(ELEPHANTS) AFRICA — In a bold measure to halt animal abuse and trafficking, Kenya announced that an ivory supply will be destroyed. Killing elephants for ivory demonstrates the worst of human nature and is putting elephants on the track to extinction. All ivory trading must be made illegal, with stiff fines, to limit the demand. A job well done by the African coalition supporting the ivory burning. Read on to learn more about the movement against the ivory trade. — Global Animal
- Photo Credit: AWF/ Andrew Velthaus
AFP
Kenya will next week burn nearly five tonnes of ivory poached in eastern and southern Africa and stockpiled for nearly a decade, an official announced Thursday.
The 4.967 tonnes (10,950 pounds) of elephant tusks were seized in Singapore in 2002, and stored since then at a wildlife rangers training centre in eastern Kenya.
The tusks originated in Malawi, Tanzania and Zambia.
Bonaventure Ebayi, the director of the Lusaka Agreement Task Force, said the burning of the ivory follows an agreement reached by the three countries in May in Nairobi.
The task force is charged with implementing the 1992 Lusaka Agreement designed to help African law enforcement agencies tackle wildlife smuggling.
Wednesday’s burning will be the second in Kenya, which in 1989 torched 12 tonnes of ivory. Zambia also burnt smuggled tusks in 1992.
Ebayi said the measure was no different from the destruction of any other contraband.
Africa is home to 472,269 elephants whose survival is threatened by poaching and illegal trade in game trophy.
More: http://news.yahoo.com/kenya-burn-ivory-stockpile-172005157.html
The
ivory trade is devastating elephant populations, accounting for tens of
thousands of deaths every year. Elephants throughout Africa
are slaughtered daily by poachers and ruthless criminal gangs for their
tusks. Surviving elephant communities are left traumatised and entire
populations are being mercilessly wiped out.
Born
Free USA believes that the only way to stop the killing is to stop the demand
for ivory. By eliminating legal trade in ivory, and enforcing a complete
ban, Africa’s elephants stand a chance at survival and the burning of 5 tonnes
(over 11,000 pounds) of seized ivory in Kenya last week sent a clear
message to the world that many African countries share our view.
The
biggest demand for illegal ivory currently is in China. And yet,
bizarrely, China is one of
only two countries designated and recognized as an ‘approved ivory trading
partner’, which means it is permissible to buy ivory in China from
sales sanctioned by the international community.
Born
Free USA is calling for all legal trade to be stopped and for China’s trading
partner status to be terminated. Only then, will there be hope for a
secure future for Africa’s elephants.
View
Born Free USA’s photos
of last week’s ivory burn here: www.bornfreeusa.org
For more
information about ivory trade, visit http://www.bloodyivory.org