Posts Tagged: illegal wildlife trade

Sometimes when people think policy, they think boring – talking about document wording, and who’s saying what on which issues. For me it’s exciting – there’s a rush when a delegate repeats on the floor what you’ve said in the lunch break – and highly important, because without the right policies in place you can’t [...]

Policy work can sometimes be disappointing. Hours of talking, ‘working the room’ (as my good friend and roommate here in Thailand likes to say) to meet delegates, and staying up late to work on the development of policy text – and the outcome can still go the wrong way. Not today though! Today was the [...]

Over two a day. That’s how many rhinos have been killed by poachers in South Africa this year. Their horns likely destined for illegal markets in Asia, mostly in Vietnam. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) is often considered one of, if not the most effective international [...]

Throughout this week we’ve brought you updates from the field, courtesy of Rotiken Denis – head of the Masai Mara Rhino Monitoring Team. Read through all of the updates, or have a look at what happened yesterday. — Rhino: Meshuko Sighting: The rhino was browsing on open ground. Details: Animal is very social. About the [...]

Large-scale organised criminal syndicates are more engaged in wildlife trafficking, seeing the money to be made. And their methods are getting more sophisticated – helicopters, GPS and tranquiliser darts are all being deployed in these criminal activities. So it’s essential that we ramp up our efforts and make greater use of technology to combat the threats to rhinos.

Today, we’ve got the latest update from rhino ranger Rotiken Dennis, ahead of ‘Flight of the Rhino’ – showing on Saturday at 8.30pm on BBC 2. But why is action needed urgently? We can go to great lengths to protect these amazing creatures – and indeed we do, as Drew described yesterday in his blog. [...]

Every day this week we’ll be posting updates from Rotiken Dennis, a WWF supported rhino ranger working in the Mara region of Kenya. We’re bringing you this special week of content ahead of of ‘Flight of the Rhino’, which is showing on Saturday at 8.30pm on BBC 2. The show will reveal the challenges faced [...]

Throughout this week we’ll be bringing you updates from the field, courtesy of Rotiken Denis – head of the Masai Mara Rhino Monitoring Team. Read through all of the updates, or have a look at what happened yesterday. — Rhino: Ngnia and calf. Sighting: The two rhinos were sighted browsing. Details: None of the two rhino are [...]

Saturday 22 September is World Rhino Day. Yes we know, it seems like there are lots of official ‘days’ for all kinds of causes every year, but let me tell you why this one really deserves your urgent attention – this year of all years… Back in 2007, poachers killed 13 rhinos in South Africa. [...]

When I was in Nepal a few years back I had the privilege of meeting members of a community-led anti-poaching operation. These heroic people included a man who’d effectively lost half his face in a tiger attack, and a tiny woman who looked as if a gust of wind would knock her over. But people [...]