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SAWEN, South Asia Wildlife Enforcement Network

News & updates

Current work, shared clearly.

Official SAWEN updates and clearly attributed wildlife crime reporting from external publishers.

Image accompanying Joint operation catches wildlife traffickers in Gujarat and Maharashtra
Wildlife Crime News

Joint operation catches wildlife traffickers in Gujarat and Maharashtra

Pune, India: A collaborative effort involving Wildlife SOS, Gujarat Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (GSPCA), Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB), the Gujarat Forest Department, and the Maharashtra Forest Department has seized illegal wildlife contraband and apprehended individuals involved in wildlife…

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Image accompanying Five arrested for killing elephant calf
Wildlife Crime News

Five arrested for killing elephant calf

Colombo, Sri Lanka: A group of five individuals who had shot dead a wild elephant calf that roamed into a cultivated land at Nekettegama in Galnewa and buried the carcass in a secret location were arrested by the wildlife conservators. The suspects were between 42 and 50 years of age and residents of the area.…

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Image accompanying Man arrested for killing wild birds with poisoned food
Wildlife Crime News

Man arrested for killing wild birds with poisoned food

Colombo, Sri Lanka: An individual has been arrested for killing hundreds of birds, including Peacocks, Wild pigeons, Parrots, and Pigeons, by feeding them poisoned food. The suspect allegedly laid the poisoned food in his paddy field and the surrounding area to deter birds from damaging his crops. Residents of the…

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Image accompanying 174 kgs of bush meat raided from a restaurant in Dambulla
Wildlife Crime News

174 kgs of bush meat raided from a restaurant in Dambulla

Dambulla, Sri Lanka: A total of 174 kilograms of bush meat was recovered from a restaurant near the Dambulla Economic Center after a raid conducted by wildlife officers attached to the Sigiriya Wildlife Office. They said two suspects were arrested during the raid yesterday (17), following information received from…

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Image accompanying Four rhino horn smugglers arrested
Wildlife Crime News

Four rhino horn smugglers arrested

Chitwan, Nepal: Chitwan National Park (CNP) officials have arrested four rhino horn smugglers who were absconding. They had smuggled the rhino horns at different times. They were charged with smuggling rhino horn by killing it in the Nandantal area on February 3, 2004. The District Court, Chitwan, had slapped 15…

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Image accompanying 25 tiger jaws and a rhino horn missing from Bardiya National Park storage
Wildlife Crime News

25 tiger jaws and a rhino horn missing from Bardiya National Park storage

Kathmandu, Nepal: Wildlife animal parts have gone missing from Bardiya National Park‘s storage area. According to the park, 25 tiger jaws and one rhino horn have been missing from storage. This came to attention after Ashok Bhandari took over as the new park warden. However, sources say Bishnu Prasad Shrestha, the…

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Image accompanying Navy intercepts 03 dinghies smuggling more than 2000kg of sea cucumber in Kalpitiya seas
Wildlife Crime News

Navy intercepts 03 dinghies smuggling more than 2000kg of sea cucumber in Kalpitiya seas

Colombo, Sri Lanka: The Sri Lanka Navy intercepted 03 dinghies while they were smuggling a large haul of sea cucumber weighing around 2032kg (wet weight), via sea. The apprehension was made off Uchchamunai, Kalpitiya, during a search operation carried out in the dark hours of 08th January 2024. The operation also led…

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Image accompanying Judicial authorities of Five SAWEN member countries met in a regional workshop
SAWEN News

Judicial authorities of Five SAWEN member countries met in a regional workshop

South Asia Wildlife Enforcement Network (SAWEN) in cooperation with the Government of Nepal and in collaboration with WWF Nepal, WWF Bhutan, TRAFFIC India and with financial support from INL USA organized three days’ workshop from 27 to 29 December 2023 in Dhulikhel, Nepal. UNEP and UNODC were also the part of the…

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