Investigations Archives - EMS Foundation

21 Feb

OUR KIN DISCARDED, SOUTH AFRICA’S CRUEL AND GRATUITOUS TRADE AND KILLING OF (NONHUMAN) PRIMATES

Part Four of the Extinction Business series of investigations and reports published by the EMS Foundation and Ban Animal Trading South Africa

1 Jun

THE IMPACTS ON LEVELS OF ILLEGAL KILLING OF ELEPHANTS SINCE THE CLOSURE OF CHINA’S DOMESTIC TRADE IN IVORY

The problem of stockpiling ivory remains. The disjunct between online ivory sales data and seizure data had indicated that organised criminal groups were likely stockpiling ivory for various reasons. We suspect that this was because they were ‘banking on extinction’ - literally funding poaching to create private ivory stockpiles, which they could then drip feed to the market once elephants had become extinct, or a legal trade reignited (or both). Domestic ivory bans should therefore be indefinite and complete. Unfortunately, if range states keep talking about selling their ivory, the incentive for stockpiling remains.

1 Apr

SNATCHED FROM THE WILD – CURATING AFRICAN ELEPHANTS FOR LIVE EXHIBITIONS IN THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

The full history of the contentious trade deal involving wild elephants caught in Namibia and exported to the United Arab Emirates into a life of captivity is well documented in the previously published Report by the EMS Foundation.

15 Mar

NAMIBIA’S LIVE TRADE IN AFRICAN ELEPHANTS CAPTURED FROM THE WILD

Based on the body of overwhelming scientific evidence, South Africa took the commendable decision in 2008 to ban the capture of elephants from the wild for the purposes of captivity and trade under the terms of the National Norms and Standards for the Management of Elephants in South Africa (2008). The International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Species Survival Commission African Elephant Specialist Group opposes the removal of African elephants from the wild for any captive use. This position was reaffirmed at the group’s meeting in Pretoria, South Africa in July 2019.

20 Dec

WHERE HAVE ALL THE RHINO GONE REPORT

Where Have All the Rhino Gone, is a compilation of, and expansion on, the work previously carried out by researchers and investigative journalists over the past two decades. The Information contained in this retrospective report sets out to illustrate the questionable decisions that have been made over the past two decades regarding the protection and conservation of South Africa’s rhino.

14 Dec

AN INADEQUATE AND DISAPPOINTING OFFICIAL RESPONSE TO THE BREAKING POINT REPORT

The EMS Foundation and Ban Animal Trading, authors of the investigative report called the Breaking Point Report: Uncovering South Africa's Shameful Live Wildlife Trade with China, the second in the Extinction Business series, have expressed their disappointment at the inadequate official response from the Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment in an open communication.

26 Nov

CONTROVERSIAL SEISMIC OIL AND GAS SURVEYANCE IN SOUTH AFRICA

Operation Phakisa focused on unlocking the economic potentials of South African oceans. Offshore oil and gas extraction was one of the four areas where this potential was identified. President Jacob Zuma said that the ocean around the southern tip of Africa could contribute around a million jobs via shipbuilding and mineral resource extraction by 2033.

15 Nov

LEOPARD TROPHY EXPORTS AND RE-EXPORTS FROM SOUTH AFRICA

Official information obtained by the EMS Foundation from the South African Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment via the Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA) pertaining to leopard exports from one South African port of exit revealed starling information about leopard trophy hunting exports and re-exports in South Africa.

11 Nov

EXTINCTION BUSINESS REPORT USED IN EVIDENCE IN HIGH COURT OF SOUTH AFRICA

The EMS Foundation and Ban Animal Trading gathered extensive information whilst investigating South Africa's big cat industry and South Africa's Lion Bone Trade which resulted in the first Extinction Business series of reports. The evidence in this report was used, amongst other, in a South African High Court matter.

21 Sep

WORLD RHINO DAY 2021

In addition, the EMS Foundation’s retrospective report Where Have All the Rhino Gone includes familiar names of people involved in the game breeding industry, ex policemen and veterinarians who have been arrested and charged with wildlife crimes over the past two decades. This information demonstrates that the illegal killing of rhino in South Africa for their horn has not only been carried out by anonymous individuals.

15 Jul

TRADING IN MISERY SOUTH AFRICA’S RECENT LION EXPORTS

The EMS Foundation has obtained official information from the South African Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment via the Promotion of Access to Information Act also known as PAIA about lion exports from the Oliver Tambo International's Airport situated in Johannesburg, South Africa. The detailed and specific information contained in this document illustrates the magnitude of this South African industry over a very specific time frame.

22 Apr

EARTH DAY 2021 HOW MANY ASIAN TIGERS ARE IN CAPTIVITY IN SOUTH AFRICA

On several occasions since early 2016 we had been asking your Department (DFFE) if it knew the number of Asian tigers in South Africa and if they monitor and audit the facilities in South Africa that keep Asian Big Cats. They continuously and consistently replied that they do not have any information as tigers are ‘exotics’ and therefore not their responsibility. This despite the fact that they are CITES Appendix I animals.

