Several exporters were allowed to ship out a total of 38 giant anteaters, valued at US$380,000, without the knowledge of the Board of the Wildlife Management Authority.
Stabroek News has learnt that at least five different exporters were given the go-ahead from Wildlife Unit to export the animals unbeknownst to the board which then stopped all exports.
In one of the cases, Chairman of the Board, Dr Keshav Mangal gave permission for the exports after he had a conversation with Secretary of the Board, Kellawan Lall. As a result, the exporter, Animal Farm, was able to send out four giant anteaters to the Czech Republic. Mangal, in a letter to the press, said he was advised by Lall that the shipment of the anteaters would be a special concession due to circumstances explained by the Head of the Wildlife Unit, Khalawan (only name), who had said the shippers stood to lose money if the order could not be sent.
A source said an owner of an exporting company was also given an extension on her permit when the board had rejected it.
One wildlife exporter told Stabroek News that she was denied a licence to export giant anteaters. But she said that she knows of five or six other exporters who were allowed to ship the animals. According to this exporter, one of the giant anteaters sells for US$10,000 and the shipper has to pay a government levy of 20%. That amounts to revenue of US$76,000.
Speaking to Stabroek News, Dr Mangal said the shipments of giant anteaters, other than those for which he gave permission, were made prior to March, when, at a meeting, it was decided to reinforce the cessation of all exports of the species.
Anteaters are not prohibited from export, but studies have to be done showing that exporting them would be non-detrimental to their population. Anteaters fall under 'Appendix 1' of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES) list as is the case with dolphins. Several of these were exported in recent months by McNeal Enterprises, a company owned by Odinga Lumumba, adviser to the President on Empowerment, despite it having no licence to trade. Khalawan was fired after the board found him to be responsible for authorising the export of the dolphins. The board also cited the export of giant anteaters and towa towa birds as reasons for his dismissal.
Dr Mangal said the anteater exports were part of the investigation into the unit.
According to the doctor, he only learnt the anteaters were shipped after he heard reports of the exports. Mangal said although the giant anteaters were placed on Guyana's Protected Species Schedule 3, they were not prohibited from export, until the decision taken at the March 22 meeting.
Khalawan had apologised at a meeting for allowing the shipments and the matter was ventilated. He said the Management Authority had to put certain measures in place before the anteaters could be shipped.
A former senior wildlife official told Stabroek News that at one time the Rupununi was populous with the animal, but then people started to hunt it as a sport. She confirmed that the giant anteaters could be shipped because of the Schedule 3 listing.
Contacted on Thursday, Lumumba again declined to comment on the issue.
Lall could not be reached for a comment.
Dr Mangal declined to comment on the state of the investigation but did confirm that one was underway. He added that it was clear that Lumumba was under the impression that Khalawan was acting within the laws and regulations when he approved the dolphin exports.
According to the CITES Article 3 - Regulation of Trade in Specimens of Species Included in Appendix I, the export of any specimen of a species included in Appendix I shall require the prior grant and presentation of an export permit.
It said that an export permit shall only be granted when the Scientific Authority of the State of export has advised that such export will not be detrimental to the survival of that species; the Management Authority of the State of export is satisfied that the specimen was not obtained in contravention of the laws of that State for the protection of fauna and flora; the Management Authority of the State of export is satisfied that any living specimen will be so prepared and shipped as to minimise the risk of injury, damage to health or cruel treatment; and the Management Authority of the State of export is satisfied that an import permit has been granted for the specimen.
Meanwhile, the PNCR said at its press conference on Thursday that the wildlife scam "reveals both the extent to which the government is willing to allow such corruption to continue." The PNCR said the offering of sacrificial scapegoats does not fool it when these scams are exposed. "The real issue is the systematic encouragement of irregularity by the political bosses of the state," the PNCR said.
Dolphins in CITES Appendix 2
Monday, July 19th 2004
In yesterday's Sunday Stabroek page 1 story headlined `Unathorised anteater exports under probe' it was incorrectly stated that dolphins fall under Appendix 1 of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna. Dolphins actually come under Appendix 2 which refers to species not necessarily under threat of extinction but for which the relevant permits are required before they could be traded. Anteaters come under Appendix 1 which means that they are threatened with extinction and trade is usually strictly prohibited. Exceptions are made for zoos and for the purposes of scientific research.
It was also reported in the news item that Chairman of the Board of the Wildlife Management Authority, Dr Keshav Mangal had said that he only learnt that anteaters were shipped after he heard reports of the exports. This statement was in relation to dolphins, not anteaters. Stabroek News regrets the errors.