operation ambush - wildlife justice commission · 2019-06-25 · wechat & facebook whole tiger...

Operation AmbushSeptember 2016

Introduction – Operation Ambush 03

Summary 04

TigertradeflowsacrossAsia 05

WJC Briefing 06

A snapshot from Viet Nam Volumeintrade 07

ProfileofaprolificTigerTrader 08

Tiger Farms as a Supplier TheRiseinUnregulatedandPrivateBreeding 09

CaseStudy:MuangThongTigerFarm 11

EvidenceofSupplytoTigerTrade 12

International supply from Non-Range States SouthAfrica 13

CzechRepublic 14

Activating justice against Vietnamese tiger traffickers 15

Contents

Frozen tiger cub captured during WJC investigation in Viet Nam

Wildlife Justice Commission | Operation Ambush Briefing | 02

Introduction

TheWildlifeJusticeCommission(WJC)isanon-governmentalorganisationbasedinTheHague,TheNetherlands.ItwasestablishedinMarch2015withthegoalofexposinganddisruptingtransnationalorganisedwildlifecrime.TheWJCisstaffedwithformerlawenforcementofficers,analystsandlawyersfromtheUnitedStates,GreatBritain,Australia,theEuropeanUnionandseveralAsiancountries.

In2014theCITESsecretariatreportedthatseizuresoftigerspecimenshadincreasedinSoutheastAsiainrecentyears,andthat,of61livetigersseizedintheperiod2010–2012,74%wereconfiscatedinthreeSouth-EastAsiancountries:Laos,ThailandandVietNam.Aseizuresanalysiscommissionedbythesecretariathighlightedconcernsaboutthesourceoftigersinillegaltrade,inlightofthepresenceoftigerbreedingfacilitiesinthesecountriesandthesmallnumbersofwildtigers(SC65Doc.38).

Operation AMBUSHbeganinJuly2016andaimstoexaminethedriversandorganisedcriminalitybehindtheillegaltigertradeacrossAsiawithaparticularfocusontheroleoftigerfarmsintheGreaterMekongregion.Thisbriefpresentspreliminaryresults,basedonourundercoverinvestigationsinVietNam,LaosandMalaysia,opensourceresearchandintelligenceobtainedfromgovernmentalandnon-governmentalsources.

Herewepresentasnapshotofourfindingsonarelativelysmallscale,however,thefindingsarerepresentativeofthewiderissuethattigersbredinfarmsarebeingsuppliedintoillegaltrade.


Thisbriefingprovidessomeinsightintothemethodsbeingused,thejourneytigerstaketomarket,andhowthisisfacilitatedbyorganisedcriminality.Thegrowthinunregulatedandprivatebreedingmaybeenablingillegaltrade,atthesametimewildtigersarebeingtargetedtoservicedemandinVietNamandChina.

Summary

Due to the volume of parts observed for sale (in particular reference to whole skins) and the paucity of wild tigers in the region, it is likely that tigers have originated from farms (p.9–10).

It is also suggested that a proportion of tigers in trade products may also be fake.

Viet NamWe found an astounding amount of tiger parts offered for sale by a criminal network based in Viet Nam and subsequently identified a strong demand for tiger claws and canines as a fashion / status symbol (p. 7-8). This sub-culture consists mainly of young Vietnamese men and the WJC captured numerous images highlighting this trend. We further identified Vietnamese and Chinese buyers with a great desire for tiger bone paste and wine and broth. We found

at least eight instances of tiger cubs contained in liquid vases, described as tonic wine. This may indicate a new commodity on the market. This product was being marketed primarily to Chinese customers. Conversely, we observed very little appetite for tiger skins.

Thailand Our investigators met with illegal wildlife traders, one of whom showed his stash of tiger skins and boasted how he could obtain large quantities of tiger skins sourced from Thailand and Viet Nam.

LaosThrough our investigations we were able to collect compelling footage from a facility that evidences tigers from the farm are being supplied to criminals engaging in illegal trade (p.11–12).

