Category — Import

“An animal rights group appealed to Tanzania on Thursday to stop the transfer of elephants and giraffes to a zoo in the Philippines in exchange for crocodiles.” – Reuters.com

“Renewed doubts over the legality of Taronga Zoo’s importation of nine Asian elephants have been raised overseas, with documents from Thailand suggesting that up to half may have been snatched from the wild.” – National

“The Prime Minister declared the elephant would not be sent to Armenia ?on compassionate grounds.? He further stated that thereafter the gifting of animals from India to another State to build diplomatic relations would be stopped.” – Daily News

“An elephant has been taken to court, not just any court but the highest in the land, the Supreme Court. Asokamala, born and bred at the Pinnawela Elephant Orphanage, has kicked up dust being in the centre of a controversy over whether she should be ?exported? as a gift from Sri Lanka to Armenia.” – The Sunday Times

“The Cabinet has approved the gifting of an elephant to Armenia while Wild Life officials were still studying the suitability of the weather and other conditions for the animal. The move has drawn angry responses from various groups closely following the issue of gifting the elephant Asokamala.” – The Sunday Times Online

“The Cabinet has approved the gifting of an elephant to Armenia while Wild Life officials were still studying the suitability of the weather and other conditions for the animal. The move has drawn angry responses from various groups closely following the issue of gifting the elephant Asokamala.” – The Sunday Times

“Sri Lanka will give a baby elephant to the Armenia zoo in exchange for veterinary training to an animal “suitable” for local conditions, a government minister said Sunday.” – Lanka Business Online

“Sports and Recreation Minister Gamini Lokuge is to travel to Armenia later this month to hand over an elephant as a gift from Sri Lanka ignoring warnings from animal rights activists and without the sanction of the Wild Life Department. Mr. Lokuge confirmed to The Sunday Times that he was planning the visit and had been informed that the Armenian government was preparing a national ceremony to receive the elephant.” – The Sunday Times Online

“Beer nuts, paints, perfume, hair products and even three harmonicas contributed to a $6.6 million bill to bring eight asian elephants to Australia.” – Herald Sun

“A Richmond man is facing charges of illegally importing, possessing and distributing African elephant ivory.” – The Vancouver Sun

“Environment Canada has laid 4 charges against Yuk Ming Ho of Richmond, British Columbia for alleged violations of
the Wild Animal and Plant Protection and Regulation of International and Interprovincial Trade Act (WAPPRIITA). The charges stem from an investigation by Environment Canada’s Wildlife Enforcement Division, Pacific and
Yukon Region. Mr. Ho has been given notice to appear in Richmond Provincial Court on April 26, 2007.” – CNW Group

“Changes in the rules for international trade in elephant ivory, gazelles, leopards, sharks, eels, pink coral, rosewood, and cedar are just a few of the 40 new government proposals that will be decided at an upcoming meeting of the Parties to the UN Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, CITES.” – Environment News Service

“Females Dokkoon, Kulab and Num-Oi are thriving at Melbourne Zoo after two years in quarantine on the Cocos Islands.

To the delight of keepers, resident cow Mek Kapah, who had not had contact with other female elephants for 25 years, quickly warmed to the arrivals. ” – Sunday Herald Sun

“The zoo and its Sydney counterpart will send about 40 native animals, including koalas, kangaroos, dingoes and possums, to the Chiang Mai Night Safari in a deal that will see the importation to Australia of eight Asian elephants.” – theage.com.au

“Animal welfare groups have welcomed the decision of the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) to give conditional approval for Sydney and Melbourne Zoos to import a group of Asian elephants.” – ABC News Online

“In an international row between conservationists and politicians, Kenya has been asked to abandon plans to export hundreds of its wild animals to a safari park in Thailand.” – IOL

“The Asian elephant is under threat and so are the 10 elephants in Australian zoos.” – 7.30 Report

“On elephants, the SC decided that the CITES Secretariat will receive information on rates of illegal hunting of elephants and trade in elephant specimens from existing systems monitoring the illegal killing of elephants and trade in elephant specimens, and will work with the Parties that report an increase in illegal hunting or trade to establish the potential linkage to commercial trade in raw ivory. If the SC concludes there has been an increase in illegal hunting or trade, it will recommend that international trade in all specimens regarding the elephant populations of Botswana, Namibia, and South Africa be halted and will request that all Appendix II populations of the species be transferred to Appendix I. ” – Earth Negotiations Bulletin