Information and analysis bulletin on animal poaching and smuggling n°6 / 1st July - 30th Septembre 2014 Contents Introduction Insects and Arachnids 3 Seahorses Sea 4 Cruelty to animals is pouring and flooding on Tridacna and Queen Conches 5 each and every one of the 134 pages of ”On the Sea Cucumbers 5 Trail ” n°6. Rainbows are rare. And for that are all Fishes 6 the more beautiful. Marine Mammals 8 Opening of a delphinium in Pattaya and a Several recent studies suggest that violence on projected opening in Phuket 8 animals and abuse of animal’s weakness show Marine Turtles 9 predisposition to violence against humans and that witnessing domestic violence or being Tortoises and Freshwater Turtles 13 submitted to parental harassment leads to a Snakes 20 predisposition to violence against animals. Sauria 23 Violence is a viral and vicious circle. Crocodilians 23 Multi-Species Reptiles 24 The FBI in the United States of America now considers that mistreatment, individual Amphibia 25 violence, organized abuse and torture against animals are crimes against society. To start Birds 26 in 2016, a database listing animal sadists The new European commissioner for should help - that is the purpose of the FBI’s the environment 32 new approach - to predict criminality against humans. Pangolins 35 Writers and great thinkers in the ancient Primates 40 centuries had predicted that practice or Ebola 42 witnessing of cruelty inflicted on animals would lead to barbaric treatment towards and among Felines 49 humans. ” After people in Rome were tamed Released on bail without caution 53 to the spectacle of murdering animals, it came the turn of men and the gladiators. ” Montaigne Red Pandas 56 (1533-1592). “ Cruelty towards beasts is a Bears 57 natural propensity for cruelty towards men. ” Montesquieu (1689-1755). Illegal Stock Management 59 Great naturalists concur and are well aware of Rhinoceroses 60 such tendencies. ” A child cruel to animals in his Disbanded Justice 71 young years never becomes an honest man or a Rhinoceros exterminatis (France) 72 good citizen. ” Georges-Louis Leclerc de Buffon (1707-1788). Elephants 73 Listen if it rains ! 88 Alexander von Humboldt (1769-1859), explorer, geographer and naturalist would measure a Other Mammals 98 people’s level of civilization by the way they treat animals. Multi-Species 102 According to Humboldt’s scale, we are presently The ex-Falkland Islands Wolf 122 at a zero degree, or even below zero. Sources 123 1 On The Trail # 6. Robin des Bois Carried out by Robin des Bois with the encouragement and financial support of the Fondation Brigitte Bardot, the Ligue pour la Protection des Oiseaux and the Fondation Franz Weber reconnue d’utilité publique 28, rue Vineuse - 75116 Paris Tél : 01 45 05 14 60 www.fondationbrigittebardot.fr CITES* Appendices Appendix I : species threatened with extinction. Trade in specimens of these species is permitted only in exceptional circumstances and under import and export permits. Appendix II : export permit required in order to avoid utilization incompatible with the species survi- val. Import permit if required by national law. Appendix III : species that are protected in at least one country, which has asked other CITES Parties for assistance in controlling the trade. In the case of trade from a State that included the species in Appendix III, an export permit of that State is required. * Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. 180 Member States. On The Trail # 6. Robin des Bois 2 ASIA After the scorpion’s postal package, it is spiders’ turn. The 18 largest were locked in round plastic Seizure of 10 yellow-tailed scorpions wide (An- boxes, 14 were in cylinder tubes, the 128 smallest droctonus australis, not listed by CITES) 1 in small cone-shaped tubes. Their species are un- Xiaoshan, Zhejiang Province, China known. July 2014 Seizure of 263 butterflies out of which blue mor- phos (Morpho helena, not listed by CITES), Atlas (Attacus atlas, not listed by CITES) and genus Di- aethria (not listed by CITES) 3 Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China July 17, 2014 © Chino.org © Vipin Baliga Vipin © This deadly species is native to the Middle East and North Africa. 10-12 cm long, average life span: 50 years. The mail parcel came from the Philippines. Its content was declared as “souvenirs”. On the Inter- Attacus atlas net, this dangerous scorpion can be purchased for 200 yuan (32 US$). The butterflies were in a postal parcel. According Scorpions trafic is rising in Asia, especially in Paki- to Guangzhou Customs, they belong to species stan. 2 reasons are put forth to explain this : 1) For- protected by international conventions or national eign workers hired on large-scale works would pay regulations. They are banned from import in China. good price for scorpions, for they consider them as The specimens were sent to entomology experts bushmeat 2) Foreign pharmaceutical companies for more precise identification. The package came manufacturing allegedly anticancer medicines use from the United States. them in their formulations. Pakistanis are themselves becoming crazy about Seizure of 22 tarantulas 4 scorpions. 