Tough Stance

　　A cross-continent operation against illegalwildlife trade was conducted from December 30， 2013，to January 26， 2014.

　　The operation， codenamed Cobra II， was co-organizedby China， the United States， South Africa， theLusaka Agreement Task Force (LATF)， the ASEAN WildlifeEnforcement Network and the South Asia WildlifeEnforcement Network， along with the support of theConvention on International Trade in Endangered Speciesof Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES)， the World CustomsOrganization and Interpol.

　　The global crackdown focused on key species thatare subject to illegal trade and achieved “excellent”results， according to John E. Scanlon， Secretary Generalof the CITES.

　　Huge success

　　Operation Cobra II led to the conclusion of morethan 350 cases and the arrest of over 400 suspects.Seized illegal animal products included more than 3tons of raw ivory and ivory products， 1，000-plus hides，36 rhino horns and a large number of other wildlifeproducts， according to the China Endangered SpeciesImport and Export Management Office.

　　In total， 28 countries were involved in the operation，while the first Cobra operation， launched a yearearlier， involved 22 countries. “Six more countries wereinvolved this year， resulting in even greater cooperation，”said Wan Ziming， Director of the Law EnforcementDepartment with the China Endangered SpeciesImport and Export Management Office.

　　According to Wan， China played a leading rolein carrying out Operation Cobra II. China’s forestry，customs， police， judiciary and quarantine authoritiesassigned more than 100，000 staff on theoperation， and uncovered over 200 casesinvolving more than 250 suspects， whichended up accounting for more than half of allcases cracked.

　　For the first time， China sent enforcementstaff to Kenya to arrest a man suspected ofivory trafficking and to host lectures onwildlife protection.

　　“The success of Operation Cobra IIcame from the coordination， cooperationand intelligence generated to combat wildlifecrime syndicates，” said BonaventureEbayi， Director of the LATF. The task forceis an intergovernmental organization with the mainfunction of facilitating cooperative activities in andamongst the party states to the Lusaka Agreement.

　　These involve carrying out investigations on violationsof national laws pertaining to illegal trade in wild faunaand flora.

　　Ebayi added， “As much as the seizures of contrabandwere welcomed， the real impact was in the intelligencegained， networks developed and the number ofinvestigations， arrests and prosecution of the suspectsbehind these illegal shipments.”

　　Edward Grace， Deputy Chief of the U.S. Fish andWildlife Service’s Office of Law Enforcement， said thatthe operation sent a powerful message to poachersand smugglers across the globe， and that the world’sendangered wildlife and plant resources are not theirsfor the taking.

　　“Only as global partners can we protect the world’swildlife，” Grace said.

　　Senior superintendent Uttam Kumar Karkee of theNepal police said that this operation has proved itselfas an excellent model for fighting transnationalcrime.

　　Stopping trafficking

　　“This second Operation Cobra initiative showswhat can be achieved when law enforcementauthorities across range， transit anddestination states work together in a coordinatedmanner. It also serves to highlightthat intelligence-led operations are essentialin the fight against transnational organizedwildlife crime，” Scanlon said.

　　Wildlife is the world’s fourth most smug-gled item， after drugs， counterfeit goods and humantrafficking.

　　“Leaving aside timber and marine products， it isestimated that the annual value of the illegal wildlifetrade is up to $20 billion and it has often beenregarded as a high-profit low-risk crime - although thisis starting to change as states recognize its negativeeconomic， social and environmental impacts，” Scanlonsaid at the International Wildlife Trafficking Symposiumheld in London on February 11-12.

　　According to China Daily， every year， about $1 billionworth of python skins are smuggled from SoutheastAsia into Europe， to meet the needs of the luxurygoods industry.

　　At least 5 percent of the wild rhinos and elephantsin Africa are killed for their horns and ivory every year，usually to meet demand in Asia. On top of this， wildanimals are often smuggled out of their habitats to bekept as pets.

　　“Wildlife trafficking is now more organized， lucrative，widespread and dangerous than ever before. We needstrong partnerships to fight the global problem of illicitwildlife trafficking，” Wan said.

　　China is a major destination for ivory， rhino horns，pangolin scales， as well tiger and leopard products. InChina， ivory has traditionally been used in the carvingof exquisite sculptures and ornaments. Rhino horns，pangolin scales and tiger bones are prized ingredientsin traditional Chinese medicine. Leopard fur is loved forits attractive pattern and opulent status.

　　To regulate trade in wildlife， China joined the CITESin 1981. The convention aims to prevent internationaltrade from threatening the survival of wild flora andfauna.

　　Today， CITES regulates international trade is close to35，000 species of plants and animals， including theirproducts and derivatives， according to the convention’swebsite.

　　After signing the convention， China has madesignificant progress in its wildlife protection efforts. In1988， China’s Law on the Protection of Wildlife wentinto effect. That year， China made it illegal to killor sell 256 species of wild animals.

　　Border patrol and customs officers activelyclamp down on wildlife trafficking. In addition，the government has also tackled the problemonline.

　　“During the 30 plus years since joiningthe convention， China has actively fulfilled itsresponsibilities and participated in internationalcooperation， and played an important rolein wildlife protection and trade regulation，”Scanlon said at the 16th meeting of the CITES’Conference of the Parties in Bangkok， Thailand，last March.

　　Zhang Jianlong， Director of the NationalInteragency CITES Enforcement CollaborativeGroup and Deputy Director of the StateForestry Administration， said that China willcontinue to cooperate with other countries tostrengthen wildlife protection and thoroughlyfulfil its international obligations.

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