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From 15 Sep to 15 October, 134 countries made a total of 4,640 seizures during Operation Thunder 2025. This record number of seizures included tens of thousands of protected animals and plants and tens of thousands of cubic meters of illegally logged timber, as well as more than 30 tons of species classified as endangered under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

Significant seizures around the world:


South African authorities arrested 24 suspects and seized protected succulents, live pangolins and over 17,000 abalone (sea snails), as well as unlicensed firearms and ammunition.

A shipment from Asia intercepted at a North American mail center contained over 1,300 primate body parts including bones skulls and other derivatives.

Indonesian authorities seized over 3,000 birds and 7,000 arthropods including, butterflies, spiders, and centipedes.

Brazilian authorities dismantled a trafficking network, identified 145 suspects and rescued over 200 wild animals, including a crackdown on an international golden lion tamarin trafficking ring.

Tanzanian law enforcement and CITES seized over 100 ivory tusks and pieces worth USD 415,000 and over 140 hippopotamus teeth worth USD 40,000.

Authorities in Qatar arrested an individual trying to sell an endangered primate for USD 14,000 on social media.

Mexican authorities seized seven animals in Sinaloa, including two tigers, along with firearm components frequently associated with organized crime activities.

More than 40 shipments of insects and 80 shipments of butterflies, originating in Germany, Slovakia and the UK, were intercepted at a US mail center.

French customs seized 107 ivory pieces from marketplaces, while Austrian customs raided an online ivory dealer's home and recovered six more pieces.

Vietnamese authorities arrested two individuals on a fishing vessel carrying 4.2 tons of pangolin scales and other reptile and bird parts.

In the Dominican Republic, authorities detained 90 individuals for crimes linked to illegal logging.

Germany intercepted over 1,000 illegal wildlife and forestry items including ivory, reptile parts, coral, plant derivatives and live specimens, primarily at mail centers and airports.


Operation Thunder 2025 revealed an escalating illicit trade of bushmeat, the term used for wild animal meat, especially from tropical regions. Eating bushmeat has been linked to the emergence or transmission of numerous zoonotic diseases:

  • Viral diseases: Ebola, HIV, monkeypox, SARS, Nipah virus, yellow fever, hantavirus, and various herpesviruses and retroviruses.
  • Bacterial diseases: Anthrax, brucellosis, Q fever, botulism, tetanus, and diseases caused by Clostridium bacteria.
  • Other pathogens: Protozoan and helminth infections, as well as prion diseases, have also been associated with bushmeat consumption.

    The demand for exotic pets such as tropical birds (e.g. parrots, toucans) persists as well.

  • Xymox - Imagination (1989)
    www.youtube.com

    Lyrics excerpt ...

    genius.com

    ...
    [Verse 1: Anka Wolbert]
    I have come to indecision
    Someone is pushing me
    All the cities, subways, rivers
    No direction left for me

    I have lost my way home early
    I don't care cause I won't stay there
    All I hear is this silent whisper
    Will you be here again?

    [Chorus: Anka Wolbert]
    Imagination takes the shadows away
    Every day I've been without you
    Imagination keeps the shadows away
    Every day I stay without you
    Too many times -- without you
    ...



    @#5 ... when one of these journalists on his enemies list is the target?...

    Being a "target" of Pres Trump seems to be one of the reasons why GOP Congressfolk may be leaving before their term ends.

    For example ...

    Marjorie Taylor Greene links rise in threats to Trump's public criticism
    www.fox5dc.com

    ... Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene says she has received a surge of threats in recent weeks, claiming the volume intensified after she announced she would resign from Congress.

    What we know:

    During an interview with "60 Minutes," Greene said her office has recorded more than 700 threats by phone and email, not counting additional messages posted online. She said police in her hometown of Rome and the Floyd County Sheriff's Office have voluntarily increased patrols around her home as a safety precaution.

    What they're saying:

    Greene told CBS anchor Lelsy Stahl during the interview that several of the messages referenced her son and used language similar to comments she says President Donald Trump directed at her. ...


    @#29 ... For now. ...

    Agreed.

    Will Congress grow the backbone needed to deny the nam-change request?

