A Tanzanian court sentenced a convicted ivory trafficker, nicknamed the “Ivory Queen,” to fifteen years in prison.
Between 2000 and 2004, Yang Fenglan worked with two Tanzanian men, Salivius Matembo and Manase Philemon, to smuggle 860 pieces of ivory to Asia. The trio smuggled the tusks of more than 350 elephants — over two tons of ivory — valued at $5.6 million.
All three criminals, who have denied the allegations against them, were convicted of leading an organized criminal gang.
Prosecutors stated in court documents that Fenglan “intentionally did organize, manage and finance a criminal racket by collecting, transporting or exporting and selling government trophies.”
Each smuggler was sentenced to fifteen years by Kisutu Court Magistrate Huruma Shaidi. Shaidi also imposed a fine of twice the market value of the elephant tusks or two additional years in prison.
Fenglan, a Chinese national, has lived in Tanzania on-and-off since the 1970s and owns a restaurant in Dar es Salaam. She was also the secretary-general of the Tanzania China-Africa Business Council. The disgraced businesswoman was arrested for her crimes in October 2015 following a high-speed traffic chase with law enforcement.
The sentence has received mixed reactions. Some wildlife conservation groups, including Tanzania-based PAMS Foundation, praised the ruling. Krissie Clark, the organization’s executive director, stated: “The government is taking wildlife trafficking very seriously, and an attack on Tanzania’s wildlife is seen as an attack on Tanzania.”
Other organizations believe a fifteen-year sentence is too short. In a statement to Reuters, WWF country director Amani Ngusaru said: “(It) is not punishment enough for the atrocities she committed, by being responsible for the poaching of thousands of elephants in Tanzania.”
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang expressed support for the Tanzanian government’s actions against Fenglan while speaking in Beijing Shuang cited China’s policy of prosecuting individuals who break the country’s strict wildlife protection laws.
What’s New…
From now on this woman should be called, “the filthy bitch who destroyed the Tanzania’s most precious beauty” of murdering the Majestic Pachyderms so heinously simply to fulfill her greed for money.
THIS EVIL WOMAN SHOULD BE JAILED FOR 50 YEARS without asking any further questions. Imagine the destruction she created to the Foreign Tourists Safari Excursions & to the Tanzania’s foreign exchange. NO MORE WONDROUS MAJESTIC ANIMALS MEANS , NO MORE TOURISTS FLOW LIKE THE WAY IT USED TO BE. This bitch is a disaster to the entire Nation. Throw her into the most filthiest jail cell & throw the keys away. That’s what she deserve.
AFRICA’S BEAUTY WILL REMAIN AS LONG AS THOSE AMAZING WILD ANIMALS WILL EXISTS..PROTECTION OF THESE MAGNIFICENT ANIMALS ARE AN IMPORTANT DUTY OF THE GOVERNMENT OF TANZANIA. PLEASE DO THE NEEDFUL.
I loathe this woman and her ilk — LOATHE, I tell you — GREAT DECISION (prison term too short) — VICTORY — this woman, Yang Fenglan, is a hateful, insane, immoral, depraved MONSTER — you MUST attack each & every party in the POACHING racket from TOP to BOTTOM — one cannot function without the other SO, it only makes sense to KILL the poachers — it only makes sense to KILL those on top who direct operations like this woman Yang Fenglan— it only makes sense to KILL the market — which financially supports this horrific business — thank you for taking PROPER ACTION to bring this brutal, sadistic, immoral human to an END.
15 years sentencing is little in comparison of hundred elephants deaths.THE SENTENCE SHOULD BE AT LEAST 1 YR FOR EACH ANIMAL!!
+ SHOULD BE BANNED FROM EVERY PUBLIC OFFICE !!!!
TANZANIA STEPS ON THESE MATTERS VERY WELL, BUT I STILL SUGGEST HARSHER LAWS TO PROTECT THE WEALTH OF THE COUNTRY!!!
continue the effort to help the animals worldwide from cruelty.
hurray to all defenders!!!
Fenglan must rot in prison, I sincerely hope the conditions are nothing like as soft as so many many countries around the world. Is still alive after her sentence is served, I hope she is trampled to death by an elephant.
Not long enough.
this mindless lowlife deserves prison for life for what she has done.
HELL NO, they deserve a lot more then that. Look at all the liver’s they took. They deserve more then that = JUSTICE FOR THOSE \SCUMBAGS.
I totally agree. She should serve at least 25 years in prison and she should pay fines that are the equivalent of the blood money she eared from selling Elephant ivory
15 YEARS IN PRISON IS NOT ENOUGH! This jerk belongs in prison forever, also she must pay hefty fines that go to animal protection groups.
