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CITES
Secretary-General to Present
2010 Wildlife Law Enforcement Awards in Doha
Species Survival Network Congratulates Dedicated Conservation Advocates
(Doha, Qatar)—15
March 2010: The Species Survival Network (SSN), a global coalition of
82 organizations from more than 30 countries, today congratulated the
recipients of the prestigious 2010 Clark R. Bavin Wildlife Law
Enforcement Awards.
Tonight at 18.30
in the Al Dafna Foyer of the Sheraton Doha Convention Hotel, hundreds
of delegates attending the 15th Meeting of the Conference of the
Parties to CITES gather to honor the heroic efforts of wildlife law
enforcement officers who often put their lives in jeopardy to protect
wildlife and uphold the rule of law.
Will Travers,
President of the Species Survival Network said, “Wildlife law
enforcement is the front-line. It’s a dangerous, sometimes deadly
place. Sadly all too often the sacrifice made by law enforcement
officers goes unrecognized—not tonight.”
Honorees include
representatives from Israel, India, the United States, Kenya, China,
the United Kingdom, Denmark, and the Philippines. The Awards are named
in memory of the pioneering former head of law enforcement for the
United States Fish and Wildlife Service.
DJ Schubert,
wildlife biologist with the US-based Animal Welfare Institute, sponsor
of the Bavin Awards, added, “It is a privilege to work in wildlife
conservation and be an advocate for wild animals in desperate need
across the globe – and it is an honor to share this evening with the
dedicated wildlife protectors who turn words into deeds and stop at
nothing to end wildlife crime.”
Dr.
Bill Clark
Dr. Bill Clark, CITES Coordinator for the Israel Nature and Parks
Authority, Department of Law Enforcement, has spent 30 years in
wildlife law enforcement and is chair of Interpol’s Wildlife Crimes
Group. He has co-ordinated the donation of aircraft and vehicles,
organized scores of enforcement training programs in Africa and is
directly involved in reintroductions and anti-poaching patrols. He was
instrumental in Interpol operations in Africa which led to the arrest
of hundreds of ivory dealers and seizure of tons of ivory and weapons.
He has written two books, nearly 100 articles and an Interpol-CITES
manual on questioning wildlife smugglers.
 Mr.
Nitin Desai
Mr. Nitin Desai is the Director of the Wildlife Protection Society of
India’s operation in Central India, and has investigated illegal trade
since 1998 nationally and internationally. He manages a network of
informers to detect illegal trade, has been instrumental in 200
enforcement workshops and trained 7,800 enforcement officers throughout
India. With state and federal enforcement agents he has
conducted numerous investigations and enforcements resulting in the
seizure of a variety of wildlife products including tiger pelts and
parts. Accepting the award on behalf of Mr. Desai is Avinash
Basker, Legal Consultant, Wildlife Protection Society of India.
Mr.
Muga Joel Got
Mr. Muga Joel Got, Ranger, Kenya Wildlife Service, repeatedly risked
his life over his four years as a Ranger with the Kenya Wildlife
Service, engaging in five dangerous encounters with wildlife criminals
in 2009 alone. In the course of his duty Ranger Got was
killed on Christmas Day 2009 by ivory poachers north of Meru National
Park. Ranger Got was renowned for his integrity and courage,
and his name is to be added to the Heroes’ Monument at the headquarters
of the Kenya Wildlife Service as the 43rd ranger killed in the line of
duty. On January 5th 2010, a team of rangers captured Ranger
Got’s murderers.
Mr.
John Laigwanani
Mr. John Laigwanani, Sergeant, Kenya Wildlife Service, joined the Kenya
Wildlife Service as a Ranger and currently serves as a section
commander in Meru National Park. For twenty years he has protected
wildlife in Meru and other Kenyan parks, where he and his men have
often risked their lives in engagements with armed poachers. In
December 2009, Mr. Laigwanani led a team of rangers into a
confrontation with elephant poachers which lead to the arrest or deaths
of several members of a criminal gang. Among the poachers
arrested or killed were those individuals responsible for the murder
of fellow 2010 Bavin Award recipient, Ranger Muga Joel Got.
