“Dubai is a major hub in terms of international travel, especially coming from African countries.  This is a big place for wildlife trafficking,” said Steve Chao, host of the Al Jazeera current affairs program 101 East, which televised an investigative report on poachers in late November.

Entitled The Return of the Lizard King, the documentary focuses on Malaysian wildlife trafficker Anson Wong and barely mentions Dubai. But Chao told The National that, in the course of his research, he discovered that poachers are exploiting the emirate’s position as an efficient transit hub between Asia and Africa.

Dubai’s become a critical path on the smuggling road.

Watch the full 26 minute documentary, below:

Rare animals are stolen from their African habitat, then routed through Dubai to Asia for sale to collectors worldwide. Posing as a wildlife dealer, Chao met with traffickers in Madagascar, Malaysia and Thailand, shadowy figures with keen knowledge of major airports’ security procedures.

“They have inside information from Customs officials as to which airports have xray checks, how many hours it takes before a suitcase is xrayed,” said Chao. Quick connections make Dubai Airport attractive since, for some flights, luggage checked at the point of origin is not re-screened.

“They know that if they can get something from Madagascar to Dar Es Salaam and then through to Dubai, they can quickly pick up another plane within a few hours, bypassing the need for an xray check,” Chao said.

The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (Cites) regulates trade in endangered animals and plants. But Chao says traffickers sidestep restrictions by shipping animals to Asian countries such as Malaysia, where corrupt officials certify the animals are non-endangered species before exporting them to nations with more rigorous importation rules.

“It might be an exotic tortoise that’s been shipped in,” Chao said. “They change the name of the tortoise and then get papers that are legal Cites documents saying it’s an average tortoise, not endangered.”

Cites protects over 5,600 animals and distinctions among subspecies can be difficult to discern, making it challenging to verify whether the documents match the animal.

“That’s one of the biggest failings of Cites, the fact that sometimes the regulations of what is endangered are just too confusing for the average Customs official or even for wildlife officials in certain countries,” Chao said.

The notorious Wong, also known as “the Lizard King”, has served two jail sentences for trafficking in the US and Malaysia, but is known to be back in the game. It’s lucrative; the black market in endangered species is valued at $26 billion a year.

“The reason we went after the Lizard King (is because) he was an example of all the failures in terms of international law enforcement,” said Chao.

Image of baby orangutan from Shutterstock

The post Dubai exposed as major wildlife trafficking hub [video] appeared first on Green Prophet.

The demand for exotic animals in the Middle East – and particularly in the Gulf and Egypt- is putting animal’s lives at risk

From pet cheetahs on the streets of Dubai to python and falcon egg smuggling, the Middle East clearly has a wildlife trafficking problem. Even more troubling is that the market for these exotic animals is so lucrative that smugglers are putting the animal’s life at serious risk just to make a quick buck. According to the Middle East branch of the International Fund for Animal Welfare, smugglers commonly sedate young animals and carry them on board planes in hand luggage. But many never survive the journey.

“Usually, the animals die, but because of the large profits, smugglers will take a chance in case one of them survives,” Dr Elsayyed Mohamed, programme manager at the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) told The National. The trade in rare animals and plants is regulated by the Convention on International Trade on Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna but enforcing the international treaty is tricky especially as custom officials need to be trained on recognising species and the regulations pertaining to their protection.

UAE Attracting Wildlife Traffickers

IFAW also noted that the UAE, as trading centre in the region, tends to attract illegal trafficking of animals. Indeed, many of the stories we’ve covered here at Green Prophet on wildlife trafficking are located in the UAE where wildlife animal ‘pets’ for the stupidly rich is not unheard of. Back in May, an Emirati was arrested for trying to smuggle baby leopards, a monkey, a gibbon and a Malayan sun bear in two of his suitcases.

Cheetahs and lion cubs, baboons, rare ornamental birds, houbara bustards and falcons are the species most frequently smuggled into the UAE. As well as pets, some animals end up in private zoos whilst others are re-exported to make a profit.

Gorilla Smuggling To Middle East Putting Species At Risk?

The Guardian also recently reported that a surge in the poaching of baby gorillas from the Democratic Republic of Congo poses a fresh risk to the endangered species. Mountain gorillas are critically endangered with under 800 left in the world but as they can fetch up to $40,000, the smugglers are willing to take the risk.

Ian Redmond, chairman of the conservation group the Ape Alliance, told the Guardian that wealthy animal collectors in Middle East are the likely source of demand although there is little evidence to back this. Karl Ammann, who was interviewed by Green Prophet also claimed that dozens of gorillas and hundreds of chimpanzees have been taken from Cameroon via Nigeria to Egypt. Dr Mohamed of IFAW told the National, “We recommend more supervision and more inspectors to control this trade.”

