Publications by authors named "Georgia Kate Moloney"

The illegal movement of wildlife poses a public health, conservation and biosecurity threat, however there are currently minimal screening tools available at international ports of entry to intercept wildlife trafficking efforts. This review first aimed to explore the screening tools available or under development for the detection of concealed wildlife contraband at international ports, including postal services, airlines, road border crossings and maritime routes. Where evidence was deficient, publications detailing the use of methods to uncover other illicit substances, such as narcotics, weapons, human trafficking, explosives, radioactive materials, or special nuclear material, were compiled and assessed for their applicability to the detection of wildlife.

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The carriage of bushmeat into the European Union is an infringement of EU Animal Health and Wildlife Trade legislation and poses a threat to biodiversity and public health. To explore the nature and scale of the international bushmeat trade, seized leaking luggage and passengers arriving at Brussels Zaventem airport from sub-Saharan Africa between 2017 and 2018 were searched for "meat" (bushmeat and livestock) by border control authorities. Visual identification, radiography and genetic analysis were applied to derive information from seized specimens, including at least ten CITES-listed species.

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Article Synopsis
  • Animal models, especially macaques, are crucial for human medicine but have led to concerns about the international trade and regulations affecting their welfare and public health.
  • A study analyzed CITES data from 2000 to 2020, revealing significant discrepancies in reported macaque trade quantities between exporting and importing nations, particularly in 2019 and 2020.
  • The findings highlight the need for stricter global regulations to ensure the legal trade of macaques, support ethical research practices, and minimize risks of disease transmission.
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Article Synopsis
  • Social media acts as a crucial platform for wildlife crime syndicates, allowing them to tap into a global market for wildlife products, specifically bushmeat.
  • A detailed analysis of 563 posts from West African Facebook pages revealed a range of 25 bushmeat species being marketed, many of which are threatened or protected under international and local laws.
  • The study highlights that the online presence of these protected species demonstrates insufficient enforcement of wildlife trade regulations, and emphasizes the need for stronger policies to curb the illegal sale of bushmeat facilitated by social media.
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The exploitation of threatened exotic species via social media challenges efforts to regulate the exotic pet trade and consequently threatens species conservation. To investigate how such content is perceived by the global community, mixed model sentiment analysis techniques were employed to explore variations in attitudes expressed through text and emoji usage in public comments associated with 346 popular YouTube® videos starring exotic wild cats or primates in 'free handling' situations. Negative interactions between wild cats and primates with other species were found to be associated with both text and emoji median sentiment reduction, however were still accompanied by a median emoji sentiment above zero.

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