2 men have recently been arrested, in Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province, China the Azad Jammu district and in the Kashmir region, August 2014 for transporting 4 to 5 dozens of scorpions. A few The poisonous spiders were found alive in the 2 days ago, 3 people were caught transporting 5 kg postal parcels shipped from Hungary and detected of scorpions. They were fined Rs 60.000 (585 US$). by Hangzhou customs. 22 species of tarantulas are listed under Appendix II of the CITES Convention Seizure of 160 live spiders 2 (see “On the Trail” No. 5, p. 129). Beijing, China July © Customs of the People’s Republic of China of the People’s © Customs © Customs of the People’s Republic of China of the People’s © Customs 3 On The Trail # 6. Robin des Bois Seahorses Sea Seizure of 67 kg of dried seahorses (Hip- AFRICA pocampus spp., Appen- dix II) 4 Seizure of 132 dried seahorses (Hippocampus Hong Kong, China spp., Appendix II)1 August 5, 2014 Deal Party, Province of Western Cape, South Af- 1115 to 1675 seahorses rica in a 40-foot container © Hong Kong Customs July 1, 2014 being shipped from Mo- The « goods » worth Rs 100,000 (9500 US$) were zambique. mixed in with candied ginger, dried veggies and 130,000 HK dollars, or kitchen utensils. The seizure took place in the con- 16,770 US$. Approx- tainer terminal in Port Elizabeth. The container imately 11 US$ per was coming from Hong Kong. The packages inside seahorse sold. belonged to a 76 year old Chinese woman. She is charged with illegal import and breach of environ- mental law. EUROPE ASIA Conviction for sale of products Seizure of 416 dried seahorses (Hippocampus containing seahorse extracts 5 spp., Appendix II) 2 (Hippocampus spp., Appendix II) Xiamen, Fujian Province, China London, England, UK July 1, 2014 September 2014 The flight KA604 from Hong Kong to Xiamen ar- A 46 year old woman of Mongol origin was selling, rived on time. A middle-aged couple tried to go in a shopping mall and a small bazaar, pills featuring through the “Nothing to Declare” tunnel at the bor- sea horse extracts. Her game was spotted out by a der security, but a border patrol directed them to police inspector. The shopkeeper was sentenced to put their luggage through the x-ray machine. The a fine and court costs amounting in all to 1185£ or inspector found odd images in the bags and or- 1965 US$. dered them to be opened. There was a stinky smell from the opened bags, and the agents found 416 dried seahorses. The couple said that they work in South Africa and brought the seahorses back for their families. They believe that the animals have the medical qualities of “antibiotics and painkillers.” © Yangsheng, Zhao / Yangsheng, © custo ms.gov.cn Seizure of 78 dried seahorses (Hippocampus spp., Appendix II) 3 Nantong, Jiangsu Province, China July 30, 2014 The customs at the port of Nantong found 78 dried hippocampus on a ship. The suspect claimed that he bought the animals in Peru and want to bring it home to soak in wine. Hippocampus is often used for Chinese medecine. On The Trail # 6. Robin des Bois 4 Tridacna and Queen Conches EUROPE Seizure of a dozen noble pen shells (Pinna nobi- 3 AMERICA lis, not listed by CITES) and 90 kg of fish Off Porto-Vecchio, Department of southern Cor- Poaching of queen conches (Strombus gigas, sica, France Appendix II) 1 September 25, 2014 Off Désirade, Department of Guadeloupe, Italian fishermen sailors have ties with Porto-Vec- France chio. These 4 were caught longline fishing with September 12, 2014 more than 200 hooks. Their home was searched Out of a fishing boat, 3 divers were engaged in ille- with a warrant from Ajaccio prosecutor. The police gal harvest of queen conches. On arrival, the coast got hold of a dozen noble pen shells, strictly pro- guards verified their presence by surface buoys tected by European regulations (Appendix IV of from underwater cages filled with shells. The boss the Habitats-Fauna-Flora Directive). The 4 boaters could only confirm the fault. should appear before the criminal court of Ajaccio One of the divers fled during the operation. He was in January 2015. The market channel of these illegal eventually found after research undertaken by the catches is yet to be uncovered. Antilles Guyane Regional Operational Center for Surveillance and Rescue. Tracking down illegal queen conches sales conti- nues on land at fishmongers and restaurateurs. Queen conch fishing is strictly regulated.