:: The National and The Guardian

:: Image via _Wichid_/ Flickr.

For more on wildlife smuggling into the Middle East see:

Wild Animal ‘Pets’ Still Commonplace in the Gulf

Live Baby Leopard Found In Suitcase En Route To Dubai

Dubai Porsche Driver Walks Pet Cheetah On A Leash

Two Kuwaiti Men Get The Squeeze For UAE Python Smuggling Attempt

The post Middle East’s Wildlife Smuggling Putting Species At Risk appeared first on Green Prophet.

The trafficking of wild animals for sale to rich and wannabe rich collectors in the Gulf appears to have reach a new high following the recent Green Prophet disclosure of a “pet” cheetah cub being led around on a leash by a Porsche driver in Dubai.

This unusual example of wild animals being sold as pets in various parts of the United Arab Emirates, follows on the heels of other episodes, including one of an injured baby cheetah found on the loose in Abu Dhabi; and another example of an anaesthetized baby leopard found in a suitcase on its way to being sold to someone in Dubai.

The accounts of rare and wild of animal trafficking seem to be happening every day. A new kids book might help stop the problem, by creating awareness from the ground up.Lion cub found in UAE apartment

Wild animals being sold as pets appears to still be commonplace in the UAE, despite increased efforts being made to stop this practice, according to local media sources, including an article from The National that writes that the problem stems from parents buying the animals for their children as a result of children’s stories on the same subject.

The problem of wild animals being sold and raised as pets in the UAE has been ongoing for years, and stories like tiger cubs found in pet markets, as well as lion cubs being raised in, of all places, an Emirate apartment, as reported in Gulf News back in 2006.

The wealthy will spend money on expensive toys, including those like the white gold bio fuel powered Mercedes that was seen plying the streets in Abu Dhabi a while back. This extravagance also goes for pets, especially exotic wild animals. As commented in The National, efforts are now being made to educate people, and children, that keeping wild animals as pets is wrong and should be stopped. This is an obvious to westerners, but not at all to the privileged in the Middle East who may not actually know any better.

As noted by Dr. Elsayyed Mohamed, program manager for the Dubai branch of the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW):

“It’s a story about exotic pets. We’re targeting the keeping of dangerous animals as pets because we know this happens here, everybody knows there is a problem of keeping dangerous animals as pets in the UAE and other Gulf states. It is difficult to convince adults, usually you will not succeed, but you can convince children about what is right.”

Dr. Mohamad is basing his strategy on a children’s book entitled Nassar and Shabool which is about a child who has lion cub and mistreats it; only to be later captured himself and taken to a jungle where the boy finds himself surrounded by wild animals including Shabool’s mother, who  want to punish him for mistreating Shabool.

The moral for teaching children is to hopefully instill in them that keeping wild animals as pets is morally and physically unacceptable, says Dr. Mohamad.

Read more about the sale of wild animals and other extravagance in the UAE:
Dubai Porsche Owner Walks Cheetah Cub on Leash
Badly Injured Cheetah Found on Abu Dhabi Streets
Live Baby Leopard found in Suitcase En-route to Dubai
Abu Dhabi’s White Gold Bio fuel Mercedes is Another Dubious Green Development

The post Wild Animal “Pets” Still Commonplace in the Gulf appeared first on Green Prophet.

Trafficking illegal drugs in the United Arab Emirates can earn offenders a death sentence, but trafficking wild animals that are listed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) apparently goes unnoticed if committed by a rich Emirati.

Not so long after a cheetah was found roaming the streets of Abu Dhabi, Dubai residents spotted a grown man “walking” an African cheetah last week near Media City.

After the animal showed visible signs of distress, the man coaxed it back into his fancy Porche Cayenne and left, ostensibly facing no charges for what should be considered a very serious crime.

The cheetah was seen walking around at the end of a leash in a parking lot that looks nothing at all like the Cheetah’s natural habitat in Africa. One expatriate on the scene told Gulf News that the man paraded the animal around for a full 20 minutes, as curious onlookers parked their cars to observe the spectacle, before it became uncomfortably skittish.

Although the United Arab Emirates has been an official member of CITES, the Convention on International Trade in Wild Species in Endangered Species of wild fauna and flora, since 2002, officials appear to look the other way when blatantly illegal wildlife trafficking spills into the UAE’s public realm.

Nor is it possible to claim ignorance. A comprehensive list (in Arabic) of endangered animals and helpful tools to identify them have been available to anti-trafficking employees since 2008 thanks to combined efforts between EWS-WWF and the Environmental Agency Abu Dhabi (EAD).

