Tanzania is reportedly preparing to ask CITES to lift the trade ban on elephant ivory, much to the dismay of its EAC neighbors, conservationists, and members of the tourism industry.

In a move that would surely undermine East African conservation efforts, Tanzania has taken up the position that a sanctioned sale of elephant ivory would provide much-needed financial support to the country’s anti-poaching measures.

This comes as a shock to the East African Community (EAC), considering that last year’s sanctioning of a one-off ivory auction is to blame for igniting a scourge of rampant elephant killings throughout Africa - particularly Kenya.

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Officials from elephant range states are meeting in Delhi this week in hopes of finding a solution to the growing number of elephant killings in India.

Loss of habitat leading to an increase of conflicts between elephants and humans, combined with the invasion of poachers into government-protected zones, are resulting in an unacceptable increase in elephant deaths in India.

To address this issue, officials from India’s elephant range states are gathering in Delhi this week.

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Thanks to the controversial approval of a one-off ivory sale, illegal trade in ivory has been reinvigorated - and 100 elephants a day are being slaughtered.

The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) approved a one-off elephant ivory auction in 2008 of 119 tons (108 tonnes) - representing over 10,000 dead elephants - and this decision is believed to have stimulated the growing illegal ivory market.

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After a gun battle in Charara National park near Sanyati Gorge, park rangers shot and killed an elephant poacher, arrested three accomplices - and recovered an AK-47 rifle.

While out on patrol, two rangers stationed at Charara Safari Area and Tashinga National Parks came across the carcass of an elephant, who appeared to have been recently killed. As their regular rounds did not turn up any suspects, they decided to wait in ambush near the elephant’s carcass.

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From the proposed bill to protect the North American black bear to the resurgence of elephant poaching in Kenya - and the skinning of a tiger inside an Indonesian zoo - the issues are not over yet.

Lions and tigers and bears … and elephants, whales, and rhino: Here are a few updates - as of today - on nine of my wildlife conservation posts. Four zoo posts are included, as zoos are (ideally) intended to be facilities for protecting precious wildlife.

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A gun battle broke out between forest officials and poachers in Kaziranga National Park after the killing of a tiger, rhino, and elephant.

In the span of just a few days, poachers managed to kill a tiger, rhino, and elephant in India’s Kaziranga National Park. Despite an exchange of bullets between forest officials and poachers, the poachers escaped.

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Despite the growing list of suspicious coincidences, a Chinese official has denied links between increased elephant killings in Kenya and a nearby influx of Chinese workers.

Recently, an increasing series of unfortunate events have suggested that Chinese workers in Kenya could be linked to a rise in elephant killings near these work sites. But according to an article in China Daily, there is no connection.

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A pair of bloodhounds from Britain join Kenya’s war against wildlife poachers.

Two bloodhounds, named Pension and Drastic, have arrived safely in Kenya to begin their new lives. The dogs’ legendary scenting abilities will be used to track poachers across the Amboseli reserve, Tsavo National Park and the Chyulu Hills.

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Current laws in Thailand make it easy for live elephants - including infant elephants stolen from their mothers in the wild - to be traded unscrupulously for “entertainment” purposes.

For many people, thoughts of Thailand conjure up romantic notions of being transported to various tourist attractions on the back of an elephant. But tragically, many of the captive elephants used for the Thai tourist trade, and as zoo and circus exports, are the victims of an insidious, illegal market that threatens the survival of endangered Asian elephants, and is responsible for widespread exploitation and abuse of these intelligent and sensitive mammals.

Thankfully, a recent report published by TRAFFIC Southeast Asia exposes the loopholes and reporting inaccuracies that have been providing a smokescreen for Thailand’s illegal trade in endangered, wild-caught Asian elephants (Elephas maximus).

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Comparing DNA from seized ivory to an elephant DNA database is revealing new information on how poaching syndicates and illegal dealers are operating.

The development of a DNA forensics technique may prove to be a valuable weapon in the bloody war against elephant poaching.

According to BBC News, Professor Sam Wasser of the Center or Conservation Biology at the University of Washington is fighting back against these criminals using DNA collected from elephant dung and ivory to expose poaching hotspots.

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A shocking undercover journey reveals that a poaching cartel known as ‘The Crocodile Gang’, led by Zimbabwe’s Emmerson Mnangagwa, is slaughtering rhinos and elephants to fulfill ‘requests’ for horn and ivory.

