July 17, 2015 – The Larantuka District Police, the Government of Indonesia, and the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS)’s Wildlife Crimes Unit (WCU) announced today the arrest of a trader of sharks and rays in Indonesia, home to the largest shark fisheries on earth.

Orangutan trader Vast Haris Nugroho was sentenced to two years in prison and fined 10 million Indonesian rupia (IDR) , the equivalent of $750 USD, in Medan, North Sumatra, Indonesia. 

July 6th, 2015 – Mozambique made a strong stand against wildlife crime today by burning a recently seized stockpile of 2434.6 kg ivory and 86 pieces of rhino horn weighing 193.5Kg.

July 6, 2015 -- Mozambique’s National Conservation Areas Authority (ANAC) today announced a plan to destroy a recently seized stockpile of ivory and rhino horn. This will happen on Monday 6th July in Maputo.

WCS Executive Vice President of Public Affairs John Calvelli issued the following statement following the passage of Trade Promotion Authority

The following statement is from John Calvelli, WCS Executive Vice President for Public Affairs and Director of the 96 Elephants Campaign, on today’s House Foreign Affairs Committee markup of H.R. 2494, the Global Anti-Poaching Act.

Bronx, NY -- June 23, 2015 -- State bill would enable California to play a critical role in ending the current poaching crisis driving elephants toward extinction.

June 22, 2015--Following the destruction of 662 kgs of confiscated ivory in Beijing on 29th May 2015, Zhao Shucong, Head of China’s State Forestry Administration, set out 10 tough measures to tackle the illegal wildlife trade and suggested that there would be strict control of ivory processing and trade until the commercial processing and sale of ivory and its products are eventually halted.

New York, NY -- June 19, 2015 -- The following remarks were given today by WCS Executive Vice President for Public Affairs John Calvelli at the ivory crush in New York City's Times Square.

June 18, 2015– Forest rangers from the Gunung Leuser National Park (GLNP), the Government of Indonesia, and the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Wildlife Crimes Unit (WCU) announced today the arrest of two suspects engaged in the illegal trade of helmeted hornbill beaks. The suspects’ operation involved 30 hunters who poached the birds inside Indonesia’s Leuser landscape—a continuous forest covering more than 25,000 square kilometers, most of which lies in the provin...