Nonetheless, the frequency with which wild animals are spotted throughout the Emirates, other Gulf countries, and Egypt suggests that there is a hole in the regulatory system.  If there were proper fines in place for individuals who acquire illegally-traded wildlife and traffickers were actually concerned about strict enforcement, then surely they would scale back their efforts.

Private zoos: a right or an abomination?

Instead, Karl Amman – an expert in the industry – told Green Prophet in an interview earlier this year that having a private zoo is almost considered a right among Saudis, Emiratis and other wealthy Arabs in the Gulf Region and parts of North Africa.

Dr Khan, a member of IUCN’s World Commission on Protected Areas, told the paper that:

No wild animal should be kept on leash and be walked through public places. Wild cats are dangerous to the public … Wildlife is always best in its natural habitats, not in human company.

If you live in a country where ownership of animals that belong in the wild is considered “cool,” won’t you share your thoughts with us. Do you think it should be allowed, do you think the animals are better off in private zoos than they are in public zoos? What do you think of zoos in general? If you are as tired as we are of reading about such chronic threats to biodiversity, we would love some suggestions about the best method for tackling home ownership of wild animals in a country that is sensitive when criticized.

:: Gulf News

More wild animals held as pets in the Middle East:

Live Baby Leopard Found in Suitcase En Route to Dubai

Injured Cheetah Discovered on the Streets of Abu Dhabi

Lion Cub Shot Dead in Egypt

The post Dubai Porsche Driver Walks Pet Cheetah on a Leash appeared first on Green Prophet.

A lion cub belonging to a suspected criminal was shot dead during a police raid in Egypt

The Egyptian police officers who raided the house of wanted suspect in the village of Kafr Essam in north Cairo were probably expecting some resistance but they definitely weren’t expecting a lion to be unleashed on them.  According to local press, the police officers were so shocked by the presence of the lion cub that some jumped from the second floor where the suspect lives to the street below to escape.

Sadly, the police went on to fire 200 bullets killing the lion cub while the wanted suspect managed to escape. A falcon in the suspect’s house was found unharmed. Whilst this story is certainly bizarre, it does illustrate the scale of the illegal trade in wildlife in Egypt as well as animals rights abuses.

This April, protest were held outside Cairo and Giza zoo protesting the poor treatment of animals in zoos such as lions as well as concerns that Egypt had become known as hub of international illegal trade in wildlife.

Mona Khalil of the Egyptian Society for Mercy to Animals (ESMA) explained, “At the root of all this is a not only systemic corruption but also policy failure, as Egypt is lacking even the basic animal welfare legislation that would enable the prosecution of violators.

“Some will say that now is not the time to ask for animal’s rights, when human rights are still being violated. But actually there is no better time, as Egypt is trying to build a more just and humane society for all its inhabitants.”

During the revolution in Egypt to overthrow the Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak, 50 horses and three camels died due to the owners’ inability to reach them or feed them.

It was also recently reported that an Egyptian citizen had purchased a lion to fight and kill in “in an effort to promote tourism in the country.” Bikya Masr reported that the Egyptian had bought the lion for around 25,000 Egyptian pounds in complete violation of international wildlife regulations.

Egypt has a particularly chequered past in terms of animals rights, from holding dolphins to tiny pools to attract tourists to killing the wrong sharks after the Red Sea attacks last year to pacify holiday-makers. Indeed, the tourism industry does appear to play some role in the country’s poor animal rights record- even when misguided Egyptian individuals carry out the abuse.

:: Image via ahram.com

For more on Egypt and wildlife see:

When Tourism and Nature Collide- Protected Land Under Threat In Egypt

Horses: The Silent Victims of Egypt’s Revolution

Interview: Illegal Wildlife Trafficking With Karl Ammann

The post Lion Cub Shot Dead In Egypt appeared first on Green Prophet.

Along with a monkey, gibbon, and bear, two sedated leopard cubs were found in an Emirati man’s suitcase at the Suvarnabhumi Airport in Thailand. All of the animals were younger than two months old. Referred to as NM, the man was preparing to board a flight to Dubai when authorities searched his luggage and discovered the live animals. He was arrested and then released on bail the same day.

According to the National, this case is unusual because the animals were found alive. Whereas Asian countries smuggle in exotic species for food, Gulf buyers typically buy them to keep in their private collections or zoos, or to breed them.

Last year, a man was caught trying to smuggle rare falcons to the United Arab Emirates, and world renowned wildlife film-maker Karl Ammann talked to Green Prophet about the challenges of combating wildlife trafficking in the Middle East.

