Paying Compensation to Leopard Attack Victims is Vitally Essential

Indian leopard

Last month, two residents from Mumbai's Mulund suburb were attacked and wounded by a leopard in the Nanipada locality. Despite having survived and receiving treatment, the victims claimed that neither of them were paid any compensation from the forest department for the medical expenses acquired. The victims were casual laborer Balaji Dashrath Kamite, who was lacerated on his head and face, and Krisamma Hanumant Palle, a maid in the area who is currently having treatment after the leopard bit her on her right forearm. Both of these victims were not paid compensations, and have begged honorary wildlife warden, Sunish Subramanian, to help them with the issue. Mr. Subramanian stated that he has sent the victims' medical expenses and other press clippings to the Thane forest range and hopes that the forest department fixes the issue. In addition, Jitendra Ramgaonkar, the deputy conservator of forests in Thane, assured that he will review the victims' medical bills for repayment. He notified that another leopard attack victim, who had approached the forest department with a CT scan, was already paid the medical compensation by them. Altogether, six people were injured, including Mr. Kamite and Ms. Palle. The leopard which attacked these two residents is thought to have entered the Nanipada locality from the Eastern Express Highway on January 13 and caused panic before taking refuge in a ground floor house, where it was tranquilized by the forest department and then transported to Sanjay Gandhi National Park.

I feel really bad that these two leopard attack victims had to wait for a month to be paid compensation. They are very poor and work very hard to earn decent money, in order to survive. This includes paying medical bills, along with keeping food and water on the table for themselves and their families. What can they do when there is a delay in reimbursement for an attack by a leopard? How else can these people be able to pay their medical expenses and survive? This is why I firmly believe that it is highly essential to pay compensation to victims of leopard and other animal attacks. It should be part of efforts to mitigate human-wildlife conflict in India. Furthermore, it is equally important to reach out to the public and educate them about the importance of leopards and other predators and suggest safe alternative methods to prevent further attacks. This is because whenever a leopard wreaks havoc in a locality, the response is to kill the animal in retaliation. This method is unacceptable since leopards are endangered species in India and elsewhere in the world. Instead, I feel it is important to properly manage garbage disposal since it is known to attract stray dogs and pigs which in turn draw leopards into human settlements and result in human-leopard conflict. India's leopards may not be as well-renowned to the general public like lions and tigers, but they are part of the country's natural heritage and play a crucial role in maintaining the well-being of the forests by keeping the prey population under control.

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Could the Threat of Inbreeding Affecting Mexican Wolves Have Been Avoided?

Mexican wolf

A recent count of Mexican wolves by the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service has raised concerns among wolf advocates that inbreeding among the animals' population in Arizona and New Mexico has led to a decrease in growth. The agency, which is assigned with managing a 20-year-old program for the wolves, reported that there were 114 animals in the wild which was just one more than in 2016. In the last three years, there had been a surge of less than 5 percent in the wolf population, following roughly two years of strong growth. In the latest wolf count report, the agency mentioned a sharp decline in wolf pup survival numbers. It indicated that 50 pups survived in 2016 after being born in that year, while only 26 survived last year. In addition, 12 recorded wolf deaths were cited in 2017 and 10 wolves that were eliminated from the wild packs. When asked if the mild, dry winter affected the wild wolf numbers, U.S Fish and Wildlife Service spokesman John Bradley stated that the agency did not have data on the impact of climate factors but will be looked into.

Mexican wolf running

The agency's management of the wolf packs has been heavily criticized by the Center for Biological Diversity and members of other advocacy groups, who alleged that negligent supervision of wolf poaching and inbreeding is also contributing to the decline in wild wolf population. According to Michael Robinson of the Center for Biological Diversity, almost every wild Mexican wolf is so genetically similar to each other that they are related as if they are siblings. Mr. Bradley also agreed to the problem of inbreeding and indicated that the process of cross-fostering wild-born wolf pups with captive-born ones to help expand the animals' gene pool. However, Mr. Robinson called the solution "imperfect and not fitting the genetic emergency." He further elaborated on the difficulty of the process saying how it requires the staff to find a wolf den in which the timing of a litter's birth should firmly match that of a captive-born litter and regulating a quick exchange of pups in the wilderness shortly after they are born. He also added that even if all goes as steadily as possible, it takes about two years for a wolf pup released into the wild to start breeding.