TIGER FARM

Ways in which transfer occurs

CRIMINAL ORGANISATION

MARKET

Processing

MalaysiaOur covert investigations led to the arrest of eight Vietnamese nationals who were part of a trafficking network. The team were apprehended after poaching Malayan tigers and attempting to sell their parts in Kuala Lumpur (p.15–16).

Czech Republic Reliable intelligence reports that tiger breeding is occurring and there are concerns regarding the high mortality rate of cubs born at the facility. The suspicion being that the cubs are removed to be grown and slaughtered elsewhere (p.14).

South AfricaResearch finds South Africa now has an increasingly relevant role in both the legal and illegal trade of tigers (p.13).


ThemaphighlightstheknownflowsoftigersacrossAsia.

Whilemanyoftheroutesarepersistenttradeflows,suchasIndia–Nepal–China,theWJChaveidentifiedanewrouteofwildtigersfromIndia.DuringourmostrecentinvestigationwefoundtigerpartsforsaleinMalaysiahaveoriginatedfromIndia.ThisisconsistentwithamajorseizureoftigerpartsinMalaysiain2015comprisingamongstotheritems,470tigerclaws,equatingtoaminimumof26tigers.ThepartsweresuspectedtohavecomefromIndia.

Moreover,ourintelligencereportsVietnamesepoachersareinoperationinMalaysianforeststofeednationaldemandfortigerpartsasstatussymbols.

Thailand’sroleincludesatransitpointfortigersoriginatingfromIndonesiaandMalaysia.ItisalsoasourceforcaptivebredtigerstostockfarmsinLaosandtosupplydemandinChinaandVietNam.ReliableWJCintelligencereportsthattigerpartsforsaleinVietNamcomprisebothwildtigersfromMalaysia,andcaptivebredtigersfromThailandandthosebeingprivatelybredinVietNam. Wild tigers

Captive-bred tigers

Tiger trade flows across Asia


Wildlife Justice Commission Briefing

Wildlife Justice Commission | Operation Dragon Briefing | 06

WJCsfirstinvestigationinVietNambetween2015-2016foundpartsandproductsofaminimumof158toamaximumof225tigersintrade.

ThetotalvalueofthesetigercommoditiesintradeisconservativelyestimatedtoequatetoUSD3,1million(VND71,000,000).Arangeofcommoditytypeswereobservedintrade;itisclearthereisgreaterdemandfortigerbonepastebutcaninesandclawsasjewelleryarealsoverypopular.

TheimagespresentedherewerecollectedduringourinvestigationandhighlightthedemandforclawsandcaninesasfashionitemsforyoungVietnamesemen.

Volume in tradeA snapshot from Viet Nam

CHART 1: THE BREAKDOWN OF TIGER PARTS FOUND IN TRADE DURING WJC INVESTIGATION IN VIET NAM

Bone SkinSkeleton

Penis

Bone Jewellery

Claw

Bone PasteCanine

TheWJCiscurrentlyinvestigatingupto100-150newsubjectsspecialisinginillegaltigertradeandtraffickingevenlargervolumes.Furthermore,wealsodetectedthesaleofeighttigercubsandoneleopardcubinjars.

Chart 1 outlinesthemostcommonlyobservedproductsfoundintradeduringtheinvestigationandhighlightstherelativelylowoccurrenceofskinsorskinproductsbeingofferedforsale.


DuringourextensiveinvestigationwhichcenteredonthevillageofNhiKheinVietNam,weidentifiedoneparticularlyprolificwildlifetrader.

DuringacovertWeChatconversationwiththeWJCbetweenApril–May2016,thetraderofferedtigerpartsforsaleequatingtoanestimatedUSD9,000.

Theimagesshownherewerecaptureddirectlyfromthetrader’sWeChataccount.

TheWJCwasabletoevidenceatleast130violationsofArticle190oftheVietnamesePenalCode:Trafficking in Tiger in an organised manner.

