Wildlife Smuggling Ring Is Uncovered in Central African Nations

Law enforcement officials and wildlife activists in four Central African nations have broken up a network of wildlife smugglers and confiscated hundreds of pounds of ivory, African gray parrots, tiger and lion skins, and turtle shells. The arrests last week were coordinated by the Last Great Ape Organization (LAGA), an NGO working with local authorities in Gabon, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, and the Republic of Congo. In Gabon, undercover agents posing as smugglers arrested 16 black market dealers and confiscated 330 pounds of polished ivory, which was apparently bound for China. In Cameroon, officials intercepted 1,000 gray parrots, worth more than $100,000, as they were being smuggled into Nigeria. And in the Central African Republic, officials recovered seven leopard skins and two lion skins, which were believed to be headed to Europe or the U.S. to be used as rugs or wall hangings. Ofir Drori, the founder of LAGA, said the raids were the first time such a regional crackdown on the wildlife trade had been carried out and that it represented a growing commitment by governments to enforce existing laws prohibiting the trade in wildlife.