The box turtle population in Malaysia is dropping as more and more turtles are being trafficked to China and Hong Kong, according to a wildlife monitoring organization. From the AP (via Google News): The box turtle is disappearing across Malaysia because of increased illegal hunting for its meat and use in traditional Chinese medicine, wildlife activists said [...]

Illegal miners of diamonds in Zimbabwe are getting involved in clashes with security forces as fewer resources in the country leads more to the trade. From the LA Times: Ronald seems a sober, respectable, church-on-Sunday type. Not the kind you’d find prospecting for diamonds here in Zimbabwe’s wild east, a world of swaggering foreigners, dirty money and [...]

6 people were arrested for attempting to smuggle elephant ivory through Kennedy Airport in New York City by disguising the tusks as other common objects. From the New York Times: They came through Kennedy Airport from Africa in boxes marked “African Wooden Handicraft” and “Wooden Statues.” Inside those innocuous cartons, federal authorities said on Wednesday, were what appeared [...]

In an attempt to cut down on illegal logging in the Amazon, the Brazilian Government has announced an ambitious plan to cut deforestation in the region by 70 percent. From BBC News: Brazil has announced a plan to reduce deforestation rates in the Amazon region by 70% over the next ten years. The plan follows a call for [...]

The largest every crackdown on wildlife smugglers in Africa arrested 57 people. From the BBC: More than one tonne of ivory products has been seized in Africa’s largest-ever international crackdown on wildlife crime. The operation, co-ordinated by Interpol and the Kenya Wildlife Service, led to the arrest of 57 illegal traders across five African nations. The haul also included [...]

The United Kingdom is facing an increase in poaching as more and more people are killing animals and other forms of meats due to the rising costs of food. From the Independent: Police in rural areas across Britain are reporting a dramatic increase in poaching, as the rise in food prices and the reality of recession increases [...]

A Vietnamese diplomat was caught by a news crew smuggling rhino horns in South Africa. From Bloomberg News: ietnam recalled a diplomat from its embassy in South Africa after a television program allegedly showed her trafficking rhino horn, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The employee was filmed by the South African Broadcasting Corporation talking to an [...]

Users of cocaine are destroying the rainforest, according to law enforcement officials. From the Guardian: Four square metres of rainforest are destroyed for every gram of cocaine snorted in the UK, a conference of senior police officers as told yesterday. Francisco Santos Calderón, the vice-president of Colombia, appealed to British users of the class A drug to consider [...]

A huge market in illegally trafficked animals exists in Thailand. From the AFP (via Google News): Thousands of tourists and locals throng the congested aisles of Bangkok’s popular Chatuchak market every weekend, hunting for everything from a new pair of shiny leather shoes to a puppy. But among the racks of caged creatures is an illegal trade in [...]

Brazil’s Environmental Minister is blaming farmers who illegally clear the Amazon and traffickers of exotic species as the root causes of animals becoming extinct in the country. From BusinessWeek: Minc blamed the growing number of endangered species on deforestation in the Amazon, which he said is sparked by soy farmers and ranchers illegally clearing land to plant [...]