Evidenceagainstthisand50othersubjectswassubmittedtotheGovernmentofVietNaminaMapofFacts(Jan2016)followedbyanUpdateoftheMapofFacts(July2016).

Profile of a prolific Tiger Trader

A snapshot from Viet Nam

CHART 2: RANGE & VOLUME OF TIGER PARTS OFFERED BY ONE VIETNAMESE TRADER BETWEEN 1 JULY 2015 – 31 MAY 2016.

PERSON OF INTEREST

NationalityVietnamese MethodofTrading

WeChat & Facebook

Whole tiger1 Piece

Skin25 Pieces

Skeleton22 Pieces

Canine323 Teeth

Bone glue12 Kgs

Bone products386 Kgs

Tiger cub in wine3 Jars

Claw97 Pieces

Bone wine71 Bottles

Skull2 Pieces

Genitals28 Pieces


Bangkok

Vientiane

Hanoi Hong Kong

Phnom Penh

Thismappresentsthelocationsofallthe knownfacilitieswheretigersareheldinVietNam(17)andLaos(2)andthenumberoftigersateachfacilitybasedonaWJCsurveyandresearch.InLaos,thetwoknownestablishmentsarebothclosetotheThaiborder,withtheGoldenTrianglebeingwithintheSpecialEconomicZone,andthereforealsoborderingMyanmar.InVietNam,mostfacilitiesarelocatedinorneartothecitesofHanoiorHoChiMinh.

InJuly2016,theWJCconductedsurveysattenoftheknownestablishmentsinVietNamandoneinLaostodirectlyobservethecurrentnumberoftigersateach.Intotal,wefoundanestimated175tigersinVietNamand335inLaos,equatingto510intotal.

The Rise in Unregulated and Private Breeding

Tiger Farms as a Supplier

Ho Chi Minh City

Surveyed by the WJC

Not surveyed by the WJC


No. Location Name No. of tigers Country Surveyed by WJC

1 Tay Thanh 11 VietNam Yes

2 Dai Nam Lac Canh Van Hien 11 VietNam Yes

3 Suoi Tien Theme Park 0 VietNam Yes

4 Dray Sap: Gia Long Waterfalls 2 VietNam No

5 Thai Binh Duong/ Pacific Beer Company 19 VietNam No

6 Vuon Xoai Resort 8 VietNam Yes

7 Thanh Canh 2 VietNam Yes

8 Sai Gon Zoo 9 VietNam Yes

9 My Quynh Safari 2 VietNam No

10 Vinpearl Safari Phu Quoc 18 VietNam No

11 Private farm of Nguyen Khac Thuong 6 VietNam Yes

12 Bao Son Paradise 3 VietNam Yes

13 Private farm of Nguyen Mau Chien 11 VietNam No

14 Trai Bo Ecotourism 33 VietNam No

15 Hon Nhan Ecotourism 15 VietNam No

16 Ha Noi Zoo 7 VietNam Yes

17 Soc Son Wildlife Rescue Center 18 VietNam Yes

18 Golden Triangle, Special Economic Zone 35 Laos No

19 Muang Thong Tiger Farm 300 Laos Yes

InadditiontotheseknownestablishmentsitissuspectedthatillegaltigerfarmsareontheriseinVietNam.

AnidentifiedincreaseinprivatebreedingwasfurthercorroboratedinMay2016whenENV(whohaveinspectedtheseestablishmentsbi-annuallysince2007)reportedthatthenumberofcaptivetigersinVietnamhasincreasedfrom81in2010to180by2016.

Furthermore,ENVsuspectsthatmostofthesefacilitiesareengagedinillegalactivities,eitherbysellingcubsorlaunderingtigersthroughtheirfarmsandintotrade.