30 Oct

The Ill Treatment of Kataza (SK11) is the Tipping Point for the Need to Reconfigure the Protection of Chacma Baboons and their Natural Habitat in the Western Cape of South Africa

Over and above the destruction and fragmentation of their habitat, and despite being listed as a CITES Appendix II threatened species, baboons are offered very little protection in the Western Cape. Baboons are shot and poisoned, illegally captured and traded, hunted and used by traditional healers for medicinal purposes. In addition, they are also vulnerable to such hazards as power lines pylons, veld fires and road accidents.

10 Aug

PLUNDERED SOUTH AFRICA’S COLDBLOODED INTERNATIONAL REPTILE TRADE

Plundered, South Africa’s cold-blooded international reptile trade, is the third investigative report in The Extinction Business Series. The two previous reports examined South Africa’s lion bone trade and South Africa’s live wildlife trade with China. The Reports focus on how loopholes and ineffectual controls in the permit system, which includes CITES, are enabling international laundering and smuggling of live wildlife. The same applies to the global trade in live reptiles and amphibians, the focus of the Plundered Report.

10 Aug

THE EXTINCTION BUSINESS SPECIAL REPORT:

PLUNDERED South Africa's Coldblooded International Reptile Trade INVESTIGATIVE REPORT RESEARCHED AND WRITTEN BY THE EMS FOUNDATION AND BAN ANIMAL TRADING

8 Jun

EMS FOUNDATION AND BAN ANIMAL TRADING BREAKING POINT REPORT MEMORANDUM TO MINISTER CREECY

On the 21st of May 2020 Minister Barbara Creecy publicly responded to the EMS Foundation and Ban Animal Trading Report on the legal wildlife trade between China and South Africa. The EMS Foundation and the Ban Animal Trading organisation have drafted a memorandum regarding the measures that should be taken in response to the aforementioned report.

22 May

THE BREAKING POINT REPORT – PRESS RELEASE 22ND MAY 2020

The Minister of Environment, Barbara Creecy, initiated a meeting with the EMS Foundation and Ban Animal Trading in response to the publication of The Breaking Point Report which highlighted the shameful live wildlife trade between South Africa and China. The meeting was held this morning. We welcome the Minister’s commitment to investigate the serious issues raised in our Report, within a three month period.

18 May

EXPOSED: ILLEGAL WILDLIFE TRADE BOOMING THANKS TO LEGAL WILDLIFE TRADE

An investigation by EMS Foundation (EMS) and Ban Animal Trading (BAT) culminated in a report confirming the connection between illegal and legal wildlife trade. The report, BREAKING POINT: Uncovering South Africa’s Shameful Live Wildlife Trade with China, details the illegal and questionable trade of thousands of live animals under the pretense of legal trade.

17 May

THE BREAKING POINT – UNCOVERING SOUTH AFRICA’S SHAMEFUL LIVE WILDLIFE TRADE WITH CHINA

South Africa has become the largest exporter of live wild animals to Asia, where many wild animals are killed to extract potions from their carcases and are eaten as delicacies. Some are sent to languish in atrocious zoos. Some are inserted into the murky world of the illegal wildlife trade. The reality is that the South African government fails to apply its strong regulatory powers and by design or neglect allows strikingly large numbers of animals to be exported.

17 May

THE EXTINCTION BUSINESS SPECIAL REPORT:

THE EXTINCTION BUSINESS INVESTIGATIVE REPORTS PART TWO: BREAKING POINT - UNCOVERING SOUTH AFRICA'S SHAMEFUL LIVE WILDLIFE TRADE WITH CHINA RESEARCHED AND WRITTEN BY THE EMS FOUNDATION AND BAN ANIMAL TRADING South Africa

26 Feb

WILDLIFE ORGANISATIONS UNITE TO RESPECT AND SECURE THE WILDLIFE AT THE SANWILD WILDLIFE SANCTUARY IN SOUTH AFRICA

An offer has been presented to the trustees of the SanWild Wildlife Trust which translates into an enormous investment. The offer has been made with the best interests of the wild animals at SanWild at heart, as well as that of the legacy of the SanWild Trust. The offer has been made despite SanWild’s complicated history, the lack of public trust and support, and the on-going and immense problems that it is facing.

25 Nov

THE FUTURE OF THE SANWILD WILDLIFE SANCTUARY

For 20 years the SanWild Wildlife Sanctuary, situated in Gravelotte in Limpopo, has received public donations in its capacity as a public benefit organisation in order to sustain itself. According to research carried out the Sanctuary has, in our opinion, been grossly mismanaged, as clearly indicated by the media statement referred to. Public money has allegedly been misappropriated and the animals treated as mere commodities, the very opposite of a sanctuary.

