A game ranger stands next to a rotting elephant carcass poisoned by poachers in Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe in 2013. Hong Kong customs officers recently confiscated ivory tusks worth HK$20 million from a shipping container that arrived from Africa. Photo: AP
Opinion
Opinion
Wildlife trafficking through Hong Kong must be treated as an organised crime to be handled by the police
- Mike Rowse says the recent seizure of ivory and pangolin scales by customs officials and the failure to prosecute those involved in the record ivory haul in 2017 show that Hong Kong must do more to ensure wildlife trafficking is treated as a serious crime
A game ranger stands next to a rotting elephant carcass poisoned by poachers in Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe in 2013. Hong Kong customs officers recently confiscated ivory tusks worth HK$20 million from a shipping container that arrived from Africa. Photo: AP
Endangered animal parts seized by Hong Kong customs in Kwai Chung. Photo: K. Y. Cheng
Customs urged to step up prosecutions in illegal wildlife trade – with blood of 3,000 elephants, 65,000 pangolins and 51 rhinoceros on Hong Kong’s hands
- Study reveals alarming surge in smuggling activity through city, but prosecution rate remains low
- Experts call for cases to be handled under law against organised crime for greater deterrence and investigative firepower
Topic |
Conservation
Endangered animal parts seized by Hong Kong customs in Kwai Chung. Photo: K. Y. Cheng