TABLE 1: KNOWN FACILITIES IN VIET NAM AND LAOS WITH CURRENT NUMBER OF TIGERS


TheEIApublished‘SinCity1’in2015whichexaminedillegalwildlifetradewithintheSpecialEconomicZoneinLaos.Theinvestigationfoundthenumberoflivetigershousedthereincreasedfromsixto35individualsbetween2014-2015,andfurtherreportedthatthesourceoftigerswasfromanotherfarminLaos.TheMuangThongTigerFarminLaoscurrentlyhasanestimated300individualsandthereforeholdsmoretigersthanallthoseknownfacilitiesinLaosandVietNamputtogether.

OurundercoverinvestigationrevealedthislargetigerbreedingfacilityofferstheirtigersforsaletotradersinVietNamandChina.

MuangThongTigerFarmisfundamentallydifferenttothewell-knownLaosbasedKing’sRomanCasinointheSpecialEconomicZone(anentertainmentvenueopentothepublic),asverylittleisknownaboutitspurposeorlegalstatus.

ThecurrentowneristhegodsonoftheformerLaotianprimeminister:ThongsingThammavong,whowasinpowerbetween23December2010-20April2016.Thefarmownerhasapictureoftheformerprimeministerinhishouse,observedfirsthandbyourinvestigators.

WJCinvestigatorsvisitedthefarmcovertlyinJuly2016.Thefarmwasfoundtohouseapproximately300livetigers,rangingfrom100-200kginweight.Thetigersarekeptincramp,concreteconditions.Eachlargeenclosurecontainstworowsofsmallerenclosures(approx.4mx4mx30metresdeep).Inaddition,ourinvestigatorsobservedtentigercubskeptinaseparateenclosure.

Case Study: Muang Thong Tiger Farm

Tiger in captivity at Muang Thong Tiger Farm, July 2016


1https://eia-international.org/wp-content/uploads/EIA-Sin-City-FINAL-med-res.pdf


Ourinvestigationrevealsthatbuyersusuallybringtheirownprofessionalbutcherwhothencarvesthetigersonsite.Thisistoensurethetigerskinsareremovedcleanly.Alternatively,buyershirethefarmmanagerandhisteamtoundertakethekillingandbutchering.

Tigersarenotpurchasedalive;theyareallkilledandbutcheredonsite.Thetigersarekilledbyuseoflethalinjection.

PricesquotedtoourundercoverinvestigatorsareshowninTable2,wherewholetigersaresoldbythekilo.Buyersbuythewholetiger,notjusttheskinsorbones.Afterkillingandcarvingthetiger,itisthenuptothebuyerwhichpartstheywishtokeepordisposeof.

UnlikeKing’sRomanCasino,whichcatersmostlytoaChineseclientele,themajorityofbuyersatMuangThongareofVietnameseorigin.

WJC’sinvestigationinNhiKhe,VietNamidentifiedatleast13traderswhowereabletosupplytigerproductsingreatvolume.Duringanundercovermeeting,asignificantwholesaletraderdisplayedfourtigerskinstoWJCoperativesathispremises.Thetraderinformedouroperativesthathewouldgiveadiscountonpriceifaquantityexceeding10tigerskinswereordered,indicatinghisabilitytoobtainlargequantitiesoftigerskins.AVietnameseChinese-languageinterpreterpresentduringthemeetingstatedthatifinvestigatorswantedmanyskinsthetraderwouldcollectthemfromotherpeople.

Evidence of Supply to Tiger Trade


TABLE 2: PRICES QUOTED IN USD FOR WHOLE AND PART TIGERS (JULY, 2016)

Tiger Parts Whole Tiger Canines Whiskers

Small Large

PerKilo 285 142 3000 6.25

Avg.Tiger 57,000

Tiger in captivity at Muang Thong Tiger Farm, July 2016


SouthAfricaisbecomingincreasinglyrelevantintheillegaltigertradedebate,duetotheemergenceofalegalandillegaltradeintigerpartsoutofSouthAfrica,particularlyinreferencetolivespecimens.