Dubbed the Crocodile Gang, this cartel - whose existence can be revealed by the Mail today - is behind the ‘industrial-scale slaughter’ of black rhinos, prompting warnings that the species will be hunted to extinction in the region within two years.

And the “godfather” of the poaching cartel is said to be Emmerson Mnangagwa - known by locals now as “The Crocodile.” Also referred to as “The Butcher of Matabeleland”, he is the architect of Zimbabwe’s terrifying state security apparatus, creator of Zimbabwe’s Central Intelligence Office (CIO) - and rumored to be next in line for president after Mugabe.

Probably risking his life, Andrew Malone, a writer for The UK’s Daily Mail, reports that he went undercover, posing as an overseas buyer of illegal rhino horn to dig deeper into the widespread rhino massacre that stands to wipe out an entire species. What he reveals is an appalling world of cruelty, corruption, death threats - and the consequences suffered by those who have tried to speak out.

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The Kenya Wildlife Service suspects it is more than a coincidence that a large number of elephant killings have occurred in areas where Chinese crews have recently arrived for massive construction projects.

Wildlife authorities in Kenya are deeply concerned about the growing surge in elephant poaching - and the proximity of the slaughters to where Chinese newcomers are working on the road.

98 elephant carcasses - with tusks gouged out - were found in 2008. And 73 elephants have been lost so far this year.

At Save the Elephants, Moses Litoroh, Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) elephant program coordinator, noted that:

More than 50 per cent of the dead elephants we have found have been in that area in the north where the Chinese are working on the road. We can perhaps assume that they have had a hand in it, maybe not all of them, but the coincidence is causing us great concern.

It has also been reported that “the majority of ivory smugglers arrested at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi are now Chinese nationals.”

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Plans are underway to move a 48km section of Kruger National Park specifically to allow for trophy hunting.

The new section will be opened as an exclusive private nature reserve where hunters would target animals like elephant and buffalo for contracted killing. “This cannot be disguised as anything but a green light for hunting in Kruger National Park, which makes no ecological, biological, ethical or economic sense,” said Jason Bell-Leask of the International Fund for Animal Welfare.

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Miami’s Metrozoo is recycling 1,400 pounds of elephant poop, 750 pounds of rhino dung, and 500 pounds of giraffe excrement per day.

In an innovative effort to save landfill space and reduce the zoo’s ecological footprint, the organic waste is used as fertilizer, and also to “decorate the zoo grounds.” In addition to the “big producers” - elephants, rhinos, and giraffes - other herbivores are regularly making their own contributions.

Metrozoo’s horticultural supervisor, Tom Trump, said that to recycle and reuse whatever they could “made sense.” Since starting the recycling project last year, the park has saved over $20,000.

Miami Metrozoo is home to over 1,000 animals, representing over 400 species - 48 of which are endangered species.

Image source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/tiswango/ / CC BY-SA 2.0

4. Kenya Fears Link Between Elephant Killings and Chinese Construction Projects

Summary:
The Kenya Wildlife Service suspects it is more than a coincidence that a large number of elephant killings have occurred in areas where Chinese crews have recently arrived for massive construction projects.

Update:
Despite the growing list of suspicious “coincidences”, it is no surprise that the Chinese government officially denied links to elephant poaching in Kenya. Major media outlets did the same by syndicating one article that referred to poaching in the title, but leaving the information about China out of the content altogether.

Later, most sources altered the title of the article and removed the word “poaching” - although a search will reveal the original title in some of the syndicated pages.

The response by China appears to be a little more than the flexing of newly-acquired PR muscles, which the country quickly attempted to develop during the Uighur riots earlier this year. There is more at China Denies Links to Elephant Poaching in Kenya

5. Tiger Killed, Skinned Inside Indonesian Zoo

Summary:
Sheila the tiger was poisoned and then skinned in her enclosure at Jambi’s Rimbo Zoo in Indonesia.

Wildlife authorities fear this crime is a shocking new development in the illegal wildlife trade: The tiger’s skin, along with body parts in demand for traditional Asian “remedies”, were taken from the tiger’s enclosure.

Update:
There has been one arrest in the Indonesian zoo tiger killing. Sadly, it appears that this is only one link in a chain of an organized effort to meet the demands of China’s flourishing illegal trade in tiger skin and body parts.

