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Crime: Wildlife

Volume 490: debated on Friday 27 March 2009

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many illegal wildlife items were seized in each of the last three years; and if she will make a statement. (266953)

The Home Office does not collect statistics from police forces regarding seizures of illegal wildlife items. However, HM Revenue and Customs has published information in their annual reports regarding items that they have seized under the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). This is detailed in the attached table:

Further information can be found at:

http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/about/reports.htm.

2005-62006-72007-8

Number of seizures

Number of items seized

Number of seizures

Number of items seized

Number of seizures

Number of items seized

Live animals and birds

37

1,750

39

1,229

25

442

Parts and derivatives of endangered species

129

991

154

1,315

91

1,821

Ivory

18

37

24

208

15

130

Plants

11

5,482

40

157,428

9

22,245

Other CITES listed species

90

442

99

386

58

1,206

Total

285

8,702

356

160,566

198

25,844