#Poaching

[reasonsforhope]

Camera-trapping data revealed in a new study show a steady recovery of tigers in Thailand’s Western Forest Complex over the past two decades.

The tiger recovery has been mirrored by a simultaneous increase in the numbers of the tigers’ prey animals, such as sambar deer and types of wild cattle.

The authors attribute the recovery of the tigers and their prey to long-term efforts to strengthen systematic ranger patrols to control poaching as well as efforts to restore key habitats and water sources.

Experts say the lessons learnt can be applied to support tiger recovery in other parts of Thailand and underscore the importance of the core WEFCOM population as a vital source of tigers repopulating adjacent landscapes.

The tiger population density in a series of protected areas in western Thailand has more than doubled over the past two decades, according to new survey data.

Thailand is the final stronghold of the Indochinese tiger (Panthera tigris corbetti), the subspecies having been extirpated from neighboring Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam over the past decade due to poaching, habitat loss and indiscriminate snaring...

Fewer than 200 tigers are thought to remain in Thailand’s national parks and wildlife sanctuaries, only a handful of which are sufficiently undisturbed and well-protected to preserve breeding tigers. 

The most important of these protected areas for tigers is the Huai Kha Khaeng Thung Yai (HKK-TY) UNESCO World Heritage Site, which comprises three distinct reserves out of the 17 that make up Thailand’s Western Forest Complex (WEFCOM). Together, these three reserves — Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary, Thungyai Naresuan West and Thungyai Naresuan East — account for more than a third of the entire WEFCOM landscape.

Now, a new study published in Global Ecology and Conservation documents a steady recovery of tigers within the HKK-TY reserves since camera trap surveys began in 2007. The most recent year of surveys, which concluded in November 2023, photographed 94 individual tigers, up from 75 individuals in the previous year, and from fewer than 40 in 2007.

Healthy tiger families  

The study findings reveal that the tiger population grew on average 4% per year in Hua Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary, the largest and longest-protected of the reserves, corresponding to an increase in tiger density from 1.3 tigers per 100 square kilometers, to 2.9 tigers/100 km2. 

“Tiger recoveries in Southeast Asia are few, and examples such as these highlight that recoveries can be supported outside of South Asia, where most of the good news [about tigers] appears to come from,” said Abishek Harihar, tiger program director for Panthera, the global wildcat conservation organization, who was not involved in the study.

Among the camera trap footage gathered in HKK-TY over the years were encouraging scenes of healthy tiger families, including one instance of a mother tiger and her three grownup cubs lapping water and lounging in a jacuzzi-sized watering hole. The tiger family stayed by the water source for five days during the height of the dry season.

The team of researchers from Thailand’s Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation, the Wildlife Conservation Society, Kasetsart University, and India’s Center for Wildlife Studies deployed camera traps at more than 270 separate locations throughout the HKK-TY reserves, amassing 98,305 days’ worth of camera-trap data over the 19-year study period.

Using software that identifies individual tigers by their unique stripe patterns, they built a reference database of all known tigers frequenting the three reserves. A total of 291 individual tigers older than 1 year were recorded, as well as 67 cubs younger than 1 year [over the course of the study].

Ten of the tigers were photographed in more than one of the reserves, indicating their territories straddled the reserve boundaries. The authors conclude that each of the three reserves has a solid breeding tiger population and that, taken together, the HKK-TY landscape is a vital source of tigers that could potentially repopulate surrounding areas where they’ve been lost. This is supported by cases of known HKK-TY tigers dispersing into neighboring parts of WEFCOM and even across the border into Myanmar.

Conservation efforts pay off

Anak Pattanavibool, study co-author and Thailand country director at the Wildlife Conservation Society, told Mongabay that population models that take into account the full extent of suitable habitat available to tigers within the reserves and the likelihood that some tigers inevitably go undetected by camera surveys indicate there could be up to 140 tigers within the HKK-YT landscape.