6. Tiger Poaching Scandal? Goa Forest Official Says Remains ‘Not a Tiger’

Summary:
Suspicion is growing around the investigation of a Goa tiger poaching incident earlier this year which allegedly involved an employee of the home guard department - and now it appears a senior forest official is trying to cover it up.

Chief Conservator of Forests Goa, Shashi Kumar, claims that the Wildlife Institute of India’s investigation shows the slaughtered animal was “not a tiger.” Such a claim is dubious, especially considering eyewitness accounts and published photographs of physical evidence at the location where the tiger was killed.

Update:
It looks like Kumar has changed his tune once again, according to a Thaindian News report on the “official flip flop”:

After initially claiming that a “preliminary” forensic report had ruled out poaching of a tiger in a Goa wildlife sanctuary, the state’s top forest official has now said that he has not seen the forensic report yet. Chief Conservator of Forests (CCF) Shashi Kumar now maintains that he had made the statement only on the basis of a letter faxed to him by the Wildlife Institute of India (WII).

Oh, really?

7. 20 Animals Dead This Year at Dhaka Zoo in Bangladesh

Summary:
Negligence, inadequate care, inexperience, and poor living conditions the Dhaka Zoo are to blame for the reported deaths of 20 animals so far this year.

Update:
Just two days after the original post, one of Dhaka zoo’s Bengal tigers, Garjan, died.

There are now apparently ten tigers left at this facility. A photo shows a tiger in a cement enclosure.

Despite the suspension of the zoo’s curator and deputy director, Dhaka Zoo is preparing to welcome holiday visitors, according to an online Bangladesh news source.

The zoo publicity officer, Saiful Islam, said the authorities are taking all measures to entertain the visitors.

By all means, since entertaining the visitors seems to be working great - just great.

8. 14 Deer Dead in One Night at Kanpur Zoo

Summary:
A disturbing discovery at the Kanpur Zoo revealed that thirteen chital (Axis axis) and one swamp deer (Cervus duvauceli) had died overnight. Coincidentally, five black bucks died last at Kanpur Zoo last year within one hour around this same time of year.

Seven employees were suspended.

Update:
Last Wednesday, PETA India held a demonstration in front of the Central Zoo Authority calling for the closure of all zoos, citing this incident as the latest in the rising death toll of animals in India’s zoos.

And last Thursday, an official inspection by a four-member team was conducted at the Kanpur Zoological Park.

During their stay, the team members inspected the enclosures of various animals and observed the cleanliness. They went to the site where the deer were found dead. Kanpur zoo, director, K Praveen Rao was asked to provide documents on the zoo management.

The inspection team is expected to submit a report within 15 days.

9. Tiger Cub Dies at Zoo — To Attract More Tourists

Summary:
A white tiger cub has died at India’s Indore Zoo after zoo authorities decided to keep a litter of sick cubs on display to attract more tourists.

Wildlife experts believe that putting the cubs on display prematurely made them ill in the first place - and zoo authorities knew the cubs had been suffering from bacterial gastroenteritis since late August. A zoo employee reportedly said the cubs were dehydrated and had diarrhea, but were kept in the enclosure anyway so tourists would come and see them.

Update:
It turns out the tragic death of the tiger cub wasn’t the first animal death at the Indore Zoo.

Apparently, three animals - a deer and two male black bucks - died the week before from internal injuries inflicted during a “clash” in their enclosure. And in July, 20 rabbits reportedly died from an infection.

However, it appears that action is being taken in this matter.

Stung by a series of deaths in the Indore zoo, including that of a white tiger cub, the civic agency has removed more than 25 employees, including the superintendent and the zoo in-charge, for negligence of duty, officials said Tuesday.

One of the surviving tiger cubs is still undergoing medical treatment.

Not over yet

At times, it looks as if the world is somehow conspiring against the survival of its wildlife treasures.

The struggle to protect endangered species from poachers and habitat loss - or to provide proper care to zoo inhabitants - seems at times to be a difficult and lonely one. Many believe the battle to save endangered species from extinction is already lost.

Yet, thanks to the dedicated efforts of organizations such as Cook Inletkeeper, Wildlife Direct, International Rhino Foundation (and many more) along with countless, caring individuals, hope for wildlife remains.

And where there is hope for wildlife … perhaps there is hope for humans, too.

Image source: istock.com

The future of a rare herd of desert elephants in Mali is under threat from one of the worst droughts in living memory, which has left a key water source at its lowest level in a quarter of a century.

