News

Endangered Wildlife Moves Up Wealthy Chinese Menus

April 28, 2006

Chinese police have seized hundreds of bear paws and dead pangolins smuggled into China where they are prized as an expensive culinary delicacy with uses in traditional medicine.

Police made 20 arrests in a smuggling ring in the south-western province of Yunnan, seizing 278 bear paws and 416 pangolins which had been brought in by lorry or train from Yunnan to three neighbouring provinces between December and January this year, according to a report in the Yunnan Daily.

The pangolins, which resemble armadillos, had been injected with tranquillisers to keep them quiet.

Kicking the habitat: Athletes weigh in for wildlife

April 21, 2006

With his fierce reputation in the ring, Cambodia's most famous kickboxer, Ei Puthang, may seem an unlikely choice as the new ambassador for environmental NGO WildAid. But there is a strong and long-standing connection between kickboxing and the pillaging of wildlife, says the head of the organization, Suwanna Gauntlett.

China Wildlife Consumption Survey Results Launched

April 20, 2006

The China Wildlife Consumption Survey results were released on April 18 2006 in Beijing. The survey results suggest that the percentage of the public eating wild animals has decreased, and the public awareness on wildlife conservation has improved. The government is taking active measures to stop illegal wildlife consumption for the sustainable development of wildlife resources.

Conservation Groups Say More Chinese Avoid Eating Wild Animals

April 18, 2006

The percentage of Chinese eating wild animals has gone down, mainly due to fears of diseases such as SARS. But at the same time total consumption of exotic wildlife has increased.

More and more Chinese refrain from eating rare animals such as pangolins, civet cats or bears. A nationwide survey, released by U.S. and Chinese conservation groups in Beijing on Tuesday, shows that nearly three quarters of the people interviewed did not consume wildlife in the past year.

Wildlife Conservation Program Marks 10 Years

February 26, 2006

"When the buying stops, the killing can stop, too."

If there is a diminishing demand for rhino horns, elephant tusks, tiger furs and bones, bear claws and bile, and sharks' fins, then the poaching and killing of endangered animals will gradually decline.

This was the message of Peter Knights, a British environmentalist and conservationist running the San Francisco-based WildAid, as he spoke in Taipei to mark the considerable progress made in the campaign to save endangered species.

Pages