In April 2017 I was traveling with Phil, a South African camera man and film director, in SE Asia to compile some “pick up shots” for a documentary on the rhino horn trade we were working on. In Vientiane, the capital of Laos we stayed in aprominent hotel in China town catering to lots ofChineseContinue reading “Pink Tiger Bone Jewellery… A new tale in the context of the commodification of the tiger”
Author Archives: KarlAmmann
The CITES Secretariat and the epitome of double standards
The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) will shortly hold its seventeenth major Conference of the Parties event in Johannesburg from 24 September to 5 October 2016 (CoP17). As part of the agenda for CoP17 the CITES Secretariat has published an agenda and numerous documents for consideration againstContinue reading “The CITES Secretariat and the epitome of double standards”
From Health to Wealth – Understanding the trade in rhino horn in the age of affluence
Felix Patton and Karl Ammann – Published in Pachyderm No. 57 July 2015–June 2016 If demand reduction strategies are going to be effective, it is essential that the understanding of the usage of rhino horn and rhino horn products is accurate. Judging by what is being published in the media–in print and online–this is notContinue reading “From Health to Wealth – Understanding the trade in rhino horn in the age of affluence”
China, Ivory and Wishful thinking…
In early December 2015, a press release by Sam Smith (Wild Aid campaigns push price of Ivory into the ‘free-fall’ zone) documenting the decline in price of illegal raw ivory in China, was picked up by a wide range of media outlets. The Secretary General of CITES, John Scanlon, commented that the bottom had droppedContinue reading “China, Ivory and Wishful thinking…”
The CITES – Permitting System and the Illegal Trade in Wildlife
LIVE ANIMAL TRADE IS OUT OF CONTROL This report provides evidence that CITES is failing to police the trade in live animals of endangered species. The level of fraud and falsification of CITES trade permits has reached a level where illegal trade is actively encouraged by this lack of control. Documented is the extent toContinue reading “The CITES – Permitting System and the Illegal Trade in Wildlife”
Open Letter to Guangdong Chimelong Group
To: Mr. Su Zhigang, Chairman, Guangdong Chimelong Group, Yingbin Road, Panyu, Guangzhou Nanyuki, July 7th 2015 Dear Mr. Su Zhigang, I am a documentary film maker working on a production documenting the wildlife trade for Swiss and German Television. I recently visited the head offices of Guangzhou Panyu Chang Long Safari World. Co. Ltd toContinue reading “Open Letter to Guangdong Chimelong Group”
Tiger Farming: an ‘industry’ with a range of profit centers
During a recent documentary film shoot with a team from Spiegel TV in Germany we investigated aspects of tiger farming in Thailand and Laos before I then traveled on to China and Myanmar. There I looked into not just aspects of tiger bone consumption and the trade in tiger derivatives but also live animals. IContinue reading “Tiger Farming: an ‘industry’ with a range of profit centers”
Wishful thinking and Rhino Conservation
Finally some good news in the context of rhino poaching: A press release circulated on Oct. 20th 2014 tells the concerned public that: INTEREST IN RHINO HORN DROPS IN VIETNAM. The story goes on to describe how a survey was conducted amongst 1000 rhino horn consumers, firstly in 2013 and repeated in 2014 by visiting the same respondents.Continue reading “Wishful thinking and Rhino Conservation”
The Rhino and the Bling
So your latest model Ferrari is parked in a prominent spot outside the top five-star hotel in the capital. You are meeting friends for a drink and since it is pleasantly warm you wear a short sleeve shirt so there is no way they can miss the golden Rolex on your left wrist – theyContinue reading “The Rhino and the Bling”
Inside Tiger Farming: A Long Chain of Profiteers
Swiss-born journalist and wildlife activist Karl Ammann has been investigating the illegal trade in wildlife products in Africa and Southeast Asia for 30 years. In this blog post, he discusses what he documented with hidden cameras while investigating the booming Asian trade in tiger parts. Ammann’s findings were aired on Spiegel Television in Germany andContinue reading “Inside Tiger Farming: A Long Chain of Profiteers”
The world of Karl Ammann 