Record seizures of animal goods

Gregor McClenaghan

• Last Updated: January 15. 2009 9:30AM UAE / January 15. 2009 5:30AM GMT

DUBAI // Customs officers last year seized a record number of elephant tusks, stuffed animals and other contraband from the international trade in endangered wildlife.

A total of 145 items were seized at Dubai airport and from searches of shipping containers last year, a 20 per cent increase on the 2007 total.

Last year’s haul included fur coats, stuffed crocodiles and a stuffed lion, with most of the confiscations being ivory.

The figures are only for seizures that led to criminal charges. No information was available on how many people were arrested or convicted.

Abdul Rahman al Saleh, the senior executive director of corporate affairs for Dubai Customs, said new scanning technology and other improvements to detection were probably responsible for the increase in seizures, rather than a rise in illicit trade.

“Dubai is a trade hub, so it is difficult to tell if whatever is coming in is for here, or whether it is in transit to Europe or elsewhere,” Mr al Saleh said.

“There are seizures from cargo containers, but most of the ivory we have seized is from individuals coming through the airport, people on transit visas.

“When they are bringing things like animal skins, we can usually tell that the final destination is not the UAE because handbags, ladies’ coats and other such items are not manufactured here.”

Mr al Saleh said live animals brought into the UAE for private zoos were occasionally seized, but often died soon after.

“It is not their natural habitat and travelling causes them a lot of harm,” he said. “Sometimes it takes a day or a month, but usually, despite our best efforts, they die in the end.”

Last year, an investigation by The National showed that white lion cubs, baby primates and exotic birds were being offered for sale at a desert ranch near Dubai.
The UAE is a signatory to the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species, and dealing in such animals is a violation of UAE law. Anyone caught breaking the convention, which has been signed by 172 countries, faces a fine of between Dh10,000 and Dh50,000 and up to six months in jail.

Azzedine Downes, the executive vice-president of the International Fund for Animal Welfare, said UAE authorities were making serious efforts to crack down on the trade but international penalties were not enough, compared to prices people would pay for such contraband, to deter criminals.

“The trade in exotic animals is usually ranked third in value behind arms and drugs smuggling,” Mr Downes said. “A recent report by Interpol puts its global value between $8bn to $10bn. It is an absolutely huge market. Business is good and the penalties for being involved are relatively low.

“A lot of it is ivory, but one of our biggest concerns at the moment is shahtoosh, a type of shawl made in India from Tibetan antelope. It is like a pashmina, but while a pashmina is made by shearing the animal, for a shahtoosh they have to be killed, and it takes 25 antelope to make one shahtoosh.”

Mr Downes said the shawls were available under the counter at a number of high-end boutiques in Dubai for up to Dh73,400 (US$20,000) each.

“In terms of awareness from the authorities, the UAE is very interested, and we have had a lot of help from customs, the police and the Ministry of the Environment,” he said.

“The problem is that it is a difficult thing to track. It involves a lot of small items being brought in by individuals.”

Dubai Customs will launch a campaign today to educate the public about the consequences of buying endangered animals or products made from them, with the slogan: “If you don’t buy, they will not die.”

“There are health issues with having some of these things in your home and we want to make people aware of the environmental costs,” Mr al Saleh said. “Dubai Customs is committed to enforcing the international, regional and national laws that are in place to fight this trade.”

gmcclenaghan@thenational.ae