The 350 to 450 elephants of Gourma, the northernmost herds still alive in Africa, are being forced to trek extreme distances across the fringes of the Sahara to find scarce water. Juveniles are likely the worst affected, as (unlike the bigger bulls) their trunks are not long enough to reach deep into wells - one of the only remaining water sources.

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Before the question is answered, here’s a little more background on pink elephants. The pink elephant found in Botswana is more accurately described as a rare albino elephant, one of only three to have been officially recorded in Africa. More albino elephants are thought to have historically existed among Asia’s elephant species (also sometimes referred to as white elephants), although this occurrence is also a rarity. An albino in Sri Lanka was the first to be officially recorded among the Asian elephant species, and just recently in 2004. According to Wikipedia, “although often depicted as snow white, their skin is normally a soft reddish-brown, turning a light pink when wet.”

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In the Sahara, life hangs in the balance. As nomadic lifestyles vanish, urbanization threatens one of the desert’s last elephant populations. Conservationists must work fast to quell human-elephant conflict in the most arid habitat on Earth.

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After trying many schemes to control the elephants, including planting chilies which were supposed to repel them, game rangers have resorted to cellular technology. Elephants are fitted with collars holding a mobile phone SIM card that sends text messages to protect the farmers and their crops.

The system works by setting up virtual fences which alert rangers when elephants break through, allowing them to be coaxed back to the conservancy. Apparently the learning has been swift and fewer and fewer night drives are required to keep the elephants in Ol Pejeta.

Photo Credit:  by Eric Kilby on Flickr under a Creative Commons license.   

4. Kenya Fears Link Between Elephant Killings and Chinese Construction Projects

Summary:
The Kenya Wildlife Service suspects it is more than a coincidence that a large number of elephant killings have occurred in areas where Chinese crews have recently arrived for massive construction projects.

Update:
Despite the growing list of suspicious “coincidences”, it is no surprise that the Chinese government officially denied links to elephant poaching in Kenya. Major media outlets did the same by syndicating one article that referred to poaching in the title, but leaving the information about China out of the content altogether.

Later, most sources altered the title of the article and removed the word “poaching” - although a search will reveal the original title in some of the syndicated pages.

The response by China appears to be a little more than the flexing of newly-acquired PR muscles, which the country quickly attempted to develop during the Uighur riots earlier this year. There is more at China Denies Links to Elephant Poaching in Kenya

5. Tiger Killed, Skinned Inside Indonesian Zoo

Summary:
Sheila the tiger was poisoned and then skinned in her enclosure at Jambi’s Rimbo Zoo in Indonesia.

Wildlife authorities fear this crime is a shocking new development in the illegal wildlife trade: The tiger’s skin, along with body parts in demand for traditional Asian “remedies”, were taken from the tiger’s enclosure.

Update:
There has been one arrest in the Indonesian zoo tiger killing. Sadly, it appears that this is only one link in a chain of an organized effort to meet the demands of China’s flourishing illegal trade in tiger skin and body parts.

6. Tiger Poaching Scandal? Goa Forest Official Says Remains ‘Not a Tiger’

Summary:
Suspicion is growing around the investigation of a Goa tiger poaching incident earlier this year which allegedly involved an employee of the home guard department - and now it appears a senior forest official is trying to cover it up.

Chief Conservator of Forests Goa, Shashi Kumar, claims that the Wildlife Institute of India’s investigation shows the slaughtered animal was “not a tiger.” Such a claim is dubious, especially considering eyewitness accounts and published photographs of physical evidence at the location where the tiger was killed.

Update:
It looks like Kumar has changed his tune once again, according to a Thaindian News report on the “official flip flop”:

After initially claiming that a “preliminary” forensic report had ruled out poaching of a tiger in a Goa wildlife sanctuary, the state’s top forest official has now said that he has not seen the forensic report yet. Chief Conservator of Forests (CCF) Shashi Kumar now maintains that he had made the statement only on the basis of a letter faxed to him by the Wildlife Institute of India (WII).

Oh, really?

7. 20 Animals Dead This Year at Dhaka Zoo in Bangladesh

Summary:
Negligence, inadequate care, inexperience, and poor living conditions the Dhaka Zoo are to blame for the reported deaths of 20 animals so far this year.