But regulating wildlife trafficking, it turns out, is not only challenging in the Middle East. Steve Glaston, who is the Director of Freeland, a US-funded non profit organization told the paper that NM faces up to four years in jail and a fine of roughly $1,300. But traffickers rarely actually serve time, he added.

Thailand is considered a major hub for trafficking because there are many wildlife centers or zoos where breeding programs can take place. The Thai Nature Crime Police were likely tracking the man long before he arrived at the airport, where the animals were delivered to him.

A spotted and black leopard were also discovered in other suitcases that did not belong to the Emirati man, but the whereabouts of their owner is not known. Most leopards are listed as “near-threatened” on the IUCN Red List of Endangered Species, though they have likely gone extinct in many places where they once occurred (including Egypt.)

What was NM thinking, you ask? Live leopards and bears in suitcases? Amman said in our interview that as long as the benefit (money) outweighs the risks (getting prosecuted), wildlife trafficking is unlikely to end. The leopards and bears would each have cost $4,000, so the benefits are sizable. Let’s make the risks even more so.

:: The National

More on Illegal Wildlife Trafficking in the Middle East:

Interview: Illegal Wildlife Trafficking with Karl Ammann

Two Kuwaiti Men Get the Squeeze for UAE Python Smuggling Attempt

Interpol Gets Tough on Green Crimes

image via MacJewell

The post Live Baby Leopard Found In Suitcase En Route To Dubai appeared first on Green Prophet.

Despite Interpol’s tough stance against trafficking, traffickers have no trouble finding customers in the Middle East. Karl Amman talked to us earlier this year about private wildlife collections in Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and other Middle Eastern countries and last year a man was caught trying to bring peregrine falcon eggs into the United Arab Emirates.

But wildlife trafficking is becoming more difficult as more airports develop enhanced security measures. Over the weekend, officials at Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta International Airport discovered 40 sedated green tree pythons (Morelia viridis) in checked luggage belonging to two Kuwaiti men en route to the UAE. The pythons were confiscated and the men face prison sentencing and a  fine.

Yaqub Ebrahmi and Ali Hasan were in the Emirates Airline departure lounge when officials found the pythons in their baggage. The two Kuwaitis admitted that they had plans to sell the 40 green tree pythons to collectors in the United Arab Emirates, their final destination.

Found in Papua New Guinea, some parts of Indonesia, and North Queensland in Australia, and listed as of least concern on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) red list, the serpentine bounty would have been very expensive had the sale transpired successfully, according to airport spokesman Feri Utamayasa.

The Jakarta Globe reports that the snakes, which had been stuffed into 18 cloth bags, were transferred to the airport’s quarantine facility and the men face seven years in prison and a $32,000 maximum fine.

:: Jakarta Globe

More on illegal wildlife trafficking in the Middle East:

Interview: Wildlife Trafficking With Karl Amman

Man Arrested Attempting to Smuggle Golden Falcon Eggs

Interpol Gets Tough on Green Crimes

The post Two Kuwaiti Men Get The Squeeze For UAE Python Smuggling Attempt appeared first on Green Prophet.

In 2007, Karl Ammann appeared on Time Magazine’s Heroes of the Environment List, and for good reason. Since discovering 2,004 smoked primates and 1,000 fresh carcasses on board  Zaire river boats in1988, he has devoted his life to exposing both the bushmeat and illegal wildlife trafficking. His photography and writings have appeared in several outlets including the New York Times Magazine,  Newsweek, Stern Magazine, and the National Geographic Almanac, and he has recently co-authored two books  namely Conserving Nature with Tony Rose and others, and  Eating Apes with Dale Peterson. For his work, he has received a slew of accolades.

We met him this past weekend in Nairobi, Kenya,  where we discussed private reserves throughout the Middle East that show off illegal wildlife without any retribution from the authorities. Even CITES, the international organization tasked with regulating wildlife trafficking, has been notoriously lackadaisical about bringing offenders to task.

Karl, you first became interested in bushmeat trade before switching your focus to wildlife trafficking. Can you talk about this?

“I’ve kind of moved away from Bushmeat. It’s a mess in Central Africa with no answers in sight. What’s the point of banging your head against the wall. You’ve done everything you can to expose the situation – policymakers, NGOs, and everyone else can no longer say they didn’t know what’s going on.”

So what you are you working on at the moment?

“Right now I’m making a film about the reptile skin trade – about over-exploitation, CITES export licensing for the Guccis of the world – all essentially illegal.”

Where do you market your films?

