Bryan Christy

On Wedneday, Malaysian Royal Customs officials stopped two women coming in from Madagascar with luggage chock full of critically endangered wildlife (story below).   It is clear from the size of this seizure and others–including a recent and similar seizure of hundreds of endangered radiated tortoises and a ploughshare tortoise (rarest tortoise on earth)–that a major individual or individuals in Malaysia is smuggling large amounts of wildlife from Madagascar… 

TRAFFIC has a couple of good reports on the latest of these smuggling attempts, here and here.  Apparently, wildlife trafficking is becoming so easy and so profitable that drug runners and car thieves are among those in Malaysia entering the field.

News From The Star.

 Rare Tortoises, Frogs, Chameleons Confiscated

KUALA LUMPUR: Two travel bags containing protected animals have been confiscated by the Customs Department at KL International Airport.

There were 369 Radiated Tortoises, five Madagascar Tortoises [BC:  ie PLOUGHSHARE TORTOISES], 47 Tomato Frogs and several chameleons, Department Wildlife and National Parks Department (Perhilitan) director-general Datuk Abd Rasid Samsuddin said.

He said the animals were brought in by hand luggage by two women from Madagascar on Wednesday.

“The tortoises were bound with masking tape to prevent them from moving, while the chameleons were stuffed in socks to prevent detection,” he said, adding that the animals cost an estimated RM250,000.

In another case…Read More…

I watched a monitor lizard disappear into this hole while traveling in Borneo. I wondered what would happen next… (shot from 12 feet above the lizard, ie, it was a big lizard).

Photo: c. Bryan Christy

We slaughter animals–for food, for fashion.  Below is a story running today in Indonesia.  I had a chance to spend time inside an Indonesian reptile slaughterhouse, a major source for US and European skins.  It wasn’t pretty.  Some of the videos are on my site.  One of the photos ran alongside my latest National Geographic story. 

Most snake and lizard skin products you see in fashion are from animals caught in the wild.  I don’t buy snake or lizard skin products anymore, although I used to.  I do eat meat.  And fish.  Every year I say I’ll make time to hunt again.   I commend PETA for raising the issue of standard of care of reptiles.  It reminds me what I’m willing to stomach, what I’m not, and why…    

From the Jakarta Post today:

Activists rally to campaign against exotic-skin trade
Hasyim Widhiarto,  The Jakarta Post 04/07/2010 

A dozen of animal right activists staged Wednesday a rally on Jl. Sudirman, Central Jakarta, campaigning for an end to exotic animal skin trade for fashion products.

Spokeswoman for the Asia-Pacific’s People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) Ashley Fruno said the rally was held to follow up the organization’s investigation, which found that (more…)