Category: rule of law

Thanks for 2019

by davidgies100, posted in Africa, Colorado Gives Day, colorado state university, conservation, nongovernmental, rule of law, Serengeti Watch

Expressing a BIG “thank you” for supporting ANAW in 2019

ANAW continues to evolve, supporting communities to build better health care for animals while at the same time, supporting people living in rural areas. The well-being of animals cannot be accomplished without attending to the needs of the human population. Implementing ANAW’s purpose moves the non-governmental organization towards a One Health problem-solving approach. All systems are linked. ANAW promotes animal welfare through its efforts to protect the environment, support employment opportunities, and connect people to people.

This year has been the best year yet for ANAW in Africa. This has happened thanks to the many gifts of work, wisdom, and wealth from ANAW’s friends. General donations, donations from Colorado Gives campaign, and gifts from the Combined Federal Campaign continue to empower ANAW to do its work.

Some of the highlights include conducting the 9th National Judicial Dialogue Conference. These conferences, organized by ANAW with the collaboration of law enforcement and the judiciary have been convened on an ongoing basis since 2013. It has been an important collaboration with the Kenya Wildlife Protection agency and Wildlife Direct leading to a significant increase in the severity of penalties for individuals convicted of animal crimes. Jos Ngonyo reports that since 2013, crimes against wildlife and the environment have been elevated to economic crimes resulting in higher crimes and penalties.

ANAW is fighting to protect donkeys from theft and slaughter due to the growing demand for ejiao (donkey hide gelatin) and donkey skins in China.

ANAW’s accreditation with the United Nations Environment Programme has been renewed through 2013.

ANAW continues to promote Animal Welfare through its Animal Welfare Clubs in 44 schools in Nairobi and surrounding counties.

ANAW conducted spay/neutered surgeries on 434 companion animals and vaccinated over 11,347 dogs and cats against rabies in 2019. Much of this has been accomplished through veterinary service programs led by and thanks to Dr. Lisa McCarthy of Vet Treks and Julie Kelly from Applewood Veterinary Clinic, both in Colorado.

ANAW presented “A Model for High Volume Sterilization Operations — A Case Study in Machakos County” at the Humane Dog Population Management Conference.

At the Kenya Veterinary Association 2019 Conference, ANAW presented “Implementation of the National Rabies Elimination Strategy in Machakos County-Lessons and Experiences Learned”.

ANAW initiated a bushmeat research project using 2004 baseline data to determine the frequency of current illegal bushmeat harvesting, made possible by an anonymous gift from a Denver philanthropist.

ANAW continues desnaring operations to free trapped animals in wire traps.

Recognized by GlobalGiving.org meeting their due diligence standards.

ANAW is also certified by the Combined Federal Campaign as an America’s Best Charities.

This is only a glimpse of ANAW’s efforts and accomplishments in 2019. Visit www.anaw.org to read in detail the talented efforts and many accomplishments of your “on the ground” partner in Africa.

Happy Holidays and a prosperous New Year.

Pathways Kenya 2016

by davidgies100, posted in conservation, rule of law, Uncategorized

Colorado State University has raised the bar for convening its Pathway conferences outside Colorado. This was the fifth conference organized by the Department of Human Dimensions of Natural Resources and the first outside Colorado.  About a third of the participants were students and wildlife guardians, rangers and young people from all over Kenya.  The exchange of ideas and information sharing was top notch.   Including so many local enthusiastic young people interested in conservation was brilliant of the organizers.

University of Denver faculty and the One Health team were represented with the presence of Dean James Herbert Williams and professors Philip Tedeschi and Richard Reading.  Representing the Africa Network for Animal Welfare (ANAW) were Josphat Ngonyo, executive director, and Ambassador Nehemiah Rotich, president of the board.  Staff and adviser to ANAW, Kahindi Lekalhaile, was there  along with myself representing the Africa Network for Animal Welfare-USA (ANAW-USA).

Kahindi Lekalhaile, who  grew-up near Nanyuki, presented the keynote address kicking off the conference along with the Munir Virani, the director of The Peregrine Fund.  Not present but appreciated by me personally was Meme Kinoti, Chair of the Management of Nonprofit Management department at Regis University in Denver.  Kinoti, a Kenyan, collaborated on developing the ANAW presentations.