Anak told Mongabay the tiger recovery is a clear indication that conservation efforts are starting to pay off. In particular, long-term action to strengthen systematic ranger patrols to control poaching as well as efforts to boost the tigers’ prey populations seem to be working, he said.

“Conservation success takes time. At the beginning we didn’t have much confidence that it would be possible [to recover tiger numbers], but we’ve been patient,” Anak said. For him, the turning point came in 2012, when authorities arrested and — with the aid of tiger stripe recognition software — prosecuted several tiger-poaching gangs operating in Huai Kha Khaeng. “These cases sent a strong message to poaching gangs and they stopped coming to these forests,” he said."

...ranger teams have detected no tiger poaching in the HKK-TY part of WEFCOM since 2013.

-via Mongabay News, July 17, 2024

[specimentality]

Check out this plush artist!

[follow-up-news]

As a helicopter hovers close to an elephant, trying to be as steady as possible, an experienced veterinarian cautiously takes aim. A tranquilizer dart whooshes in the air, and within minutes the giant mammal surrenders to a deep slumber as teams of wildlife experts rush to measure its vitals and ensure it’s doing ok. Kenya is suffering from a problem, albeit a good one: the elephant population in the 42-square-kilometer (16-square-mile) Mwea National Reserve, east of the capital Nairobi, has flourished from its maximum capacity of 50 to a whopping 156, overwhelming the ecosystem and requiring the relocation of about 100 of the largest land animals. It hosted 49 elephants in 1979. According to the Kenya Wildlife Service Director General Erustus Kanga, the overpopulation in Mwea highlighted the success of conservation effort s over the last three decades. “This shows that poaching has been low and the elephants have been able to thrive,” Kanga said. Experts started relocating 50 elephants last week to the expansive 780-square-kilometer (301-square-mile) Aberdare National Park in central Kenya. As of Monday, 44 elephants had been moved from Mwea to Aberdare, with six others scheduled for Tuesday.

[rebeccathenaturalist]

This is encouraging news! Poached cheetah cubs are popular on the black market, and any tools that can help stem the trade will be much-needed.

This poaching has been going on for many decades; actress Josephine Baker could often been seen with her pet cheetah Chiquita in the 1920s, and mid-century demands from zoos for cheetahs likely also fueled illicit trade. Today they are still seen as status symbols, with many ending up as pets on the Arabian peninsula in spite of increasing prohibitions.

Many poached cubs never survive to be sold to new buyers, and every cub taken out of the wild reduces the already plummeting population; perhaps 10,000 at most remain in the wild today, down from 100,000 a century ago.

Want an easy way to help? Don't share, like, or otherwise support videos that show big cats and other wild animals as pets (yes, that includes supposed "rescues" like Messi the cougar who is treated like a housecat instead of living in a proper big cat refuge--and whose owners have had more than one cheetah that they show off on their social media.) Educate others on how wildlife are not pets and while they may seem to be cute and cuddly, keeping them robs them of the chance to have a truly wild life and supports unsustainable, and often illegal, wildlife trade.

[probablyasocialecologist]

The global illegal wildlife trade is largely facilitated by organised criminal networks. For instance, pangolins are poached extensively in Asia and Africa to meet the demand arising from China. Research shows many other endangered species from the Global South end up reaching the Global North. For example, a recent study found that there were at least 292 seizures of illegally traded tiger parts at United States ports between 2003-2012; the majority of them from the wild in Asian countries where tigers still roam free. The over 6,000 wildlife seizures reported by European Union member states in 2018 represent 16,740 specimens of species protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, and mostly originated from the developing world. Clearly, local harvesters in poor countries are not the ones organising complex transnational operations to transport wildlife parts across international boundaries. The international kingpins and an extensive network of smugglers run this nexus. If the aim is to break this cycle of crime, it is these networks that need to be disrupted; it is the consumers they feed who need to be penalised.

[nando161mando]

[enriquemzn262]

Anti-poaching rangers should be viewed at the same level as firefighters or doctors.

