PENDLE MP Gordon Prentice today called for stronger penalties to be introduced to combat illegal wildlife trading in the UK. He wants a government clampdown on the trade.
Mr Prentice has long supported wildlife conservation. He said figures released by the World Wildlife Fund were staggering. "More than one million illegal wildlife items were seized by Customs during a five-year period and this is just the tip of the iceberg."
He said some of the most commonly recognised endangered species still made their way into the UK, including elephant ivory or tiger products.
Other confiscated species include orchids, cacti, shells, sea horses, butterflies and rhino products.
Mr Prentice added: "Incredibly these people even tried to smuggle in a live cheetah. Clearly wildlife criminals see the UK as a soft touch and it's time the government acted."
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