AccordingtotheCITEStradedatabase,between2010-2015SouthAfricafeaturedastheexporteron103permitsforpartsandwholespecimensofPantheratigris2.Sixty-twopermitsreferredtotheexportofaminimumof163livetigerswiththegreatestamountimportedbytheUAE(19),Egypt(19)andThailand(18).Inaddition,thereareanestimated280tigersinatleast44facilitiesinSouthAfrica3,verylittleisknownaboutthesefacilities.

South AfricaInternational supply from Non-Range States:

2Accessed24.8.20163Williamsetal,‘BonesofContention’,TRAFFIC,20154https://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/vietnamese-man-arrested-for-smuggling-ivory-tiger-claws-haul-96681/5http://paper.people.com.cn/rmrbhwb/html/2015-04/09/content_1552041.htm

OntheillegalfrontconfidentialintelligencereportstigersarebredinSouthAfricafortheAsianmarket. VeryfewseizureshavebeenreportedinAsiaoftigerpartsoriginatingfromAfrica,withtheexceptionofthetwoincidentsdetailedhere.OnlyoneofthesereferstoSouthAfricaandthereforerepresentsanimportantintelligencegap.

1. In October a Vietnamese national was arrested after being found in possession of elephant and tiger parts at Siem Reap Airport.4

2. In April 2015, Kunming Customs confiscated a large contraband of illegal wildlife products including an Indo-Chinese tiger fur and 7.7 kg of tiger bone from two Chinese national’s checked luggage.5

ROUTE SOUTH AFRICA HONG KONG DESTINATION: CHINA

ROUTEANGOLA ETHIOPIA SOUTH KOREA CAMBODIA DESTINATION: VIET NAM


There are strong indications that tigers are being bred in the Czech Republic for illegal trade purposes.

AccordingtotheCITESTradedatabaseCzechRepublicexported28livetigersbetween2010-2015,withthemajoritydestinedforVietNam(18).TenwereforzoosandeightwereforcommercialpurposesinVietNam.

Moreover,inJuly2016,fourIndochinesetigersweremovedfromtheCzechRepublictoHanoiZooinVietNam.Thetransferwaspublicisedinthemediaasaconservationmeasure,eventhoughthetigerswillremaininHanoiZooforthedurationoftheirlives.ThesourceofthetigersinCzechRepublicisnotcurrentlyknown6andremainsanimportantintelligencegap.HanoiZooisagovernmentregisteredestablishmentwhichhasbeenimplicatedinillegal

Thereisalsoconcernregardinganextensivetradeintigerbonewineor‘broth’brewedandbottledinCzechRepublic,purportedlyforillegalexporttoVietNam.WJCcovertinvestigationshavefoundthatthisproduct,traditionallyassociatedwithdemandinChina,isalsohighlysoughtafterinVietNam.Thelongertheproductisfermented,themorepotentanddelicateitbecomes.Tigerwinecanbesealedinjarsformanyyears,openedforaspecialoccasionandpouredintoplasticbottlesforsharingwithpeople(similartothepicture).

ThisdynamicpresentsanewchallengeforlawenforcementduetothelimitedexpertisetoextractDNAfromtigerbonewinetoidentifyitssource.Thereisalsotheextendedissuethatbonesusedtobrewwinemaycontainlionbone.

6http://www.aircargonews.net/news/single-view/news/cargrrrrowllux-flies-endangered-tigers-to-vietnam.html7http://www.reuters.com/article/environment-vietnam-tigers-dc-idUSHAN28824200801108http://www.cizp.cz/files/=4046/CITESnews-Prague104-tiger%20skeletons.pdf9http://www.envinews.eu/article

tigertradeontwooccasions;in2002and20087.Inthe2008casethezooadmittedtosellingtwolivetigerstoVietnamesewildlifetraffickers,theinvestigationledpolicetoahousewherefrozenpiecesoffourtigerbodieswerefoundalongwithstovesusedforcookinggluefromanimalbones.