[salivaaaa]

Help

I came across a dying clown on my way to work this morning (American Pygmy Harlequin). It was lying there with its red nose gone and clearly in shock, dehydrated, and low blood sugar. Can someone let me know the appropriate authorities to contact to report this to? This is really sad since Pygmy Harlequins are critically endangered (400 remain) and even if they weren't, clown hunting season doesn't start in Quebec until mid summer. I can't believe these assholes get rich from guys who believe that American Pygmy Harlequin noses have medicinal properties. The government doesn't do nearly enough to combat clown poaching and here in Canada the problem has been getting worse and worse. I had a snickers bar in my pocket and I gave it to him but he died minutes afterwards, there was really nothing I could have done at this point but maybe if I had gotten here sooner he could have lived.

[isthedogawolfdog]

Here is the statement and a link to where you can report.

There is very little information I can find, though I did find an article that may be related that I’ll add later.

Edit: other article wasn’t related, just a different wolf killing in Wisconsin :(

[yetisidelblog]

Recognizing that giraffe populations are declining because of poaching, habitat loss, and climate change, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is proposing Endangered Species Act protections for all giraffes, wherever they live in Africa. But not everyone supports this decision — the United States is a leading global importer of giraffe products, which are used for knife handles, rugs, decor and trinkets. Few people are aware that, on average, at least one trophy-hunted giraffe is imported into the United States every day.

Giraffes need final protections before it's too late. 

After years of delay, it's high time for the United States to step up and do its part to end giraffes' silent extinction. With fewer of these spotted icons left in Africa than elephants, they need the full protection of the Endangered Species Act to shut down the U.S. market for giraffe parts, raise awareness about giraffes' plight, and increase funding for conservation and research.    

Speak up for these long-necked beauties now. 

@upontheshelfreviews

@greenwingspino

@one-time-i-dreamt

@tenaflyviper

@akron-squirrel

@ifihadaworldofmyown

@justice-for-jacob-marley

@voicetalentbrendan

@thebigdeepcheatsy

@what-is-my-aesthetic

@ravenlynclemens

@bogleech

[tilbageidanmark]

Elephant herds used to be so much larger. Photo by Peter Beard.

[reasonsforhope]

"Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park in Brazzaville, Republic of Congo has a lot to celebrate.

The park, which celebrated its 30th anniversary on December 31 of 2023, also shared an exciting conservation milestone: 2023 was the first year without any elephant poaching detected.

“We didn’t detect any elephants killed in the Park this year, a first for the Park since [we] began collecting data. This success comes after nearly a decade of concerted efforts to protect forest elephants from armed poaching in the Park,” Ben Evans, the Park’s management unit director, said in a press release.

Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park was developed by the government of Congo in 1993 to maintain biodiversity conservation in the region, and since 2014, has been cared for through a public-private partnership between Congo’s Ministry of Forest Economy and the Wildlife Conservation Society.

Pictured: Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park. Photo courtesy of Scott Ramsay/Wildlife Conservation Society

Evans credits the ongoing collaboration with this milestone, as the MEF and WCS have helped address escalating threats to wildlife in the region. 

This specifically includes investments in the ranger force, which has increased training and self-defense capabilities, making the force more effective in upholding the law — and the rights of humans and animals.

“Thanks to the strengthening of our anti-poaching teams and new communication technologies, we have been able to reduce poaching considerably,” Max Mviri, a park warden for the Congolese government, said in a video for the Park’s anniversary. 

“Today, we have more than 90 eco-guards, all of whom have received extensive training and undergo refresher courses,” Mviri continued. “What makes a difference is that 90% of our eco-guards come from villages close to the Park. This gives them extra motivation, as they are protecting their forest.”

As other threats such as logging and road infrastructure development impact the area’s wildlife, the Park’s partnerships with local communities and Indigenous populations in the neighboring villages of Bomassa and Makao are increasingly vital.

