Global News - August 2007

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UK government acts to protect wildlife

Tue 21 August 2007 12:30 UK — Europe

A government department from the UK is planning to highlight how it works to help endangered species in the country.

HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) revealed that it will display a selection of the illegal animal items it has seized in the past at this year's Southampton Boat Show.

Officers will be on hand to show the items - many of which are made from animals classed as endangered species banned under the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species.

The team will explain to the public how, in many parts of the world, endangered animals are killed to make souvenirs for tourists.

Liz Challand, Exhibitions Manager for HMRC, explained: "We hope visitors to the show will find it interesting to learn more about our work in protecting endangered species.

"We will also be promoting our confidential hotline which has been overwhelmingly successful - receiving numerous calls from the public in the last year."

Recently, wildlife charities in the UK said that tourists should be careful when buying animal souvenirs abroad as they could be produced from endangered species.

Government figures show that officers seized 163,000 illegal trade items last year. Many of these were bought by tourists and were made from endangered animals.

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