    Firehose - Sometimes (1988)
    www.youtube.com

    Lyrics excerpt ...

    genius.com

    ...
    Like a locomotive wheel
    Feelings real as steel
    Hearts are just bound to break
    Well, I'm off and on my way
    Rolling night and day
    Highway's callin' my name

    You know sometimes
    Maybe always
    You know sometimes
    I'll be there

    Well, I wish that I could say
    Wish I could stay
    But now April's turning to May
    If you see me in a while
    Thank you for that smile
    Talking 'bout an old friend

    You know sometimes
    Maybe always
    You know sometimes
    I'll be there
    ...


    Barclay James Harvest - Child Of The Universe (1974)
    www.youtube.com

    Lyrics excerpt ...

    genius.com

    ...
    [Verse]
    I'm a child of South Africa
    I'm a child of Vietnam
    I'm a child of Northern Ireland
    I'm a small boy with blood on his hands

    [Chorus]
    Yes, I'm a child of the universe
    Yes, I'm a child of the universe
    You can see me on the TV every night
    Always there to join in someone else's fight

    [Bridge]
    I didn't ask to be born, and I don't ask to die
    I'm an endless scream, a gene machine
    That cannot reason why

    [Chorus]
    Yes, I'm a child of the universe
    Yes, I'm a child of the universe
    You can see me on the TV every day
    I'm the child next door three thousand miles away
    ...



    [back in the day, that was a powerful song ... ]


    @#11 ... I mean, I admire your optimism that we'll actually have legitimate elections to depose these fools. I don't personally expect to. ...

    Pres Trump seems to be actively, and vocally, working to prevent future elections from mattering.

    Trump tells Christians they won't have to vote after this election (July 2024)
    www.reuters.com

    ... Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump told Christians on Friday that if they vote for him this November, "in four years, you don't have to vote again.

    We'll have it fixed so good, you're not gonna have to vote." ...

    [emphasi mine]


    Fatboy Slim - Praise You (1996)
    www.youtube.com

    [a ~different~ music video style]

    Lyrics excerpt ...

    genius.com

    ...
    We've come a long long way together
    Through the hard times and the good
    I have to celebrate you, baby
    I have to praise you, like I should

    We've come a long long way together
    Through the hard times and the good
    I have to celebrate you, baby
    I have to praise you like I should

    I have to praise you
    I have to praise you
    I have to praise you
    I have to praise you like I should
    ...


    2NU - This Is Ponderous (1991)
    www.youtube.com

    Lyrics excerpt ...

    genius.com

    ...
    "This Is Ponderous" is an avant-garde spoken word novelty song about a bizarre dream Jock Blaney, then the production director at KPLZ FM, once had.

    After the basic dream concept was used in a local hot tub commercial, Blaney and producer Michael Nealy made it into a full-length song and aired it on KPLZ where it quickly became the #1 requested song on the station for weeks.

    This is ponderous, man, really ponderous

    I had this dream the other night
    I went to work one day
    And nobody remembered who I was
    So, I decided to take the day off

    On my way out
    I run into my boss and he says
    Hey, you look familiar
    I said, thanks, people say that
    A lot in these dreams

    Then the horns kicked in
    And my shoes started to squeak

    Then all of a sudden
    I'm standing on a beach
    In some tropical part of the world
    And there's this sign that says
    'Aren't you supposed to be at work'
    Sort of screamed out at me

    Then I remembered
    I'd been here in other dreams
    But usually there was a water polo game
    And a girl who could talk with her eyes

    And she'd say
    'Can you see what I'm saying'
    Then the horns kicked in
    And my shoes started to squeak

    Before I knew it
    I was walking near a lake
    When a phone rings
    And the operator speaks to me
    In a language I don't understand
    ...


    A fun tune ...

    :)


    fwiw ...

    Here's another article from TheHill I have read ...

    Newsom has strong year in California, but is he peaking too soon?
    thehill.com

    ... California Gov. Gavin Newsom moved himself into front-runner status for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2028, emerging from a pack of contenders to clear leading status.

    It was a strong year for Newsom, whose combative approach to taking on President Trump resonated with Democrats and won favorable headlines for his team.

    "The headline on Newsom is that this year, he became the default answer of who Democrats are thinking about for 2028," Democratic strategist Joel Payne said. "He became the stand-in at a time when the party was looking for leadership and a good spokesperson."

    "Newsom has been the officeholder who has been in the best position to counter Trump," he said.

    The question for Newsom and his operation going forward is whether he can keep the excitement level up and maintain front-runner status past the midterm elections, after which the presidential battle will really heat up. ...


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