Anti-smuggling
Bureau of Guangzhou
The Anti-smuggling Bureau of Guangzhou Customs, China combats illegal
wildlife trade within South China’s Guangdong province. Since
2008 its officers have detected 353 cases of illegal trade, arrested 40
suspects, confiscated 1,600 live endangered animals, and seized nearly
6,000 kilograms and 55,000 specimens of wildlife parts and products,
including ivory. The Bureau is a model of effective
enforcement, utilizing improved methods of passenger inspection and
developing systems of early warning for frontline officers and for
cooperation across agencies. Accepting the award on behalf of the
Anti-smuggling Bureau of Guangzhou Customs is Wan Ziming, Director,
Enforcement and Training Division, State Forestry Administration.
Mr.
Andrew McWilliam
Mr. Andrew McWilliam, Investigative Support Officer, National Wildlife
Crime Unit, United Kingdom, spent 31 years as a police officer before
becoming the lead officer investigating wildlife crime within his
police force in the United Kingdom. He joined the National
Wildlife Crime Unit in 2006 where he combats national and international
wildlife crime. He has been involved in more than 100
enforcement operations resulting in numerous successful prosecutions,
and conducts enforcement training within and outside the UK. He is
currently investigating illicit trade in traditional medicines and the
laundering of wild-caught birds of prey.
Ms.
Birgith Sloth
Ms. Birgith Sloth, Nature Conservation and Management Specialist, has
dedicated her career to ensuring the proper implementation of
CITES. She has provided capacity building training sessions
to thousands of officials in over 24 countries in support of the proper
implementation of CITES. CITES and the Parties to it owe an
immense debt of gratitude to Ms. Sloth’s untiring dedication and
selfless commitment. As a recent example, from 2003 to 2007 she
provided intensive training to Croatian nature protection officials
significantly enhancing the capacity of Croatia to implement CITES.
The
Wildlife Crime Control Bureau, India
The Wildlife Crime Control Bureau, Ministry of Environment &
Forests, Govt. of India, New Delhi, India, has only been in operation
since 2007 but has already proven a major force in tackling wildlife
crime. Following a seizure in January 2009 of tiger skins by
authorities on the Indo-Nepal border a team from the Bureau captured
eleven notorious poachers, traders and middlemen and seized a large
collection of tiger, otter and leopard parts, effectively shutting down
three different international poaching units. The Bureau has, for the
first time in India, initiated a criminal proceeding for the
creation of fraudulent CITES import documentation.
Accepting the award on behalf of the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau is
Ramesh Pandey, Deputy Director of the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau.
Mr.
Li Huadong
Mr. Li Huadong, Captain of Criminal Investigation Brigade in Shenyang
Forestry Policy Bureau, China, has solved 120 cases of wildlife crime
since 2004 resulting in the arrest of 130 criminals and the rescue of
over 15,000 wild animals. Mr. Huadong is an excellent
investigator, meticulous in collecting evidence and innovatively using
the internet against those who would abuse it for illegal wildlife
trade. In August 2008 he led a raid in which a tiger pelt was
seized and subsequently arresting and assisting in the successful
prosecution of two dealers. He also arrested a wildlife trader
who for years had traveled across China illegally selling raptors.
Accepting the award on behalf of Mr. Li Huadong is Wan Ziming,
Director, Enforcement and Training Division, State Forestry
Administration.
Mr.
Asis Generoso Perez
Mr. Asis Generoso Perez, Attorney, Director for Law Enforcement,
Tanggol Kalikasan, Philippines, is the director of law enforcement at
Tanggol Kalikasan, an environmental law firm in the
Philippines. Mr. Asis has conducted raids of suspected illegal
wildlife traders and led the investigation of 23 poachers responsible
for killing 200 marine turtles. He co-organized the first
Philippine Environmental Law Enforcement Summit and developed a manual
on enforcement. He also wrote procedures for releasing seized wildlife
and established a training program for enforcement officers for many
areas of the Philippines.
Accepting the award on behalf of Atty. Asis Generoso Perez is Assistant
Secretary Ernesto D. Adobo, Jr., Head of the Philippine Delegation.
U.S.
Operation Central
The United States Fish & Wildlife Service Office of Law
Enforcement Special Operations Unit and U.S. Department of Justice
attorneys responsible for the successful completion of Operation
Central, which targeted the illegal trafficking of products of sea
turtles and other animals from Mexico and China to the United
States. The investigation involved the arrest of traders
involved in the illegal transactions of 800 products of sea turtles,
caimans, pythons and other protected species. Operation
Central exposed more than $1 million worth of smuggled sea turtle
products into the United States from the two countries and stands as
the largest probe ever of the illegal commercial exploitation of sea
turtles.
Accepting the award on behalf of the Operation Central team is Mr.
Benito Perez, Chief, Office of Law Enforcement, U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service.
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