Mexican wolf in captivity

I find it extremely disturbing on what the Center for Biological Diversity and other advocacy groups found about this recent report by the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service regarding the Mexican wolf population in the country. These animals are under grave risk of inbreeding because of the way the agency has been managing their population. This issue could have been avoided had breeding-age adult wolves been released into the wild from captivity. I really think that conserving Mexican wolves in the U.S is a task that should be best done by the Center for Biological Diversity and other groups that have the tremendous knowledge and expertise on how to properly manage populations of critically endangered and other threatened species. Furthermore, the recovery plan of the Mexican wolf should not be driven by both federal and state politics. People need to understand that the conservation of Mexican wolves and other endangered species is best done by conservation groups and similar organizations that have the knowledge and expertise on how to better maintain their populations. I urge the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service to please leave the conservation of Mexican wolves to the Center for Biological Diversity and other advocacy groups. These magnificent animals are on the brink of extinction and any misuse of conserving them can result in extinction.

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Teenagers and Young People Need to be Educated On the Illegal Wildlife Trade

A Bengal tiger cub named Moka was smuggled from Mexico to the U.S when he was found by border officials and given to the San Diego Zoo where he is now settled.

A Bengal tiger cub was earlier discovered in a plastic container by Mexican authorites after someone tried to mail the animal from Jalisco to Queretaro. But recently, another cub was found while being smuggled across the U.S-Mexico border in the back of a car by border officials at the Otay Mesa crossing. The driver, 18-year-old Luis Eudoro Valencia, was charged with smuggling the cub into the U.S and has been sentenced to six months in jail. When asked, Valencia reportedly alleged that the cub was just a cat and presented paperwork from Aeromexico cargo that included a sales receipt falsely stating that Bengal tigers are not a protected species. He later told investigators that he had purchased the cub for $300 from a man who was walking an adult tiger down a street in Tijuana. According to the BBC, even though Valencia's defense team asserted that he wanted the cub as a pet, prosecutors revealed text messages on his phone in which he boasted about making large sums of money by selling exotic animals. In addition, a video on his phone showed a concealed compartment under his car seat that could also have been used to smuggle animals. Valencia's arrest was one of several made as part of an anti-wildlife smuggling operation known as Operation Jungle Book that took place across southern California. The tiger cub, now named Moka, was five to six weeks old and weighed 6 pounds when he was rescued and is now living at the San Diego Zoo. Veterinarians stated that despite the journey, he is in good health and has since been paired with a Sumatran tiger cub named Rakan.

A Bengal tiger cub which was found inside a plastic container in Mexico.

I cannot think of anything more shocking than to find that the perpetrator behind the smuggling of this tiger cub was a teenager. Not only did this fellow claim that he had purchased the cub thinking it was a cat, but he had bragged of making large amount of money by selling exotic wild animals. This goes to show that Valencia does not have qualms about making so much money to support himself and to survive in the real world. I think Valencia's story should serve as a lesson to teenagers everywhere about the consequences of illegal wildlife trade. Just as drug abuse, alcoholism, and other such social issues can result in young people getting arrested, so can the illegal wildlife trade. As adults, it is our obligation to educate teenagers and other young people about various issues that they are going to encounter in life as they step out into the real world. These issues should not only be limited to the ones that can affect a young person's health or social life, but also the world's wildlife. The illegal wildlife trade is just as lucrative and illegal as the drug trade. While the illegal drug trade is directly linked to numerous violent crimes against innocent people, the illegal wildlife trade can also contribute to serious injuries and even deaths of people as well as animals. I believe it is highly essential to educate the youth about the illegal wildlife trade and the dangers it poses to the general public. This could really help in young people making right decisions and using good judgment when they go out into the world to make a difference.

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Zoos and Aquariums Should Join Forces with Wildlife Conservation Organizations

Executive Director of TRAFFIC Steven Broad and current chairman of EAZA Thomas Kauffels. 