Update:
Just two days after the original post, one of Dhaka zoo’s Bengal tigers, Garjan, died.

There are now apparently ten tigers left at this facility. A photo shows a tiger in a cement enclosure.

Despite the suspension of the zoo’s curator and deputy director, Dhaka Zoo is preparing to welcome holiday visitors, according to an online Bangladesh news source.

The zoo publicity officer, Saiful Islam, said the authorities are taking all measures to entertain the visitors.

By all means, since entertaining the visitors seems to be working great - just great.

8. 14 Deer Dead in One Night at Kanpur Zoo

Summary:
A disturbing discovery at the Kanpur Zoo revealed that thirteen chital (Axis axis) and one swamp deer (Cervus duvauceli) had died overnight. Coincidentally, five black bucks died last at Kanpur Zoo last year within one hour around this same time of year.

Seven employees were suspended.

Update:
Last Wednesday, PETA India held a demonstration in front of the Central Zoo Authority calling for the closure of all zoos, citing this incident as the latest in the rising death toll of animals in India’s zoos.

And last Thursday, an official inspection by a four-member team was conducted at the Kanpur Zoological Park.

During their stay, the team members inspected the enclosures of various animals and observed the cleanliness. They went to the site where the deer were found dead. Kanpur zoo, director, K Praveen Rao was asked to provide documents on the zoo management.

The inspection team is expected to submit a report within 15 days.

9. Tiger Cub Dies at Zoo — To Attract More Tourists

Summary:
A white tiger cub has died at India’s Indore Zoo after zoo authorities decided to keep a litter of sick cubs on display to attract more tourists.

Wildlife experts believe that putting the cubs on display prematurely made them ill in the first place - and zoo authorities knew the cubs had been suffering from bacterial gastroenteritis since late August. A zoo employee reportedly said the cubs were dehydrated and had diarrhea, but were kept in the enclosure anyway so tourists would come and see them.

Update:
It turns out the tragic death of the tiger cub wasn’t the first animal death at the Indore Zoo.

Apparently, three animals - a deer and two male black bucks - died the week before from internal injuries inflicted during a “clash” in their enclosure. And in July, 20 rabbits reportedly died from an infection.

However, it appears that action is being taken in this matter.

Stung by a series of deaths in the Indore zoo, including that of a white tiger cub, the civic agency has removed more than 25 employees, including the superintendent and the zoo in-charge, for negligence of duty, officials said Tuesday.

One of the surviving tiger cubs is still undergoing medical treatment.

Not over yet

At times, it looks as if the world is somehow conspiring against the survival of its wildlife treasures.

The struggle to protect endangered species from poachers and habitat loss - or to provide proper care to zoo inhabitants - seems at times to be a difficult and lonely one. Many believe the battle to save endangered species from extinction is already lost.

Yet, thanks to the dedicated efforts of organizations such as Cook Inletkeeper, Wildlife Direct, International Rhino Foundation (and many more) along with countless, caring individuals, hope for wildlife remains.

And where there is hope for wildlife … perhaps there is hope for humans, too.

Image source: istock.com

Despite extensive opposition and the rallying of animal activists and Hollywood celebrities alike, Los Angeles City Council voted today to go ahead with a $42 million elephant exhibit. About $12 million has already been spent towards the completion of the new exhibit, which is now 30 percent done.

Council also decided that the city will continue to keep Billy the elephant confined at the zoo instead of sending him to an animal sanctuary where he would have been afforded more space to roam. The planned six acre exhibit would be seven times larger than Billy’s current enclosure and feature approximately four acres of open space. Opponents argue that this falls far short of an elephant’s space requirements.

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The population of elephants in Zakouma National Park has been reduced by almost 2/3 in the last two years due to organized poaching for ivory. Only 1000 savannah elephants are now thought to survive in the park, and an urgent effort to save them has been launched by the Wildlife Conservation Society.

“Zakouma is a last stand for elephants in the Sahel. It’s incredibly heartbreaking to stand before a dead elephant missing only its tusks. How can we stand idly by and watch this population continue to get slaughtered because of simple human greed?” - Dr. Mike Fay, WCS conservationist in Chad

Ivory poachers use automatic weapons to take down the elephants, especially when herds venture outside of the park during seasonal travels. Park guards have been killed by poachers, and civil unrest in Chad makes enforcing conservation efforts extremely difficult. Zakouma is only 160 miles from Darfur.

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