“It’s definitely not a moneymaker but I seem to have good luck in South Africa, Scandinavia and Germany. The American market is very difficult because they want happy endings, and my stories don’t have happy endings.”

Africa Geographic did a piece on wildlife trafficking in the Middle East – can we focus on that for a bit?

“I didn’t really do any work there. I mean, I went to Dubai and visited the zoo director there, asked him about his chimps and where they came from and went to Qatar and asked where those chimps came from. It’s a mess – Kuwait, the whole region.

One journalist with Gulf News has been good about picking up stories and running with them, to some extent, but the expat community doesn’t want to confront the issue. They’re afraid to even send emails. If they’re afraid to send emails, that’s a pretty good indication that it’s not safe. People who have helped me have been harassed, they’ve been threatened, and it’s still going on.”

The Egyptian wildlife dealer Heba Abdel Moty Ahmed Saad has eluded prosecution for thirty years. Is she still around?

“I doubt it – she has probably retired by now. But her two daughters are still operating out of Nigeria. There are also another two or three dealers operating who can pretty much get anything you want. The trouble is in Black Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa, many wildlife dealers are third generation. This is nothing new to them. In the old days the trade went into Europe. Now there are more restrictions, to some extent, but also more money.”

Who in the Middle East is interested in buying wildlife?

“Mostly private collectors that have a lot of money. Saudi, Qatar, and the Emirates behind their walled estates, the Arabs feel entitled to have lions and tigers in the backyard. And because they have a closed society they get away with it. They have their private jets with crates – no one is going to open those up.

So, okay, Dubai had to open up a bit, but the expat community don’t dare to talk about what happens behind closed doors in Saudi for example. And they have high profile wildlife – Chimps, Gorillas, Orangutans, Lions, Tigers.”

What are some of the challenges you have faced trying to investigate illegal wildlife trafficking?

“Well, we’ve managed to get in with hidden cameras and that kind of thing. My hotel room was once broken into and all of my photos were stolen. And two guys who were helping me out were beaten in the desert and begging for their lives. You have no rights. So we learned that if you push too hard the curtains come down everywhere.”

Do you plan to go back to Egypt?

“I’m working on that at the moment to see if its’ even possible. But everyone knows me very well and the minute they see me they start making phone calls, so there’s very little that I can do now.”

Where are most of the wildlife being kept?

“It’s hard to say because they are walled in and you get shot at if you try to approach, but mostly along the road connecting Alexandria and Cairo.

Then there is Tamer In Animal Kingdom. He breeds dogs and horses but he also breeds lions, tigers, and ligers – half tiger and half lion. Where ever you find his dogs, there will be other wildlife too. I’m not even sure yet where he is?”

How is it even possible to get a permit for certain wildlife like Chimps and Gorillas?

“Oh. Don’t get me started. After filming, I’ve come to the conclusion that CITES is a total joke. We went to the Geneva Standing Committee meeting to interview the Chinese delegation and were physically kicked out. Then the Chief Enforcement Officer traveled to Egypt where one of the worst traffickers had chimps and gorillas in his backyard by the dozen.

So the officer decided that maybe something did need to change but that they should be given a chance – usual CITES crap – and within weeks of him leaving, pictures emerged of new baby gorillas that arrived. So then CITES sent who I believe was a filing clerk who reported that everything was fine and at the Doha meeting the case was closed. I asked to see the report and was offered the summary. When I asked for details they told me that it was confidential, which is in violation of internal CITES rules. In my opinion, CITES is a big part of the problem.”

So, what do you think should be done about zoos and private collections?

“I understand where zoos come from – I have two chimps who have a good life and are properly cared for. And I understand sanctuaries because orphans need a home. I have no problem with that. An animal that is born in the San Diego zoo and that has access to food and water and social interaction can have a pretty good life. But in third world countries like Egypt where millions of people are close to the starvation line, does it make sense to have to look after animals?

There are reports of people slaughtering zoo animals for meat. The point is in countries where there is poverty, the people come first, they always do, and the animals pay the price. These places should be shut down.”

For more information about Karl’s work, to see his photographs, or to learn more about wildlife trafficking and the bushmeat trade, please visit his website: http://karlammann.com. If you want to contact Tamer in Animal Kingdom, his email address is: tamer.box1@yahoo.com

All images herein were taken by Karl Ammaan, with the exception of the Daily Green image of him.

More on wildlife trafficking and conservation efforts in the Middle East:

Interpol Gets Tough On Green Crimes

Man Arrested Attempting to Smuggle Golden Falcon Eggs

Where Have All The Iranian Leopards Gone?

The post Interview: Illegal Wildlife Trafficking With Karl Ammann appeared first on Green Prophet.