19 Aug

The Environmental Movement in South Africa

An Analysis Of Animal-Based Issues, Campaigns And Organisations “The animals of the world exist for their own reason. They were not made for humans any more than black people were made for whites or women for men.” Alice Walker Oppression of animals that are not human often takes place invisibly. Social constructs and arrangements as […]

6 Aug

High Court Judgement on Lion Bone Quota

Lion Bone Judgement in Full: A landmark decision was reached in the High Court in the matter NSPCA vs Department of Environmental Affairs on the 6th of August 2019. The decision was made in regard to South Africa’s controversial lion bone trade. The trade in lion bone in 2017 and 2018 was ruled unlawful and […]

30 Jul

The EMS Foundation And Ban Animal Trading Investigation

The first part of the Extinction Business series of investigative reports was published in July 2018, the result of eighteen months of research. Titled the Extinction Business South Africa's Lion Bone Trade researched, written and published by the EMS Foundation and Ban Animal Trading South Africa.

1 Jul

THE EXTINCTION BUSINESS SOUTH AFRICAS LION BONE TRADE

Over the last eighteen months, the EMS Foundation and Ban Animal Trading have been gathering extensive information and investigating South Africa’s international ‘lion’ bone trade. This data has provided the basis of The Extinction Business Report - SOUTH AFRICA'S LION BONE TRADE

28 Feb

TIGERS IN CAPTIVITY IN SOUTH AFRICA

TIGERS IN CAPTIVITY IN SOUTH AFRICA NUMEROUS FACILITIES AND INDIVIDUALS HOUSING AND BREEDING ASIAN BIG CATS A TOTALLY UNREGULATED INDUSTRY Our research has shown that the industry is growing as there are more facilities and more tigers. Our research clearly shows that inbreeding is rampant and given the lack of regulation or control by South […]

Category Investigations

OUR KIN DISCARDED, SOUTH AFRICA’S CRUEL AND GRATUITOUS TRADE AND KILLING OF (NONHUMAN) PRIMATES

THE IMPACTS ON LEVELS OF ILLEGAL KILLING OF ELEPHANTS SINCE THE CLOSURE OF CHINA’S DOMESTIC TRADE IN IVORY

SNATCHED FROM THE WILD – CURATING AFRICAN ELEPHANTS FOR LIVE EXHIBITIONS IN THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

NAMIBIA’S LIVE TRADE IN AFRICAN ELEPHANTS CAPTURED FROM THE WILD

WHERE HAVE ALL THE RHINO GONE REPORT

AN INADEQUATE AND DISAPPOINTING OFFICIAL RESPONSE TO THE BREAKING POINT REPORT

CONTROVERSIAL SEISMIC OIL AND GAS SURVEYANCE IN SOUTH AFRICA

LEOPARD TROPHY EXPORTS AND RE-EXPORTS FROM SOUTH AFRICA

EXTINCTION BUSINESS REPORT USED IN EVIDENCE IN HIGH COURT OF SOUTH AFRICA

WORLD RHINO DAY 2021

TRADING IN MISERY SOUTH AFRICA’S RECENT LION EXPORTS

EARTH DAY 2021 HOW MANY ASIAN TIGERS ARE IN CAPTIVITY IN SOUTH AFRICA

The Ill Treatment of Kataza (SK11) is the Tipping Point for the Need to Reconfigure the Protection of Chacma Baboons and their Natural Habitat in the Western Cape of South Africa

PLUNDERED SOUTH AFRICA’S COLDBLOODED INTERNATIONAL REPTILE TRADE

THE EXTINCTION BUSINESS SPECIAL REPORT:

EMS FOUNDATION AND BAN ANIMAL TRADING BREAKING POINT REPORT MEMORANDUM TO MINISTER CREECY

THE BREAKING POINT REPORT – PRESS RELEASE 22ND MAY 2020

EXPOSED: ILLEGAL WILDLIFE TRADE BOOMING THANKS TO LEGAL WILDLIFE TRADE

THE BREAKING POINT – UNCOVERING SOUTH AFRICA’S SHAMEFUL LIVE WILDLIFE TRADE WITH CHINA

THE EXTINCTION BUSINESS SPECIAL REPORT:

WILDLIFE ORGANISATIONS UNITE TO RESPECT AND SECURE THE WILDLIFE AT THE SANWILD WILDLIFE SANCTUARY IN SOUTH AFRICA

THE FUTURE OF THE SANWILD WILDLIFE SANCTUARY

The Environmental Movement in South Africa

High Court Judgement on Lion Bone Quota

The EMS Foundation And Ban Animal Trading Investigation

THE EXTINCTION BUSINESS SOUTH AFRICAS LION BONE TRADE

TIGERS IN CAPTIVITY IN SOUTH AFRICA