Python skin origins unclear

2 April 2014
The Phnom Penh Post
Agricultural policy and administration / Agriculture and fishing / Civil society / Environment and natural resources / Environmental and biodiversity protection / National parks and wildlife sanctuaries / Small and medium scale farming / Social development
International Union for the Conservation of Nature / IUCN / Nick Marx / Wildlife Alliance

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) on Monday warned that allegedly farmed python skins originating from Cambodia could in fact have been harvested in the wild, and called for surveys to determine the scale and impact of possible python hunting in the Kingdom. In a report on the sustainability of the python skin industry – which supplies manufacturers of luxury goods like handbags – the IUCN said that since it could not confirm the existence of any python farms in Cambodia, shipments identified as having been farmed, such as a reported shipment of 2,000 skins in the year 2000, should be viewed with a measure of scepticism. …

 Stuart White
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/python-skin-origins-unclear