IllegaltradebetweentheCzechRepublicandVietNamhasalsobeendocumentedonatleasttwooccasionsin2013:

–TwotigerskeletonswereseizedenroutefromCzechRepublictoVietNam8

–10kgtigerboneswerefoundinavehicleintheCzechRepublicdrivenbyaVietnamesenational9

Czech RepublicInternational supply from Non-Range States:

ReliableintelligencereportsthattigersarebeingbredinprivatefacilitiesintheCzechRepublic:tigercubsarebeingbredinhighvolumesbutmanydonotappeartomakeittoadulthood.Ahighmortalityforcubsisreported,butitissuspectedthatcubsaremovedtootherfacilitiesintheCzechRepublic,eithertogrowtoamoredesirablesizeforslaughterortobekilledforthepurposeofproducingtigerbonewine.

Packaged tiger wine bottles


Activating justice against Vietnamese tiger traffickersIntelligence collected through Operation Ambush has already garnered success.

InAugust2016,theWJCidentifiedandsuccessfullyinfiltratedaVietnameseorganisedcrimegroupatworkinMalaysia.ThisnetworkconsistedofVietnamesenationalswhowereoperatinginPeninsularMalaysia’sBelumTemengorForestComplexspecificallytargetingagarwoodbutalsotopoachwildlife,opportunistically.

WJCoperativesactingaspotentialbuyers,engagedonemajortrafficker,whoassumedtheroleoftheselleraspartofthenetwork.ThesubjectofferedthetigerproductsobtainedbytheVietnamesepoachersforsale.ImagessuppliedtotheWJCfromthetraffickerareshowntotheright.

TheMalayantigerisnowassessedtobeCriticallyEndangeredwithlessthan250individualsleftinthewild.Thereforethenetwork’scriminalityisexpectedtohavehadadevastatingimpactuponMalaysia’swildtigerpopulation.

A collection of images sent by the network in what is believed to be Malaysia’s Belum Temengor Forest Complex showing off a freshly killed Malayan tiger Panthera tigris jacksoni as well as tiger canines, claws and the paste produced through boiling bones.


AWJCinvestigationsteamwasdeployedtoMalaysiawiththeaimofidentifyingthesesubjectsandbringingthemtojustice.

On30August2016,WJCinvestigatorspartneredwiththeMalaysianWildlifeCrimeUnit(Perhilitan)insettingupastingoperationafterlearningthatmembersofthenetworkwereinKualaLumpursellingtheirtigerproductsHavingsecuredenoughproofofthetraffickers’criminality,PerhilitanstaffconductedaraidatapremisesinKualaLumpur’ssouthernsuburbswheretheyarrestedsevenVietnamesenationalsagedbetween23-33.Theraidledtothediscoveryoftwotigerskinsandanarrayofproductsincludingpaste,caninesandclawsderivedfromtigers.Inadditiontothetigerparts,21bearclawsand14beargallbladderswereseized.

ThroughthepersistenteffortsofthePerhilitaninvestigators;theteamlocatedandarrestedtheallegedringleader,a24-yearoldVietnamesenational,laterthatsameday.

AllsubjectsarenowbeforethecourtfacingchargesrelatingtoMalaysia’sWildlifeConservationAct2010.Perhilitan’stigerexpertiscurrentlyexaminingtheseizedproductstodeterminetheirgeographicalorigin.

MoredetailsofthestorycanbefoundhereattheBorneoPostonline.

From top left clockwise; the two seized tiger skins; one of the suspects sporting a tiger claw necklace, the seven Vietnamese nationals at the unit containing the products; camouflage clothing in a bedroom.

Alleged ring leader


http://www.theborneopost.com/2016/09/03/perhilitan-scores-big-against-ivory-smugglers/

Thank You

Wildlife Justice CommissionWTCTheHague,PrinsesMargrietplantsoen792595BRTheHague TheNetherlands

operation ambush - wildlife justice commission · 2019-06-25 · wechat & facebook whole tiger...

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