Tom Serfass facilitating
Fairmont Safari Club
Toward Mt Kenya
Mt Kenya Fairmont
Dave Gies, Josphat Ngonyo, Philip Tedeschi
Elephant Tusked Entrance

Pictures here are the Mt Kenya Fairmont Safari Lodge (complete with a disturbing array of elephant and wildlife trophies) Tom Serfass facilitating a session,  Philip Tedeschi, DU and ANAW-USA Board Chairman, Josphat Ngonyo Executive Director of ANAW and David Gies also for ANAW-USA.

Several scientific  papers were presented covering topics of wildlife and fishery management, humane wildlife conflict, case studies for resolving conflicts and creating conservation, integrating social science into One Health to inform policy, aspects of hunting, zoonotic disease transmission and the conservation revolution taking place in East Africa and other parts of the world through community based efforts.

The ANAW team presented on the importance of civil society and voluntary association in mediating attitudes for addressing wildlife crimes.  Our talk emphasized observed changes taking place showing the will of Kenya to stop poaching.  For example, the courts are dishing out harsh penalties now for elephant and rhino poaching.  An example is a recent sentencing to life in prison to a major supplier for  transporting ivory through Kenyan boarders.  Kenya has the unfortunate distinction for being largest exit point for ivory leaving Africa to China.

These changes taking place are not the result of just ANAW hammering away on the problems.  For the judiciary work, especially in real time monitory of the courts Wildlife Direct and Paula Kahumbu along with the support of the Africa Wildlife foundation and countless other organizations and funders are recognized.

BBC News uncovers need for training freight handlers to identify animal trafficing

by davidgies100, posted in conservation, rule of law

On February 7, 2015, the BBC News Science & Environment division published a report about the lack of preparedness among freight and shipping handlers for identifying animal parts transported across international boarders.  Among the findings and statements:

  • Poaching of rhinos in South Africa reached a record of 1,215 last year
  • Tigers have been killed off to a level that is 5% of what the population was a century ago.  There are approximately 3,000 tigers left in all the world
  • Smugglers are learning new tricks to disguise horn and ivory
  • Asian ivory carvers are moving into Africa to practice their trade

The article is noteworthy because it is describing the lengths criminals pursue to evade detection.  All this is fueled by consumer demand for animal parts.  Bangles, or bracelets are easily disguised as plastic.  There are few techniques for testing the composition of items declared as something that is not horn or ivory.   Ivory bracelets are labeled  “vintage” or “antique”.  Shipping handlers are stymied and have little recourse but to accept the shipment as is.  How can they question the age of an item?  In practice the burden of proof of age falls to the agent and veracity of the owner shipping the item.

Today, I did a search on eBay and found many bangles for sale that look like ivory.  EBay prohibits the sale of ivory on its site because eBay doesn’t accept the documentation of age from owners.  I wonder if anything slips through and is published for sale?  Perhaps someone reading this blog knows how on-line marketing groups like eBay monitor bangles and ivory-looking objects.  I would be interested in knowing more.  I don’t want to disparage legitimate dealers, but who monitors the claims that ivory is pre-ban and can they prove it?  The volume of pre-ban bangles for sale on the Internet is impressive.  I found one pre-ban bangle priced at $700.

Ivory carvers from China moving to Africa to ply their trade is disturbing.  It puts tradespeople closer to the source of ivory and bone further encouraging demand.  It also suggests the markets in China are expanding.  Edmond and Stiles, in their landmark 2008 publication, Ivory Markets in the U.S.A, identified fewer than 200 ivory carvers in this country (pages 21-23).  In the U.S., carves worked ivory for knife-handles, billiard cues, jewelery, musical instruments, scrimshanders, restored antiques, netsuke and handgun grips.  I’m not aware of an inventory of carvers since this publication which suggests the trades are dying out in the U.S.  The news in the BBC article suggest the trade in carving ivory is far from dead.

This is all the more reason for the bringing attention to the expanding markets worldwide.   We should not be complacent that the poaching of African wildlife is going away.  We might be hopeful the situation is changing.  Fewer elephants were poached in Kenya in 2014 than in 2013.  However, the observations about animal trafficking and general preparedness to identify, arrest and prosecute criminals is not encouraging.

Finally, selling ivory is still a problem for us in the United States.  The purchase of ivory  feeds supply lines and commerce requiring more dead elephants.  A colleague visited San Francisco California last month (January 2015) and took these store front snapshots.  If the American public wants to buy ivory, there still is a lot of it for sale.

Rich Male 150110_1Rich Male 150110_2