HM Revenue and Customs made the following seizures of endangered species between 1 January 2008 and 31 March 2008:
Number of seizures Number of items seized Weight of items seized (kg) Live animals and birds 8 23 — Parts and derivatives of endangered species 24 453 0.62 Ivory 6 75 — Plants 1 55 — Other species listed under the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species (including coral, caviar and ginseng) 19 685 8.42 Preparations of oriental medicines which include parts or derivatives of endangered species 14 5,748 57.11
CITES seizures are recorded by number of items seized or by weight, whichever is the most practical. Apart from the live specimens, all of the above categories may include products of endangered species.
The total number of seizures of endangered species items for the financial year 2007-08 can found at Annex F of HMRC's Departmental Report 2008 at:
www.hmrc.gov.uk