Wildlife trade monitoring network TRAFFIC has recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the European Association of Zoos and Aquariums (EAZA) to enhance partnership on areas of common interest. One particular area is on promoting the goals of EAZA's Silent Forest campaign, which is directed on songbirds of Southeast Asia which are being captured and traded in unsustainable numbers to contribute the illegal wildlife trade, especially in Indonesia. The birds are known to be kept as both pets and participants in bird singing competitions, and they include a number of species such as the oriental magpie-robin, straw-headed bulbul, and white-rumped shama which have disappeared from large tracts of their home ranges. EAZA's campaign intends to address and alleviate the continuing songbird crisis by way of providing the resources required, scientific expertise, and financing to save an increasing number of songbirds from extinction. TRAFFIC is supporting these efforts, along with BirdLife and the IUCN Asian Songbird Trade Specialist Group, by way of providing technical support, particularly in helping with continuing bird market surveys across Southeast Asia. The MoU that TRAFFIC and EAZA signed entrusts the two organizations to share knowledge and expertise related to the stages of trade of species, with focus on newly threatened species, and include information about captive-breeding, illegal sourcing of specimens and suspected dealers. Not only songbirds are included as part of this MoU, but also other threatened species like reptiles and pangolins. As part of the partnership, Europe's zoos and aquariums will provide visitors with educational information on how to avoid buying illegal animal products and report suspicions of illegally traded animals. Efforts will also be aimed to help curb the illegal wildlife trade in Europe.

Straw-headed bulbul

I find this partnership between TRAFFIC and EAZA as not only beneficial but also crucial to the survival of so many threatened species in Southeast Asia. Not only does this collaboration consist of sharing knowledge and expertise between these two organizations regarding the illegal wildlife trade, but it also aims to educate zoo and aquarium visitors on how to avoid purchasing products made of threatened animals and report suspicious activities related to the trade. I firmly believe that zoos and aquariums should educate visitors about the dangers of poaching and the illegal wildlife trade and what they can do to stop these illegal practices. The purpose of zoos and aquariums is to raise awareness through educational programs concerning the plight of the world's wildlife and what can be done to ensure its well-being. And to do that, zoos and aquariums should join forces with TRAFFIC and other international wildlife conservation organizations that specialize in fighting illegal poaching and wildlife trade. I really think that zoos and aquariums in other parts of the world, especially Southeast Asia and other hubs of poaching and illegal wildlife trade, should collaborate with TRAFFIC and other similar organizations in order to put a stop to such crimes against nature.

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Has Iran Become Unsafe for Wildlife Activists?

Kavous Seyed Emami, an Iranian-Canadian professor and wildlife campaigner, who was imprisoned and died while in custody.    

The Asiatic cheetah was recently in the news as being on the brink of extinction with less than 53 remaining in Iran. Much of this has been attributed to factors ranging from habitat destruction, desertification, land-use change, vehicular accidents, and local persecution. Despite various efforts that were put into protecting the cheetah in recent years, there has been no change in the conservation of this magnificent cat. But anthropogenic factors are not the only cause of the cheetah's continuing decline in Iran. Just recently, an Iranian-Canadian professor named Kavous Seyed Emami was captured by members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and died while in custody. Iranian officials stated that he and his colleagues used surveys of cheetahs as a guise for spying in strategically delicate areas. Professor Emami was the founder of an organization named Persian Wildlife Heritage Foundation, whose members are also jailed under the same pretext. These include the group's CEO Morad Tahbaz and Niloufar Bayani, a Wildlife Conservation Society research fellow who had previously supported U.N Environment projects in Afghanistan, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Haiti, and Sudan. There has been no evidence cited regarding the accusations against Professor Emami, and this drew concerns that the IRGC targeted the Persian Wildlife Heritage Foundation because several of its members are binational who were educated in the west and have affiliations with international conservation groups. According to the country's judiciary, Professor Emami committed suicide last week while in custody but his family denied this and have filed a complaint.

Asiatic cheetah

I cannot think of anything more shocking and appalling than what happened to Professor Emami. This man, who happens to care so deeply about nature and his country, was working to protect Iran's wildlife, including cheetahs, from various anthropogenic factors. How can the country's government have an impression that Professor Emami and his associates were using surveys of cheetahs as a pretext for spying? What has this man done that is deemed traitorous and unforgivable to his country? No evidence for these so-called "allegations" has been presented and this man and his associates were targeted just like that without any proper reason. I really think this implies that Professor Emami and his organization and its members are probably victims of Iran's political disturbance as the environment becomes a focus of bitter fighting between rival power groups. In addition to Professor Emami, Iranian government officials have also come under the pressure. One example was seen in the case of Kaveh Madani, deputy head of the country's environmental protection agency, who was arrested this recent weekend. It is unknown for what reason he was detained. My impression is that when Iranian authorities detain environmental activists like Professor Emami for absurd reasons like spying for intelligence agencies in the west, it spells further trouble for the Asiatic cheetahs. These people are working to save these cats from the brink of extinction and they get wrongfully detained by the authorities. This goes to show that the wildlife of Iran is not being given significant attention, in order to protect and conserve it. I urge the government of Iran to please respect the work of environmental activists because they are trying to protect the country's wildlife, especially cheetahs, which number less than 53 and will become extinct in a matter of months without intensive protection measurements.

