Despicable people

It seems incredible that despite the worldwide abhorrence of the trade in ivory, that the slaughter of these noble beasts still continues. Last week conservation groups from around the world called for a global ban on the domestic trade in ivory.

Eh? Thought the trade was already banned? No. International trade was banned in 1989 – 27 years ago, but internal markets could still trade… Who thought of that stupidity? May have been pressure from South Africa... Yes, there probably has been the need to cull a certain number of elephants in a particular region due to destruction of the habitat, encroachment on human communities; so their ivory is fair game, no pun intended.

Well, it comes as no surprise that the internal markets in countries such as South Africa to some extent serve as a cover for illicit ivory sales for the international market, and inevitably they encourage poaching.

Some 10,000 delegates from 192 countries met in Hawaii for the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). I hadn’t heard of the IUCN, yet it was founded in France in 1948 by Julian Huxley with laudable aims; though considering the decimation of so many animal species one has to question its effectiveness.  They do supply a ‘red list’ of endangered species – see here.

The first continent wide aerial survey of Africa revealed that 30% of elephants living in savannah grasslands – 144,000 – were lost to poachers between 2007 and 2014.

Estimates by Charity Elephants Without Borders suggest the remaining 352,000 elephants is being slashed by 8% per year. Smaller elephants dwelling in jungles have declined even faster, by 60%; easier prey, harder to find the poachers.

‘The shutting down of domestic ivory markets,’  the president of the Wildlife Conservation Society said,  ‘will send a clear signal to traffickers and organised criminal syndicates that ivory will no longer support their criminal activities.

We should also pause for a moment and give thanks to the many rangers, anti-poachers and conservationists who have died in their efforts to thwart the poachers. Money is one of the issues when protection of the species is concerned. The cynic in me has to ask how much of the cost of flights to Hawaii could have been diverted to funding more rangers, more protection?

Last month, eco-investigators TRAFFIC stated that while thousands of antique ivory items were still on sale in London, it found no new ivory there. That has to be good news, surely?

Towards the end of this month, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) will gather in Johannesburg.

***

CITES also figures in my novel Blood of theDragon Trees, published by Crooked Cat Publishing.

What’s it about? The blurb runs like this: Laura Reid likes her new job on Tenerife, teaching the Spanish twins Maria and Ricardo Chávez. She certainly doesn’t want to get involved with Andrew Kirby and his pal, Jalbala Emcheta, who work for CITES, tracking down illegal traders in endangered species. Yet she’s undeniably drawn to Andrew, which is complicated, as she’s also attracted to Felipe, the brother of her widower host, Don Alonso.

Felipe’s girlfriend Lola is jealous and Laura is forced to take sides – risking her own life – as she and Andrew uncover the criminal network that not only deals in the products from endangered species, but also thrives on people trafficking. The pair are aided by two Spanish lawmen, Lieutenant Vargas of the Guardia Civil and Ruben Salazar, Inspector Jefe del Grupo de Homicidios de las Canarias.

Very soon betrayal and mortal danger lurk in the shadows, along with the dark deeds of kidnappers and clandestine scuba divers…

Partial Amazon review: Visitors to Tenerife will recognise the beauty of the island in Nik Morton's evocative descriptions of what the island has to offer to the tourist, but few, if any, will recognise the darker side so vividly portrayed in this novel… Nik Morton takes the story along at a fine pace, and readers of his past novels will not be disappointed in his narrative, his characterisation and careful plotting. – Michael Parker, author of The Boy from Berlin and other thrillers.

The reviewer also stated: ‘No doubt the fiction is inspired by Morton's ability as a thriller writer, and not something that he has uncovered by stealth.’ True enough, but I did do a great deal of research, some of it distressing, to comprehend the background of this filthy trade.

As it happens, I was so captivated by some of the characters in this romantic thriller that I used them in the third adventure of ‘The Avenging Cat’, Cataclysm, which is mainly set in China, where the ill-gotten products from the endangered species end up.

Blood

http://authl.it/56u

Cataclysm

http://authl.it/4hv

China tackles illegal ivory trade

Torn from the pages of the New York Times - an article entitled ‘China Destroys 6 tons of ivory’ by Bettina Wassiner. [This is a shortened version].

Over the past five years or so, poaching of elephants has swelled to record numbers, and China’s been accused as the main culprit with its huge appetite for ivory.

On Monday (6 Jan), however, the Chinese authorities received widespread plaudits when, in a first for the country, they destroyed more than six tons of confiscated ivory ornaments and tusks in Dongguan, a city in the southern province of Guangdong, which is a major hub for the ivory trade.

The widely publicized event was attended by state officials, foreign diplomats and wildlife campaigners.

Cristián Samper, president and chief executive of the Wildlife Conservation Society: congratulated the Chinese government “for showing the world that elephant poaching and illegal ivory consumption is unacceptable. We are hopeful that this gesture shows that we can win the war against poaching and that elephants will once again flourish.”

Patrick Bergin, chief executive of the African Wildlife Foundation: “a courageous and critical first step by China to elevate the important issue of wildlife trafficking and elephant poaching among its citizens and around the world.”

Last November, the United States destroyed six tons of ivory. The Philippines, Kenya and Gabon have also destroyed stocks of ivory in their countries.

Rising affluence and more open trade links between China and the rest of the world have fuelled demand for scarce natural resources – anything from ivory to tortoises, shark fins and rosewood – over the past few years, wreaking havoc in many ecosystems and pushing many species to the brink.

The trade is lucrative. Raw ivory can fetch more than $1,000 a pound.

Perhaps the event in Dongguan will help hammer home the message: there’s no profit in slaughtering elephants.

But there’s still a long way to go. Those six-plus tons destroyed represent only a small part of China’s total ivory stockpile, estimated at about 45 tons. Hong Kong’s stash of confiscated ivory has swelled sharply, thanks to several large intercepts in recent years. If China were to destroy the remainder of its ivory stocks and lead the world by committing not to buying ivory in the future, the impact on the survival of African elephants would be immense.

And of course this doesn’t stem the tide of illegal trading in tiger bones and rhino horns for medicinal purposes…

Amazon co.uk Kindle may be purchased here

Blood of the Dragon Trees - a brief excerpt:

Thirty men constantly whittling and inscribing created a surprisingly loud noise inside the high-roofed warehouse. Dolores and Cipriano strode down the aisles of Chinese and Korean men. On her right was the production line for rendering ivory into hanko – small inscribed cylindrical seals.

            ‘Don’t you just love the intricate work of these guys?’ Cipriano said.

            ‘Yes, darling, they’re works of art. They’re given a good salary and we make millions. It’s called the art of making money. Everybody wins.’

            On their left was another production line, where elaborate figurines were being carved out of the ivory tusks of elephants.

            ‘I’ve got a shipment of walrus tusks coming in next month,’ Cipriano said. ‘They’ll fetch more than this, because they’re so rare.’

             At mention of ‘rare’, her brow darkened. ‘We must be careful, Cippi, dear. We’re becoming too successful.’

paperback may be purchased postfree worldwide here

 

Spanish Eye - a brief excerpt:

I shook off such heavy introspective thoughts and studied the photograph.

It showed a large boa constrictor, beautifully marked with cream, brown, tan and gray camouflage ovals and diamonds.

“That’s more like it!” I said enthusiastically. I’d played enough poker games to know that my face betrayed none of my true emotions.

Such exquisite skin belonged on the reptile, not on somebody’s feet or handbag. Still, I was being marginally unkind to Señor Perez whose business was finding expensive homes for exotic pets and not slaughtering endangered species for eye-catching fashion accessories.