My Take | Time to get tough on wildlife trafficking
- The Department of Justice decided against prosecuting those behind the import of seven tonnes of tusks worth about HK$70 million
- Even when prosecutions are successful, it is the small fry who are caught
Whether or not Hong Kong has become a hub for illegal wildlife trading, it’s clear trafficking has increased to a frightening level. Yet, it’s business as usual for the Customs and Excise and the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation departments. Here is something that affects the city’s international image and obligations while government inaction is being implicated. So where are our vigilant lawmakers when you need them?
More than a year ago, customs officers seized more than seven tonnes of tusks worth about HK$70 million hidden in a shipment of frozen fish from Malaysia. It was the largest such seizure since records began in 1989. Three people were arrested at a local trading company, believed to be a front for a larger syndicate using Hong Kong as a transit point.
But the Department of Justice concluded that “there was insufficient evidence to support a reasonable prospect of conviction, hence no prosecution was warranted”. Did that mean customs investigators didn’t collect enough evidence during their year-long probe? Who knows? Asked for more details about the case, customs said: “Further case details are not subject to disclosure, due to operational reasons.”
That may well be the case, as there didn’t seem to be much of any operation. Seven tonnes of tusks worth HK$70 million and two government departments claimed there wasn’t much to go on!
Officials seize HK$62 million shipment of ivory and pangolin scales
According to a new study co-published by ADM Capital Foundation, Hong Kong law enforcement seized HK$560 million worth of wildlife products – including both live and dead animals – with a weight of 1,456 tonnes between 2013 and 2017.