Rules and regulations

The trade in endangered species is controlled by CITES, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species. CITES controls trade in over 30,000 endangered species, and in products made from them, by regulating international trade. In the case of some of the most endangered species, all commercial trade is banned.

In the UK it is illegal to offer for sale, sell, buy, keep for sale or transport for sale any item made from an endangered species, or that claims to be made from one. To know whether you require a permit for a specific wildlife item please contact the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) via 0117 987 8749 or visit www.defra.gov.uk.

Under the Control of Trade in Endangered Species (Enforcement) Regulations 1997 the maximum penalty is five years in prison, a £5,000 fine, or both.

The Metropolitan Police have seized the following illegal 'fashion and decorative items' in London among others:

• 138 shahtoosh shawls worth £353,000 from a Mayfair trading company. This was the world's largest seizure of its type to date.
• 24 whole ivory tusks and dozens of carved items made from elephant, hippo and sperm whale ivory were found in Gravesend in 2008.
• 8 coats made from endangered big cats such as tigers and ocelots in St Johns Wood in 2007.

The news pages cover these plus Operation Charm's latest seizures in London www.operationcharm.org/news/.