The Wild Crime Report for Monday 5 May 2025
Shark fin bust in Thailand, birds saved in India and new information on pangolin and ivory trade.
Welcome to another Wild Crime Report for this week where I bring you some of the latest incidents in the real of environmental crime.
Let’s get into some information.
Shark Fins Seized in Thailand-China Smuggling Bust
Thai Customs were able to intercept 402 shark fins at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport. Destined to China but marked as “dry fish” from Trinidad and Tobago, the fins weighed 102 kilograms and were detected by authorities after a tip off from the Chinese themselves via the Anti-Smuggling Bureau within the General Administration of Customs (GACC).
It’s an interesting development within the shark fin smuggling trade where tons of fins are routinely sent to the major Chinese market via Hong Kong which has a long history and appetite for shark fins, principally for shark fin soup.
90 Birds Rescued from Illegal Trade in Varanasi
In the northern Indian city of Varanasi, a joint operation consisting of Forestry and Police officials rescued 90 birds and arrested several suspects. The raid was conducted near the train station where the suspects were reported to be caught ‘red handed’.
Amongst the birds found in cages were Indian roise-ringed parakeets and red avadavats, both common to Asia and reported to be trafficked within India and the nearby region. Following an inspection by veterinarians, all the birds were released by the forest department from nearby Sarnath Zoo.
Ohio Reptile Dealer Admits Wildlife Trafficking
In the US last week, the US Attorney’s Office in West Virginia issued a press release that a 64 year old man from West Virginia had pled guilty to wildlife trafficking offences contrary to The Lacey Act. Michael Kandis of Wheeling, West Virginia faces imprisonment and a fine of $100,000 after pleading guilty to purchasing and transporting bull snakes from India to West Virginia.
Despite Kandis not exporting the snakes, the sale of bull snakes is illegal under Indiana state law and transportation of prohibited species across state lines then brought him under the scrutiny of federal agencies such as the US Fish and Wildlife Service.
Pangolin traffickers caught by the Navy as wildlife trend analysis presented
And while many people are fawning over cute pangolins courtesy of the new Netflix documentary Kulu’s Journey, pangolins are still being trafficked in large quantities as evidence by the Nigerian Navy arresting two suspects with 500 kilograms of pangolin scales. The discovery was made on a routine search of a shipping vessel that was travelling between Cameroon and Nigeria.
This sort of interdiction is reflective of a new trend in largescale wildlife seizures being made within Africa as opposed to the high volume seizures of pangolin and ivory busts seen several years ago at sea and air ports. The analysis and evidence of this was published last week by the globally based anti-wildlife trafficking NGO the Wildlife Justice Commission. Having contributed to the work that went into this report I encourage you to read it to understand more about the broad trade dynamics that have underpinned pangolin and ivory trafficking activity from Africa in the last decade.
What wildlife crime issue concerns you most this week? Share in the comments or join our Substack Chat! Paid members, look out for our exclusive deep dive into pangolin trafficking later this month.
Stay wild.