Chameleons bound for China seized in Burkina Faso

Information and Discussions on Endangered Species
Post Reply
User avatar
Flutterby
Posts: 44150
Joined: Sat May 19, 2012 12:28 pm
Country: South Africa
Location: Gauteng, South Africa
Contact:

Chameleons bound for China seized in Burkina Faso

Post by Flutterby »

Nearly 2,000 dried chameleons bound for China, PHL seized in Burkina —officials

July 7, 2015 8:03am

OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso - More than 1,800 dried chameleons on their way to Asia have been seized in Burkina Faso, officials said Monday.

The chameleons—which are protected in Burkina Faso—were packed in boxes and had a combined weight of around 29 kilos (64 pounds). They were headed to countries like China and the Philippines, where some believe they have medicinal powers.

Officials seized the contraband in late June during an operation aimed at stopping illegal exports of rare rosewood—of which 9,000 trunks were also seized.

The lizards were killed and "packaged" on the border between Nigeria and Niger and were on their way through Burkina to Mali, where they would be exported to Asia, Colonel Adama Drabo of the Burkinabe water and forestry corps told AFP.

At least 25 people, including Lebanese, Ghanian and Syrian nationals were arrested during the operation.

Illegal exports of protected plants and animals from Burkina are nothing new.

In 2011, more than 70 dried vultures were seized, and in 2015, a senior official of the environment ministry was arrested after ivory disappeared from government stockpiles. —Agence France-Presse

More from: http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/51 ... -officials


Post Reply

Return to “Endangered Species”