Great and let this be a lesson to all ivory traffickers. Thank you Tanzanian courts
SEVERE PUNISHMENT FOR ALL ANIMAL ABUSERS !!!!
I too feel 15 years is not enough, she’s a psychopath and will learn nothing from it, she lied through her teeth and took no responsibility that means she would just do it again. Hopefully someone pulls out all her ivory and wears it as a necklace.
I too feel it’s not enough time for this psychopath to serve she will learn nothing.
Rot in jail pos then burn in hell when you drop dead
How a year in prison for each elephant they murdered?
I would have thought that a lifetime imprisonment was more suitable, nevertheless, I’m happy that the honorable judge came up with this verdict. I hope it teaches other criminals the lesson. Mr. Shaidi, thank you for protecting the wildlife in your country. May God continue to protect you and your family always and all those men who help you protect the animals in your country. God bless you!
15 years is better than a lesser time. This should be a capital offense.
Maybe these dirt-bags won’t make it out of prison alive.
We can only hope.
10 yrs isnt sufficient.
The Galarneau Family
DESPICABLE
Thank you so much.
Thank you for protecting elephants – please never give up.
That is excellent. Now if governments would stop protecting the wealthy that finance this horrific industry we would see a much higher percentage.
I HOPE SHE RECEIVES THE “REAL TREATMENT” SHE DESERVES ONCE SHE IS IN PRISON, IF YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN.
AS FOR AMERICAN PRISONS, ANIMAL AND CHILD ABUSERS, RECEIVE VERY ROUGH TREATMENT FROM THE GUARDS AND THE PRISONERS ALIKE!!!!
MY HOPE IS THAT THEY GIVE HER THE “REAL PUNISHMENT” SHE DESERVES ONCE SHE IS IN JAIL!!!
I think that 15 years is a great start but I agree with WWF MANY MORE YEARS SHOULD HAVE BEEN THE SENTENCE FOR WHAT THEY DID TO MAKE THESE MAJESTIC ANIMALS ONE STEP CLOSER TO EXTINCTION. THEY ARE GREEDY, VICIOUS AND INHUMANE HUMANS WHO CARE ABOUT NOTHING BUT THE ALMIGHTY DOLLAR. I HOPE THAT THE NEW SENTENCE WILL BE MORE EXTREME WITH A START OF 25 YEARS AND UP AND HUGE FINES OF 250K UP, ALL OF THEIR POSSESSIONS BECOME THE GOVERNMENTS. THIS IS THE ONLY WAY TO STOP THIS. ONCE ALL THE ANIMALS ARE GONE THERE WILL BE NO REASON FOR TOURISTS TO COME TO THESE COUNTRIES AND ALL THE TOURIST MONEY WILL DRY UP AND THEN ALL WILL BE AFFECTED!!
That’s a good start. An eye for an eye along with inprisonment is the only way to reach and teach them sub-species a lesson (if in fact tbey can be taughr anything). It’s time to do unto them nut jobs as they did unto those poor animals.
Make it a law EVERYWHERE! for poachers, that when they cut off an animal body part, one of their arms will be cut off. Let them live with that reality for the rest of their lives. If they can inflict that torture and pain on an innocent animal, then they should have no say in having to suffer the same fate.
Next, confiscate all their worldly goods and then send them to prison. When they get out, they won’t be able to harm another animal. This is what the law could and should do instead of slapping them on their wrists, freeing them to get out, therefore, putting some other animal in harm’s way and losing their life. Look how our animal population and species are extinct now not only because of poachers but all lot of humanity. See how many poachers there will be then. Laws and judicial systems…..try it out for goodness sake. What are you going to lose?
Cruelty needs to stop and harsher sentences handed down.
Double the amount of time to 30 years that she is imprisoned.
🙌🙌👏👏🙌🙌👏👏🙌🙌👏👏 that’s a good start.
🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👂👂
That’s a good start.
PURE AWESOMENESS!!! THIS DISGUSTING WOMEN DESERVES MUCH MORE BUT IT IS DEFINITELY A STSRT. THSNK YOU TO ALL INVOLVED IN BRINGING THIS INGRATE TO JUSTICE.
15 years is not enough. All poachers and traffickers should be put to death.
Excellente nouvelle!
Excellente nouvelle!
Glad she’s been put away so she’s no longer a risk to elephant’s. Justice has been served. Pity it wasn’t a longer sentence.
I am so disgusted with these sick killers. Give them all the maximum punishment. They are useless.
No amnesty, no commuted sentences for ivory traffickers. Elephants have a right to live in peace.
Good! Let the poachers rot in prison. If they get out, they will continue their murder on elephants, so make sure they don’t.