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Exotic Pet Trade Needs to Be Stopped

A two-month-old tiger cub found inside a plastic container in Mexico.

The exotic pet trade is infamous for illegally smuggling endangered species from around the world to meet consumer demands. These animals come in all sorts of shapes and sizes, including youngsters. This was the case in Mexico when a two-month-old Bengal tiger cub was found inside a plastic container in a sedated state at the New Tlaquepaque Central Bus Station in Jalisco. The cub, which was found by a sniffer dog at the postal center, was said to be transported from Jalisco to the state of Queretaro in central Mexico. Mexican Federal Police took photos of the cub and posted them on Facebook. Although the cub appeared sedated and dehydrated, it had not been hurt in any other way. It has now been given to the animal management center and the case is being investigated.

The discovery of this tiger cub goes to show how the exotic pet trade continues to be the most lucrative and life-threatening business in the world. Endangered wild animals are smuggled on a large-scale and this includes youngsters like this Bengal tiger cub. I really think that intensive efforts need to be put to combat the exotic pet trade, in order to prevent such animals from being separated from their parents and their natural habitats. It is extremely disheartening that young animals are taken away from their parents and transported overseas to meet the demands of public consumption. People should understand that if they love wild animals and care so much about them, then they should not keep them as pets. It is a very miserable life for the animals, compared to their natural habitats. In addition, when young animals, especially carnivores, grow up into adults, they become to difficult to manage and there is always a chance that they end up getting killed in the hands of human beings.

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Listing or Delisting Animals as Endangered Species Should be Done on Scientific Basis

Grizzly bear

Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP) recently announced that it will not ask the state's Fish and Wildlife Commission to allow a hunting season for the grizzly bears from Yellowstone National Park this year. The bears were protected from hunting for more than four decades under the Endangered Species Act until 2017 when those protections were ended, opening the door for a possible hunting season. According to FWP director Martha Williams, the decision is meant to strengthen the state's obligation to the bears' everlasting survival. The removal of protections from the Endangered Species Act for the bears provided more management responsibility to not just Montana, but also Idaho and Wyoming. Before the delisting, each state had to create a plan for a possible hunting season, which was also added in the final conservation strategy. Part of this strategy is to restrict the number of bears killed by people. It made a degree of "discretionary mortality" based on the population estimate. A mediation lined out before delisting separated the acceptable bear deaths between the three states. The official government estimation of Yellowstone's grizzly bear population is roughly 700 bears. Greg Lemon, a spokesman for FWP, stated that 17 bears are allowed to be killed in the three states.

Although it is good that Montana is not going to allow hunting grizzly bears this year, I find it unacceptable to remove the protection of the bears under the Endangered Species Act. Grizzly bear numbers may have rebounded over the years since they were listed as "endangered species" in the late 1970s, but that does not mean they should be immediately stripped of their status. These animals are still facing threats from climate change and changes in their diets resulting in more human-bear conflict in Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming. I firmly believe that listing and delisting wild animals should be based on scientific reasons. You cannot just assume that when an animal population recovers over a period of time while under protection as an endangered species then people are allowed to hunt those animals. It is extremely important to consider various factors before delisting such animals, and the only way to do that is by consulting with environmental and conservation groups. Members of these organizations are experts in understanding the conditions of animal populations and can be helpful on how to protect or manage them. I really think that Montana, Wyoming, and Idaho should consult with these organizations in order to better manage Yellowstone's grizzly bear numbers, so that they can have a better understanding on the conditions of the animals' population. This can help in the states' decision-making process of whether to list or delist the bears as endangered species.

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Red Pandas- Newest Victims of the Exotic Pet Trade

One of the three red pandas rescued in Laos.

A recent rescue in Laos of three red pandas smuggled from China has raised concerns of the exotic pet trade targeting the rare animals. Six pandas were found on January 12 in northern Laos during an unplanned stop of a van traveling from China. Three had died during the journey, while the remaining three were sent to a sanctuary run by an organization called Free the Bears in the town of Luang Prabang. According to the organization's regional communications director, Rod Mabin, the three pandas finished their first two-week quarantine period and were shifted to larger enclosures with more room to climb. The organization shared latest footage of the animals eating leaves and fresh fruit while infrequently staring up at the camera. Mr. Mabin further added that the confiscation of the pandas was very unusual since Laos, which is a major transit hub in the illegal international trade of endangered wildlife, had never before seen the animals as victims of the illicit trade. Ang Phuri Sherpa, Nepal country director for the Red Panda Network, indicated that a primary investigation showed that the pandas were either being purchased for the pet trade or on the way to Thailand. He also urged the need for countries to utilize "extra effort curbing the illegal trade." In addition, discussions are currently going over where the pandas will live once they are fully recovered.

