailand >> >> Press Release - TRAFFIC in Enforcement >> P.Tansom/TRAFFICBangkok, Thailand, 19 March 2013 – Just a day after the >> close a global wildlife trade conference here, authorities at Suvarnabhumi >> International Airport made two big seizures, discovering hundreds of >> threatened tortoises and apprehending two smugglers. Among the tortoises >> seized were some of the rarest in the world. >> >> On Friday, authorities arrested a 38-year-old Thai man as he was >> attempting >> to collect a bag containing tortoises from Madagascar, from a luggage >> carousel, at the airport. The bag was registered to a 25-year-old woman >> who >> had flown from Madagascar to Bangkok via Nairobi the same day. >> Royal Thai Customs officers and their counterparts in the CITES management >> authority found 54 Ploughshare Tortoises Astrochelys yniphora and 21 >> Radiated Tortoises Astrochelys radiata, both of which are assessed as >> being >> Critically Endangered. >> >> Ploughshare and Radiated Tortoises are endemic to Madagascar, totally >> protected in the country and are both listed in CITES Appendix I. The wild >> population of Ploughshare Tortoises, considered among the rarest species >> in >> the world, is estimated to be as few as 400 individuals, and is declining >> fast. >> >> The Malagasy woman was also arrested, said Dr Theerapat Prayurasiddhi, >> Deputy Director of Thailand’s Department of National Parks, Wildlife and >> Plant Conservation at a press conference on Friday. >> >> Theerapat told press that the Thai man caught picking up the bag had been >> arrested earlier this year on another wildlife smuggling charge. He also >> expressed concern that the man had been able to access the baggage >> collection area despite not being a passenger and believed that he must >> have >> been aided by several other people who were part of this smuggling >> attempt. >> He said this aspect would be thoroughly investigated. >> >> Both the Thai man and the Malagasy woman are expected to face charges >> under >> Thai law. >> >> Earlier the same day, CITES officers found 300 Indian Star Tortoises >> Geochelone elegans (CITES Appendix II) and 10 Black Pond Turtles Geoclemys >> hamiltonii (CITES Appendix I) when they inspected an unclaimed bag on a >> carousel in the airport at 8.40 a.m. The Indian Star Tortoise is heavily >> traded as an exotic pet despite being legally protected in range >> countries—India, Sri Lanka and Pakistan. All three have banned commercial >> export of the species under national legislation, making shipments from >> these countries illegal anywhere in the world. >> >> Over the past few years, authorities in this airport have made dozens of >> seizures of Indian Star Tortoises; most of which were found in the luggage >> of passengers flying into the country. In the last three years alone >> (2010–2012), Thai authorities have seized more than 4300 tortoises and >> freshwater turtles, 50% of which were Indian Star Tortoises. Authorities >> in >> India have similarly intercepted numerous smuggling attempts of Indian >> Star >> Tortoises to Thailand. >> >> At the recently concluded meeting of the Conference of the Parties of the >> Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and >> Flora (CITES), delegates from Thailand and Madagascar discussed plans to >> share intelligence and co-operate in other ways to curb the smuggling of >> wildlife from Madagascar to Thailand, Theerapat noted during the press >> conference. >> >> He said the discussion included the plan for a Memorandum of Understanding >> between the two countries to enhance communication between counterparts, >> jointly raising the profile of the issue in government and within the >> broader public, carrying out joint investigations and working towards the >> repatriation of seized animals. >> >> “TRAFFIC congratulates the Thai authorities for these very significant >> seizures” says Dr Chris R. Shepherd, Deputy Director of TRAFFIC in >> Southeast >> Asia. “The criminals behind this shipment of Ploughshare Tortoises have >> effectively stolen over 10% of the estimated population in the wild. They >> should not be allowed to get away with it. They should face the full force >> of the law.” “We urge authorities to go after the criminal masterminds >> behind these shipments and break the trade chains that threaten these >> incredibly rare animals”, he said. >> >> Press contact: Elizabeth John, Senior Communications Officer (Southeast >> Asia), TRAFFIC [email protected], +6012 2079790 (M) >> > > > >
