04 August 2008
Olympics Fans Advised to Avoid Endangered Wildlife Souvenirs
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service cautions travelers attending Beijing Games
Washington -- Travelers to China for the 2008 Olympics should be alert for souvenirs made from endangered species. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) advises, “Buyer beware.”
China, along with the United States and Western Europe, is a major destination for illegally trafficked wildlife products. According to international wildlife trade-monitoring network TRAFFIC, China is the world’s largest market for illegal wildlife products, including elephant ivory and tiger parts.
“By making informed choices, travelers can support conservation and avoid having their souvenirs confiscated at the airport,” USFWS law enforcement chief Benito Perez said in an August 1 statement.
The tiger faces imminent extinction at the hands of poachers and criminal gangs supplying the lucrative market. Tiger bones and other body parts are ingredients in traditional Chinese medicines. Tiger skins are coveted for dress and decor.
Ivory is turned into souvenir jewelry and carved statuary. The Asian elephant is particularly endangered by this trade. A recent decision by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) to release legally stockpiled African ivory for sale to China has raised concerns.
“Allowing new ivory to be imported into China will stimulate demand and create loopholes for illegal ivory to be laundered into the legal market,” International Fund for Animal Welfare program director Peter Pueschel said after the decision.
The United States prohibits importation of most elephant ivory. What little is allowed must satisfy stringent certification requirements.
Other prohibited items include sea turtle products -- items made from tortoiseshell -- skins and fur of endangered big cats and traditional medicines made from parts of tiger, rhinoceros, leopard, Asiatic black bear, musk deer, pangolin and seahorse.
In addition, the demand for shark fin soup, a Chinese culinary delicacy, is decimating world shark populations, according to conservationists, who say sharks play an important role in ocean ecological balances. Sharks are tossed back in the water to die after their fins are cut off.
A bill before Congress to tighten a ban on shark fins being brought to U.S. ports has been passed by the House of Representatives and awaits a vote in the Senate.
INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION ESSENTIAL
CITES helps regulate sustainable trade in more than 30,000 plant and animal species. The United States and China are among 173 signatories to CITES, which strives to protect threatened species.
China has pledged closer cooperation with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Wildlife Law Enforcement Network (ASEAN-WEN) and hosted a recent meeting of regional police, customs and environmental agencies aimed at improving cross-border intelligence sharing and enforcement cooperation.
China’s Director of Forestry Enforcement and Training Division Wan Ziming, quoted in the ASEAN-WEN newsletter, said, "Everyone is blaming China for consuming Southeast Asia's wildlife and wants China to solve the problem. The fact is, we are trying but we can't do this alone. We need to work together with other countries, with ASEAN-WEN, to stop the illegal trade."
Despite enforcement efforts, illegal trafficking by well-organized criminal gangs persists. (See “Wildlife Trafficking Is a Serious Problem, Lucrative Business.”)
“Just because you find something for sale overseas doesn’t mean you can import it,” Perez said. “Travelers need to ask questions and check trade restrictions before they buy.”
For more information, see the USFWS Law Enforcement and CITES Web sites.