I believe this news goes to show that the illegal wildlife trade continues to operate with impunity, where every single animal becomes a victim of human consumption. This not only includes animals such as tigers, elephants, rhinos, pangolins, orangutans, and other endangered animals that wildlife-monitoring organizations are familiar with, but also newest victims of the trade. In this case, the victims turned out to be red pandas. Normally, these animals are threatened by loss of habitat in China and the eastern Himalayas making them highly susceptible to infectious diseases. However, their small size and adorable appearance made them ideal for the exotic pet trade. An evaluation from the IUCN Red List showed that the interest in red pandas as pets must have grown partially. But that does not mean the animals are under little to no threat from the illegal wildlife trade. I really think it is highly essential to step up efforts in combating the illegal wildlife trade, especially when new animals like red pandas become victims of this ongoing illicit business. In addition, it is highly crucial to boost up efforts to protect red pandas and several other endangered animals that are indiscriminately being targeted to feed the global criminal empire.

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To Battle Poaching and the Illegal Wildlife Trade, Corruption Needs to Be Fought

A pair of white rhinos in Kruger National Park

Prince William, Duke of Cambridge recently demanded the shipping industry to suppress the illegal ivory and rhino horn trade. He indicated that the devastation of animal populations was an "almost unthinkable" ridicule which, if continuing at current rates, would result in no rhinos or elephants left on the planet by the time his children, Princess Charlotte and Prince George, are grown up. While speaking at the 140th anniversary of the UK Chamber of Shipping Annual Dinner, the Duke said he was thankful for the "continued support" of the industry in cracking down on the illegal wildlife trade. However, he stressed that shipping has an essential part to play in restricting transport routes for ivory smugglers and criminal organizations, with "containerized shipping" comprising almost three-quarters of the substantial ivory seizures by weight since 2009. Setting up the rate of the problem, the Duke laid out research showing record-numbers of substantial ivory seizures, poaching, and smuggling of elephant ivory as being in the highest level in 25 years, and the seventh year in a row of growing rhino-poaching in Africa. He further added that when it comes to poaching, one ranger is killed every week while trying to protect the animals but the illegal trade continues. In addition, he stressed for more collaboration saying that the evidence not only marks the importance of the shipping industry but the huge impact it can have on the trade.

I really think it is very essential that shipping industries around the world should take action in cracking down on the illegal wildlife trade. They should close down transport routes for smugglers of ivory, rhino horns, and other products of endangered species. The illegal wildlife trade not only threatens security and sustains organized crime, it also deprives developing countries of a "natural resource that will contribute to their future prosperity." Prince William, in his speech, stated that one ranger is killed every week when battling poaching. However, that is not always the case. Just recently, renowned wildlife trade investigator Esmond Bradley Martin was killed in Nairobi. Although the motive is unclear, it clearly indicates how the illegal wildlife trade is as dangerous as trafficking of drugs, firearms, and human beings where anyone fighting it could end up getting killed. That does not mean that the world should give up battling this ongoing war against poaching and the illegal wildlife trade. The world needs to step up its efforts in combating poaching and the illegal wildlife trade, especially when investigators and other specialists who play a key role in battling these atrocities end up getting killed somehow.

In my opinion, the biggest hurdle in battling poaching and the wildlife trade is corruption. One example was recently seen in South Africa where even though the number of rhinos poached in the country was lower in 2017 than 2016, corruption is slowing down the progress. There are so many loopholes in the justice system, that the poachers either end up with lighter sentences or are acquitted of any charges brought against them. In addition, the process of prosecuting major kingpins of rhino-poaching is repeatedly delayed due to incompetence in the justice or lack of enthusiasm from law enforcement. This is not only limited to South Africa, but it is also happening in other countries that are rife with poaching and illegal wildlife trade activities. Corruption, in general, is hindering the battle against poaching and illegal wildlife trade in several ways, including deaths of prominent investigators of these crimes against nature. It has a negative influence on politics, the justice system, and many other aspects of the global society. This is why it is highly crucial to fight and suppress corruption, in order to put a stop to poaching and the illegal wildlife trade.

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