“We’ve seen great changes, great progress. We’ve seen the abundance of elephants, large mammals in the village,” Gabriel Mobolambi, chief of Bomassa village, said in the same video. “And also on our side, we benefit from conservation.”

Coinciding with the Park’s anniversary is the roll-out of a tourism-focused website, aiming to generate 15% of its revenue from visitors, which contributes significantly to the local economy...

Nouabalé-Ndoki also recently became the world’s first certified Gorilla Friendly National Park, ensuring best practices are in place for all gorilla-related operations, from tourism to research.

But gorillas and elephants — of which there are over 2,000 and 3,000, respectively — aren’t the only species visitors can admire in the 4,334-square-kilometer protected area.

The Park is also home to large populations of mammals such as chimpanzees and bongos, as well as a diverse range of reptiles, birds, and insects. For the flora fans, Nouabalé-Ndoki also boasts a century-old mahogany tree, and a massive forest of large-diameter trees.

Beyond the beauty of the Park, these tourism opportunities pave the way for major developments for local communities.

“The Park has created long-term jobs, which are rare in the region, and has brought substantial benefits to neighboring communities. Tourism is also emerging as a promising avenue for economic growth,” Mobolambi, the chief of Bomassa village, said in a press release.

The Park and its partners also work to provide education, health centers, agricultural opportunities, and access to clean water, as well, helping to create a safe environment for the people who share the land with these protected animals. 

In fact, the Makao and Bomassa health centers receive up to 250 patients a month, and Nouabalé-Ndoki provides continuous access to primary education for nearly 300 students in neighboring villages. 

It is this intersectional approach that maintains a mutual respect between humans and wildlife and encourages the investment in conservation programs, which lead to successes like 2023’s poaching-free milestone...

Evans, of the Park’s management, added in the anniversary video: “Thanks to the trust that has been built up between all those involved in conservation, we know that Nouabalé-Ndoki will remain a crucial refuge for wildlife for the generations to come.”"

-via Good Good Good, February 15, 2024

[specimentality]

It’s almost always poaching and/or netting bats in mass. Don’t support oddities/taxidermy/bone/specimen vendors that carry bats

[erebusvincent]

I found a rhino.

The preserve has to take significant additional precautions to protect its rhinos because the demand for rhino horn by the Chinese is so high. Poaching is actually pathetic. Get a life. This ancient Chinese medicine bullshit is retarded. Rhino horns don’t do shit for you, leave them on the rhinos where they belong

If you’re under the weather, grow up and buy some Tylenol like the rest of us.

[rebeccathenaturalist]

This is a long read, but a good one, well-written. It's an excellent overview not just of the headline--the murder of game warden Guy Bradley--but the surrounding circumstances including the demand for bird feathers in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

It surprises a lot of people in my birdwatching classes when I tell them that the possession of most native bird feathers is against federal law. "But it's just a feather I found on the ground!" I'm well aware of that, and the vast majority of people who pick up a molted feather would never do harm to a bird to get more of them. It's almost impossible to differentiate between a natural molt, and a feather torn from a poached bird, though, so the law bans them across the board.

After reading the article, this may make more sense to you. Think of the avarice of the plume hunters who went into the wetlands and forests and gunned down thousands of birds in a day, just for the feathers. They continued even after it became illegal, simply to fill the demand for feathers--or wings, or entire taxidermied birds--for hats. Couldn't you imagine such a person removing the feathers from the carcasses of birds they'd shot, and then claiming they were simply very good at finding molts?

The Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 protects almost all native wild birds in the United States; you can find the list of of protected species at https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2023/07/31/2023-15551/general-provisions-revised-list-of-migratory-birds. There's also a list of (mostly non-native) birds that are not covered under the MBTA at https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2020/04/16/2020-06782/list-of-bird-species-to-which-the-migratory-bird-treaty-act-does-not-apply.

[liquoricebxxxh]

Mind you, this is literally describing Beyoncé…