The Latest Breaking News from CITES

Baby orangutans in India expose illegal wildlife trade as experts question a billionaire’s zoo

The discovery of five baby orangutans abandoned on a plantation in eastern India is highlighting the country’s growing role as a destination for trafficked apes

The Independent UK · 9h ago

What a CITES Appendix Listing Actually Does for a Threatened Species

The Three Appendices Are Not EqualCITES, the Convention on International Trade in Wild Fauna and Flora, sorts species into three appendices, and the difference between them is the difference between a ban and a bureaucratic speed bump. Appendix I prohibits all commercial international trade in the listed species. Appendix II…

Times Life · Oct 1

Indian Oil Heir Who Runs Controversial Mega-Zoo Made Sustainability Professor at Newcastle University

Newcastle University has defended awarding Anant Ambani a sustainability professorship after academics and conservationists raised concerns about his environmental record and scrutiny surrounding Vantara.

International Business Times UK · Sep 25

Seizure of 2,000 ants at Nairobi airport highlights the hidden scale of insect trafficking

Last year Kenya Wildlife Service warned of a growing demand for garden ants in Europe and Asia, where some people view them as exotic pets. An attempt to smuggle over 2,000 garden ants out of the country’s main international airport made the news in 2026. Echoing this, in 2025, four…

The Conversation · Apr 7

New limits on global trade of sharks won’t be enough to save them from overfishing – new research

More than one-third of sharks and rays are now threatened with extinction, making them among the most imperilled vertebrates on Earth. Why? Overfishing, both as targeted catches for their valuable fins, meat, gills and liver oil, and as bycatch in nets and lines set for other fish.

The Conversation · Jan 30

Great apes are humans’ closest relatives, but many are endangered by illegal trading. Here’s what needs to be done

Great apes are humans’ closest relatives in the animal kingdom. As much as 98.8% of their DNA is shared, but while the number of humans living on the planet is increasing fast, other great apes are in decline. Five out of the seven species are now critically endangered.

The Conversation · Dec 22, 2025

Sharks and rays get a major win with new international trade limits for 70+ species

The world’s oceans are home to an exquisite variety of sharks and rays, from the largest fishes in the sea – the majestic whale shark and manta rays – to the luminescent but rarely seen deep-water lantern shark and guitarfishes.

The Conversation · Dec 12, 2025

AI and drones lead global fight for wildlife in Samarkand talks

Experts at the 20th CITES Conference reveal wildlife crime worth up to €22B annually, putting 40,000+ species at risk and boosting tech monitoring efforts.

Euronews · Dec 2, 2025

Surging exotic pet trade sparks calls for tighter crackdown

Social media influencers, who have made owning exotic pets cool, are also contributing to the problem

The Independent UK · Dec 2, 2025

Eel populations are falling, and new protections were defeated. Japan and the US opposed them

Valuable eels are in decline all over the world, leading to a new push for restrictions on trade to try to help stave off extinction

The Independent UK · Nov 28, 2025