Articles: Amnesty for animal smugglers proposed
Big Apes
LOS ANGELES* - When the rare birds of paradise escaped fro m his suitcase and flew over the heads of U.S. Customs Agents at Los Angeles International Airport, Robert Cusack decided it was best to confess that, yes, he did have more to declare.
WILDLIFE SMUGGLED ORANGUTANS
Apes to be returned to Indonesia this week
Wildlife smuggling in Asia still a roaring trade (AFP)
HONG KONG - Carved up for the dinner table, ground up for medicine or simply sold off as exotic pets, Asia's endangered species are at the core of a lucrative smuggling trade that shows little sign of easing off. An abandoned wreck of a boat off China's southern coast last month exposed its breadth: on board, dying in the baking sun, were more than 5,000 lizards, tortoises and pangolins, not to mention 21 bear paws. Once ashore they would likely have ended up as food or used in traditional medicines.
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