Aaaaah! What have the police got to do with the environment? Hey! Stop displaying your ignorance because police have a thousand and one thing to do with the environment...they live in the environment and operate in the environment, and are part of it, so they ‘ve got to be concerned about everything within the biotic contents of the environment. On this note therefore, Vigilance can authoritavely, report that the MPS and the London Zoo have today jointly launched endangered species exhibition in London and a stuffed tiger cub, a Leopard skin coat and a sperm whale's tooth are just some of the items on display at an exhibition about London's illegal trade in endangered species.
Vigilance learnt that the exhibition, which was unveiled today (12 September) in London Zoo's Old Elephant House, has been organised by Operation Charm - a Metropolitan Police Service-led partnership aimed at tackling the underground trade in endangered wildlife.
The products on display are some of the items seized by the Metropolitan Police Service's Wildlife Crime Unit over the past 16 years.
They include a Shahtoosh shawl confiscated from a Mayfair boutique, a Crocodile skin handbag seized from a London taxidermy trader and ivory shaving brushes that had been on sale at a St James's barber.
London is a major hub for Europe's illegal trade in endangered species, contributing to a global illegal wildlife trade is estimated to be worth more than £6 billion per year.
The exhibition - which will run for a month - is said to have been designed to educate the public about the trade in endangered species and to ensure that they do not contribute to it by purchasing illegal products, either knowingly or unwittingly.
Sergeant Ian Knox from the MPS's Wildlife Crime Unit said: "Operation Charm has seized more than 30,000 endangered species items since 1995 and there is a worrying demand for such illegal merchandise right here in London.”
"It is a highly destructive trade and if we can help to reduce demand for endangered species products in London, there will be a positive impact in the countries where these animals are hunted.
"We would ask people to be vigilant and let us know if they see any products like those in the exhibition."
Heather Sohl, Senior Species Policy Officer, WWF-UK, said:"London Zoo is a great venue to highlight a problem that many Londoners may be completely oblivious to. And that is what this is exhibition is all about – showing people the variety of illegal wildlife products that have been found, and confiscated, in London."
"We're asking Londoners to help protect some of our world's most endangered species. This exhibition will be a great success if just one report of illegal wildlife trade comes from a visitor to the zoo this month."
