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Supplied / Stuff
Monkey skull and giraffe bones seized during Operation Thunder 2020.
Giraffe bones, canned whale meat and a monkey skull were among the items seized at the border by the Department of Conservation (DOC) last month.
The so-called Operation Thunder 2020 is an international offensive that engages 103 countries in a coordinated push against the illegal wildlife trade.
Between September 14 and October 11, seven infringement notices were issued in New Zealand, with fines ranging from $ 600 to $ 800.
The efforts are organized by Interpol and the World Customs Organization. The DOC publishes one-month figures annually to draw attention to the cause.
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In New Zealand, DOC focused its efforts on items arriving by mail, cargo and cargo, seizing 53 illegally traded wildlife objects during the operation.
Items also included whale teeth, a crocodile skin knife sheath, dried shark meat, and products of traditional Chinese medicine. This was the first year the giraffe bones were listed under CITES and the first year they were seized by the DOC.
Phil Doyle / Stuff
This year, 53 illegal wildlife items were seized at New Zealand’s borders. Pictured: Dog Trainer Courtney Moore and Dog Advisor Alan Willox for Biosecurity. (File photo)
Efforts focused on vulnerable species protected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), an agreement aimed at ensuring that international trade in animals and plants does not threaten their survival in the wild.
According to the DOC’s chief compliance officer, Dylan Swain, also chair of the Interpol Task Force on Wildlife Crime, wildlife crime was the fourth largest illegal trade in the world.
The DOC was prosecuting a small number of illegal importers, but no charges had yet been filed.
Items that could be exploited or those that were higher on the CITES endangered species list were more likely to be prosecuted.
Investigations were continuing to determine whether items from New Zealand had been seized in other countries.
Tom Lee / Stuff
This year marks the first time giraffe bones have been included on the CITES endangered species list, and the first year that the DOC seized them in New Zealand.
Covid-19 had not stopped illegal importation; Some Chinese medicines may have been introduced to boost people’s immune systems against the virus.
DOC Endangered Species Officer Jan McKeown coordinated New Zealand’s involvement in the operation.
The ability to shop internationally online was not a guarantee that your purchase could be legally imported into New Zealand, he said. “Please do your background research before hitting the ‘buy now’ button.”
Worldwide, more than 45,000 live animals and plants were seized in the operation. A total of 699 criminals worldwide were arrested and further arrests and prosecutions are expected.
International seizures included 187 rough elephant tusks in Cameroon; an adult female white tiger, jaguar, and four-month-old lion cub rescued from smugglers in Mexico; and an 18-ton shipment of red sandalwood seized in India.
Anyone who has questions about what items may or may not import should consult the DOC’s CITES website.
To report any suspicious illegal wildlife activity, call the DOC hotline 0800 DOC HOT (0800 362 468).
