https://www.scmp.com/rss/523838/feed The latest news and top stories on the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). A Geneva, Switzerland-based international agreement, CITES is dedicated to ensuring international trade in wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival. Its main areas of focus include regulating trade in over 40,000 species through a permit system, combating illegal wildlife trade and promoting sustainable use. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Lo Hoi-ying Lo Hoi-ying Hong Kong customs officers have arrested a male driver after intercepting a goods vehicle at the Shenzhen Bay checkpoint and finding 760 suspected endangered reptiles, with an estimated market value of about HK$580,000 (US$74,060), hidden inside. The Customs and Excise Department said on Monday it found 106 turtles and 654 lizards hidden in his truck, believed to be endangered species protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. Officers... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3349910/hong-kong-customs-seizes-760-suspected-endangered-reptiles-worth-hk580000?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3349910/hong-kong-customs-seizes-760-suspected-endangered-reptiles-worth-hk580000?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 13 Apr 2026 09:42:13 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Singapore has seized over 830kg (1,800 lbs) of Asian pangolin scales hidden in a shipment bound for Cambodia, authorities said on Saturday, calling it the largest haul of its kind discovered in the city state. Falsely declared as “dried fish skin”, the scales – estimated to be from more than 2,200 pangolins – were found in 30 bags on December 29 after officials intercepted an inbound truck carrying sea cargo, Singapore’s National Parks Board said in a statement. The announcement came as... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3348253/singapore-seizes-record-asian-pangolin-scales-disguised-dried-fish-skin?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3348253/singapore-seizes-record-asian-pangolin-scales-disguised-dried-fish-skin?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 28 Mar 2026 09:59:47 +0000 Jess Ma Jess Ma Hong Kong authorities arrested a man after the discovery of 14 endangered reptiles, including a crocodile and two pythons, at an industrial site in Kwai Chung. A spokesman for the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department said on Wednesday evening that officers arrested the man in a blitz operation the previous night. “The AFCD will remain vigilant and continue to monitor and collect intelligence through various channels and proactively take enforcement action to combat offences... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3345472/man-arrested-after-14-endangered-reptiles-found-kwai-chung-industrial-site?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3345472/man-arrested-after-14-endangered-reptiles-found-kwai-chung-industrial-site?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 Mar 2026 14:58:16 +0000 SCMP Editorial SCMP Editorial The global trade in shark fin has been more strictly regulated in recent years, an essential step in the battle to save endangered species from extinction. However, this has not prevented the highly lucrative illegal trade from flourishing. Despite some eye-catching seizures, Hong Kong remains a major hub. A comprehensive study published in Science Advances highlighted the alarming level of shark fin from protected species reaching the city’s markets. The research was led by Mote Marine... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3340008/study-shows-hong-kong-must-do-better-end-illegal-shark-fin-trade?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3340008/study-shows-hong-kong-must-do-better-end-illegal-shark-fin-trade?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 15 Jan 2026 22:45:07 +0000 Oscar Liu,Lo Hoi-ying Oscar Liu,Lo Hoi-ying An extensive study of 16,000 shark fin samples taken from Hong Kong retail markets has found that 6.5 per cent of them were from globally protected species, surpassing the figure officially declared by local authorities under an international agreement. The study, published in Science Advances on Monday, also revealed a disparity: the volume of critically endangered oceanic whitetip shark fins sold in the city was 70 times higher than what officials reported under the Convention on International... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3338765/65-shark-fins-sold-hong-kong-are-protected-much-higher-reported-study?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3338765/65-shark-fins-sold-hong-kong-are-protected-much-higher-reported-study?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 05 Jan 2026 08:31:20 +0000 Reuters Reuters A UN wildlife trade body decided on Sunday not to restrict India from importing endangered animals after many countries supported reversing an earlier stringent recommendation that had embroiled the private zoo run by Asia’s richest family. Vantara, a 3,500-acre zoo in Gujarat run by the philanthropic arm of the Reliance conglomerate led by Mukesh Ambani and his family, faced allegations from non-profit and wildlife groups of improper imports of some animals, triggering higher scrutiny by... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3333853/ambani-zoo-india-cleared-probe-curbing-endangered-animal-imports?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3333853/ambani-zoo-india-cleared-probe-curbing-endangered-animal-imports?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 23 Nov 2025 10:20:14 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse At an eel restaurant near Tokyo, four friends sit down to eat a Japanese delicacy now the subject of a heated international debate as its numbers decline. The eel, hugely popular across Japan, is also endangered and will be discussed at a key global forum that regulates the trade of threatened wildlife, starting in Uzbekistan on Monday. “It’s a luxury dish that we eat to treat ourselves or to celebrate an occasion,” Yukiko Takahashi, a 52-year-old saleswoman, said as she tucked into her food at... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3333772/japanese-consumers-fear-curbs-eel-delicacy-ahead-global-wildlife-forum?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3333772/japanese-consumers-fear-curbs-eel-delicacy-ahead-global-wildlife-forum?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 22 Nov 2025 03:02:23 +0000 Jean Iau Jean Iau Singapore has recorded its largest-ever seizure of rhinoceros horns after discovering 20 pieces worth S$1.13 million (US$867,000) in an air cargo shipment labelled “furniture fittings”, transshipped from South Africa to Laos through the city state’s Changi Airport. The smuggled parts, totalling 35.7kg (78.8lbs) in weight, were detected in four cargo batches bound for Vientiane and seized on November 8, Singapore’s National Parks Board (NParks) and air cargo handler SATS said on Tuesday. This... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3333248/singapore-seizes-20-rhinoceros-horns-worth-us867000-largest-ever-smuggling-haul?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3333248/singapore-seizes-20-rhinoceros-horns-worth-us867000-largest-ever-smuggling-haul?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 18 Nov 2025 08:01:46 +0000 Ambrose Li Ambrose Li Experts have hailed Hong Kong’s first money-laundering conviction stemming from a wildlife trafficking case, saying it sets a positive direction for tackling the illegal trade in endangered animals. A Hong Kong man, 37, was sentenced to 40 months in jail at the District Court on Thursday in a case involving about HK$6.7 million (US$859,000) from the proceeds of crime. Customs had conducted a follow-up financial investigation based on a smuggling case in 2022 involving a batch of food and... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3326270/experts-hail-first-hong-kong-money-laundering-conviction-linked-wildlife-case?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3326270/experts-hail-first-hong-kong-money-laundering-conviction-linked-wildlife-case?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 21 Sep 2025 02:30:09 +0000 SCMP’s Asia desk SCMP’s Asia desk A Sri Lankan man has been arrested at an airport in Thailand after allegedly trying to smuggle three snakes out of the country by concealing them in his underwear. The man was stopped at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport on Wednesday after a body search revealed three ball pythons, stored in net bags, hidden on his person. The suspect, identified only as Shehan, was apprehended by the Thailand Wildlife Enforcement Network (WEN), authorities said in a Facebook post on Thursday. Authorities received... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3316983/sri-lankan-man-arrested-thai-airport-after-3-snakes-found-his-underwear?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3316983/sri-lankan-man-arrested-thai-airport-after-3-snakes-found-his-underwear?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 04 Jul 2025 09:27:38 +0000