Hi everyone,
It’s Paula here. Today we received interesting reports from LAGA, The Last Great Ape Organization who have successfully conducted several arrests of individuals involved in bushmeat trade, specifically apes.
WARNING: The photos below are disturbing so please click off now if you are sensitive.
Last week LAGA arrested a dealer in Congo who is now behind bars, and the government of DR Congo is pleased and about to sign a convention with the RALF project.
Laga is now finalizing a guidebook on wildlife law enforcement to allow their success to be replicated, including the lessons from this different approach to conservation.
In Cameroon LAGA carried out 6 arrest operations within 3 weeks :
1. A well known Internet wildlife dealer engaged in the trade of primate skulls and other protected wildlife products arrested in Buea – South West Region with the collaboration of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. He had sent illegal consignments to U.S.A. 22 times and falsified the Minister’s signature and used on a falsified CITES Permit. Youtube link here
2. A leopard skin dealer arrested in Bafoussam – West Region trying to illegally trade in a leopard skin.
3. A regular dealer supplying large quantities of protected bushmeat of protected wildlife species arrested in Foumbot – West Region.
4. A shop owner arrested trying to illegally trade in elephant teeth and leopard skin in Yaounde – Central Region. This operation was done in collaboration with a French wildlife conservation NGO – SFS.
5. A dealer in live primates and other wildlife products was arrested trying to illegally trade in a live mandrill and the foot of an elephant in Yaounde – Central Region. His father is an accomplice and a wildlife trader with 20 years experience. Youtube link here
6. A regular dealer in protected bushmeat arrested trying to sell a full dead chimp that he had kept in a deep freezer in Douala – Littoral. He has suppliers from the Eastern part of Cameroon and sells in major cities including Douala and Bafoussam.
LAGA’s experience in the fight against corruption gave birth to its sister NGO – AC – focusing on assisting victims of corruption to fight corrupt officials, it is also set to fight the problem that led to the creation of LAGA – corruption in NGO projects.
More information will be uploaded on these two sites www.APT-AID.org ,
Regards from the LAGA family
This report is from LAGA The Last Great Ape Organization,Wildlife Law Enforcement
They can be reached on Tel: +237-99651803
Website: www.LAGA-enforcement.org
Donations made here are
Feb 28th Liza H USD 11.00
9 Comments
Bastards, all of ‘em. Poachers should be shot on sight when caught red-handed, or imprisoned for life.
LAGA is one hell of a great organization. I hope they catch many more poachers.
As for turning away from the images, I always remember a quote from Gretchen Wyler, founder of the Genesis Awards: “We must not fail to see with our eyes what they must endure with their bodies.”
s.
Thanks Sheryl, I totally agree…but the pics are not for kids
There seems to be a problem with comments. Lets see if this works
Confronting, but necessary to inform the world about the realities of what is happening to wildlife around the planet. If Millions of people could see past “growth” and “consumerism”, then maybe they could focus a little more on what we are doing to our fellow species! It is truly appalling!!!!! Brenton.
Sickening and heartbreaking. I hope they rot in jail! They deserve much worse in my opinion. My gratitude and congratulations to LAGA!
It is easy for me to sit here- Surrounded by comfort- and judge others for their actions,to cast them as despicable, however I cannot remotely comprehend an existence so foreign as that which is involved in such practice as the bushmeat and trophy trade regardless of side; the law or the lawless. Of course I am emotionally torn from what I see and read on a daily basis. Not only by the manner in which animals are treated by callous humans but also by how we treat each other.
Jail will not deter criminality. It never has and it never will. Education and hope can be the only salvation for our world and all it’s inhabitants.
I am eternally saddened for the perpetually senseless loss of life.
terrible
congratulation LAGA
Thanks for your comments Theresa, Sheryl and Brenton. We certainly hope WildlifeDirect can make a difference here by supporting all these efforts.
To locals this is food. I compare this to the slaughter houses you have overseas.I think you should stick a balance btwn your love for animals and indifference for the daily struggles in africa that drive people to eat chimps.
Demand for skin and Ivory is fueled by the west.I think you are looking for an easy target.
The man you want to rot in prison is just another victim due to you [the good guys]
Kisima, my human brother,
We in the west are not indifferent to your problems. It is sad that the population cannot farm enough crops or animals to satisfy the needs of the people due to war issues, ignorance, or an imbalance of economic wealth in these countries. Slaughterhouses are the product of factory farming- and even this has its own problems.
Our understanding is that chimp meat and other bush meat is a delicacy or special meal versus regular daily meal so that makes this meat worth more and that some of the bones and parts of chimps or monkeys are considered tribal medicine.
Demand for skin and ivory would not be satisfied if people stopped supplying it just as if people stopped demanding it. But the problem then becomes that it increases in value so greatly that it makes people want to risk to supply it.
The people who seek to help animals do so since there seems to be a rapidly declining number of certain species animals left in certain areas and an unlimited and increasing number of humans world wide. The people of these areas need to understand that they have a great natural resource in the chimps, monkeys, elephants, lions, etc in husbanding and sheperding these animals in the wild. There is more money long term in keeping the animals alive than in the short term of killing them. But we still understand that this is a problem when people who have not eaten yesterday, want to eat today.
Good luck and know that we feel for your regions human issues,
e