Boom in illegal trade in animals in Albania

Despite a ban on hunting, numerous wild animals are being killed or traded in Albania; stuffed Balkan lynx, brown bears in cages, wild game on the menu are just a few examples.

Bear in a cage

Like this brown bear, many of this species spend their lives in captivity.

© PPNEA

In Albania, the live animal trade is out of control. There are numerous markets across the country selling native species such as the brown bear, fox and various birds of prey as well as exotics like monkeys. It is a profitable business with high three-figure sums changing hands. The buyers are mainly restaurant and hotel proprietors who keep the animals in degrading conditions as an “attraction”.

In addition to this, many restaurants also openly offer wild game on the menu. This ranges from venison and wild boar to turtle and brown bear – a heavily protected species protected in Europe. A ban on hunting has been in force in Albania since 2014, something that EuroNatur and its partners in Albania had long worked towards. The fact that the hunting ban is being so openly flouted shows that there is a yawning gulf between the introduction of legislation and its enforcement.

In the Albanian town of Elbasan, our partners at PPNEA also discovered two stuffed Balkan lynx in a restaurant. It is thought that there are no more than ten examples of this critically endangered subspecies of lynx in the whole country. Another animal was due to be shot and given the same treatment for the restaurant. PPNEA has pressed charges against the restaurant owner with the public prosecution department. However, the proceedings are very drawn out. Killing a Balkan lynx is a criminal offence which can incur a sentence of up to seven years in jail.

News

Don’t be afraid of the wolf

For the first time in more than 100 years, the presence of a female wolf has been verified in the Black Forest. Since two male wolves already live in…

New Brown bear project just started

An important step for the protection of the Dinaric-Pindos bear population: In close cooperation with our partners in the Balkans and the Italian…

Mother bear murdered in Montenegro

Poachers in Montenegro have shot dead the mother of two young brown bear cubs - a particularly dramatic case of wildlife crime, which has seen a…

Wolf population in West Poland still not secure despite growth in numbers

A long-term study on the spread of wolves into West Poland, which has just been published, makes clear that, despite the continuing growth in numbers…

Boom in illegal trade in animals in Albania

Despite a ban on hunting, numerous wild animals are being killed or traded in Albania; stuffed Balkan lynx, brown bears in cages, wild game on the…

“Bear Killer Gang” sentenced

In northern Spain, members of an organised group of poachers from the province of Palencia were convicted - an important success for bear protection.

Female Balkan lynx fitted with tracking device

Our partners from the North Macedonian nature conservation organisation MES have fitted a Balkan lynx with a tracking device. The female, named…

EU becomes active for Romania's primeval forests

EU announces legal action against Romania for illegal logging of Europe’s last natural forests.

 

ECJ Judgement: No Relaxation of Protection for Wolves

The European Court of Justice (ECJ) has placed very tight constraints on the granting of permits allowing wolves to be shot. In their ruling on 10…

New figures: More wolf packs in Western Poland

++ Results of wolf monitoring show at least 95 settled packs ++ Sudetes are also wolf territory again ++

New home in Croatia for Romanian lynx

Doru, a four-year-old lynx from the Romanian Carpathians, has been released back into the wild in the Risnjak National Park in Croatia. Doru is the…

Reunited with Maya

On 18 March last year, a female Balkan lynx called Maya was fitted with a tracking device. Over the past year, this has been providing scientists from…

Mavrovo-Nationalpark: Demand for a halt to construction of hydroelectric power plants

Bern Convention: Macedonian government requested to halt construction of hydropower plants in national park

Ray of hope for Balkan Lynx

The Balkan Lynx has to be strictly protected as a distinct subspecies of the Eurasian Lynx. This decision has been adopted unanimously at the meeting…