New Forest police sergeant foils Internet ivory plot (From Salisbury Journal)

New Forest police sergeant foils Internet ivory plot

7:00am Thursday 8th October 2009 in News By Karen Bate

A NEW Forest Police Sergeant who foiled an Internet plot to sell illegal ivory has been honoured for her efforts in combating wildlife crime.

Lead investigator Country Watch sergeant Louise Hubble rumbled a New Forest antique dealer who was selling prohibited ivory on ebay.

Antique ivory products, such as ornaments, carvings and jewellery, may be traded only under strict conditions - if they were acquired before 1947.

Sgt Hubble used cutting edge forensic testing to date when the elephants died by measuring levels of a radioactive form of carbon in the ivory products.

This testing established that at least two items seized by police were made from elephants that were still alive in the 1950s – and therefore illegal.

The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has announced Sgt Hubble as runner up in the WWF sponsored Wildlife Law Enforcer of the Year awards.

The groundbreaking techniques used in the case have set a precedent for acceptance of evidence to date ivory in the judicial system.

In the past expert judgement alone has been used to estimate the age of animal parts.

The forensic tests were part-funded by the Forensic Analysis Fund, supported by Defra, WWF, RSPB and wildlife forensic network, TRACE.

Chief Superintendent Richard Rowland of Hampshire Police said he was “very proud” of Sergeant Hubble.

“Hampshire Police do takes these crimes very seriously.”

WWF wildlife trade officer Heather Sohl said: “Louise has shown great dedication to combating wildlife crime, with effort that goes way above and beyond the call of duty. “She truly demonstrates the great value of such enforcers in protecting wildlife both in the UK and globally.”

Illegal trade in wildlife is the second biggest threat to species survival after habitat destruction.

Between April 2008 to March 2009, customs officials made 329 seizures of illegal wildlife products crossing UK borders – an increase 26.5 percent from the previous year. Sgt Hubble has also led enforcement cases involving the illegal importation of lemurs, illegal sale of tortoises and theft of wood from ancient woodland. Wildlife Minister Huw Irranca-Davies said: “If left unchecked wildlife crime could threaten many of the world’s best loved and most important wildlife species and habitats. “The Wildlife Law Enforcer of the Year Award helps to highlight the importance of tackling wildlife crime and rightly rewards the efforts of everyone involved in tackling this crime.”

If anyone sees or hears about any suspicious wildlife trade in the UK or abroad, please let WWF know by calling the Eyes and Ears Hotline: 01483 426111.