Authorities arrest suspected illegal wildlife trader

Law enforcement officers on Sunday arrested a man suspected to be an illegal wildlife trader and seized an assortment of wildlife parts found in his possession.

The suspect was arrested on the Mandalay-Lashio road in Patheingyi township in Mandalay Region, according to the Forest Department.

Seized from the suspect were 10 golden deer horns and tortoise chest shells, among others, the department said.

In Yangon Region, the government will burn wildlife parts seized from poachers on March 3 to mark World Wildlife Day, said U Win Naing Thaw, director of the department’s Nature and Wildlife Conservation Division.

During a similar event in Nay Pyi Taw on October 4, the government incinerated US$1.3 million (K1.3 billion) worth of wildlife parts, including 277 elephant tusks, 5 elephant bones, 222 tiger and other wild cat bones, 45 skins, 1544 horns, 45 kilogrammes of pangolin scales, and 128 tortoise shells.

The authorities set aside some wildlife parts, such as elephant tusks, animal horns, skins and bones, for display at an elephant museum to raise public awareness about the importance of protecting biodiversity and fighting the illegal trade in wild animals, plants and flowers, according to the department.

The illegal trade in wildlife and parts is estimated to be worth over US$40 billion a year globally. In Myanmar, it is worth an estimated US$3 million.

U Win Naing Thaw said the burning of wildlife parts in Yangon aims to send a strong message to illegal wildlife traders that the government is serious about ending the illicit trade.

“This will serve to raise awareness about the need to reduce illegal trading and the killing of wildlife,” U Win Naing Thaw said, adding that the campaign will also target accessories and medicine made from illegal wildlife parts.

As of last month, 17 wild elephants had been killed and 42 perpetrators arrested and charged with the killings this year.

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