Elephants Could Be Extinct Within 12 Years
Last October thousands of activists in cities all over the world marched against the ivory trade. There were marches organised in places as far apart as New York to Cape Town in response to the possibility that the elephant may soon be hunted to extinction.
Conservation group iWorry estimates that every fifteen minutes an elephant is killed for its ivory. The group says last year 36,000 elephants were killed and if the killing goes on, elephants could be extinct in the wild within 12 years.
David Sheldrick an elephant activist says the marchers demand that laws against poaching and penalties be strengthened in countries where such activities take place. The demonstrators also want higher levels of investment in anti poaching initiatives as well as further diplomatic pressure on those states that have native elephant populations.
Demand for ivory is highest in Asia particularly China and most of the poaching takes place in Africa. Anti poaching efforts are being stepped up in many countries, the Tourism Minister for Tanzania controversially said that elephant poachers should be executed on the spot. Poachers continue to find new ways to kill their prey.
Recently 91 elephants were killed in Zimbabwe’s Hwange Park. The poachers had spread cyanide over salt licks and such subtle ways of killing elephants is very difficult to guard against. The process of poisoning is very slow and can only be spotted once vultures start to circle the elephant carcass.
The Associated Press in a report said Zimbabwe’s Hwange Park is the third largest wildlife sanctuary in Africa but only has 150 rangers with not enough off road vehicles for a park which should have at least 700 staff. The park cannot afford to maintain aircraft for spotter patrols so officials have had to work with local village communities who report the presence of cyanide. So far as many as 8 kilos of cyanide have been recovered.
Demand for Ivory in the United States is also high, and in order to make a statement the Fish and Wildlife Service crushed its ivory stockpile. There are reports that trade in illegal ivory has been used to fund terrorist activities such as last year’s attack on a shopping mall in Nairobi.