Thailand Requires Ivory Registration to Combat Ivory Smuggling from Africa

macro_elephant by Théo is licensed under CC BY 2.0

A new Thailand law requires ivory owners to register their pieces with the government in order to distinguish the amount of locally sourced ivory versus ivory from Africa in The Kingdom, reports The Nation. 

Nipon Chotibal, the director-general of Thailand’s Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP), said the ivory registration will make it easier for the DNP to crackdown the illegal smuggling of African ivory into Thailand.

The new law took effect on January 22 and restricts individuals’ ivory possession to  either two pieces of ivory, or two ivory necklaces or four ivory bracelets, and allows one household to contain only up to 12 ivory pieces, reports The Nation.    

Furthermore, Chotibal said that under the new law, these ivory pieces can only be inherited, not sold, traded, given away or transferred.

Chaninat and Leeds’ attorneys are experts on Thailandinheritance laws and have been assisting clients with probate proceedings in Thailand since 1997.

Owners of locally sourced ivory must register all their elephant tusk pieces by April 21 and owners of African ivory will be able to register within 90 days starting March 14.

For further details, read the full story here.

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China Destroys 6.1 Tons of Illegal Ivory

In 2012, up to 36,000 elephants were killed for their ivory. 

For this first time, on Monday 6 January, China publicly demonstrated how they are supporting stopping the illegal ivory trade by destroying 6.1 tons of seized illegal ivory reports Xi Hua Net. 

Governments across the world are being called on to make the illicit ivory trade and wildlife crime a priority issue, to make a financial commitment to security enforcement and to impose a complete ban on all ivory sales.

As Thailand lawyers, we were proud to take part in the recent save the elephant march which was held in Bangkok  towards the end of last year.

Watch the footage here:

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Flickr photo credit: sarahemcc

Cat Smuggling Trade In Thailand

Thailand's first ever arrest was made yesterday when a van driver was caught trying to smuggle 90 Thai cats across the border into Vietnam to sell to the meat trade.

The cats were crammed into six plastic cages.

Thailand Criminal Lawyer 

Chaninat and Leeds specializes in international criminal cases in Thailand

The driver has been arrested for animal cruelty and intent to illegally transport animals across Thailand's borders.

The Soi Dog Foundation have been working hard with immigration and quarantine officers at the Nakhon Phanom province with regards to dog smuggling, but it is thought this is the first known about incident of cat smuggling.

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Wildlife Smuggling in Thailand: A Matter of Convenience 

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Flickr credit: Moyan_Brenn