"Anyone who buys ivory has killed an elephant and ... caused immense sorrow and suffering to all the relatives and their friends. Elephants have very, very big hearts and they are highly emotional animals." Daphne Sheldrick 1999

The largest land mammal is slaughtered only to have its two tusks

 ripped out of its skull and sold, and its 7,500 kilogram body left

to rot.

And for what, might I ask, are these tusks used for making? Billiard balls, piano keys, jewellery and sculptures!

 Despite the international ban on Ivory trade, it still threatens the

 survival of our majestic giants.

This year in March, three elephants were killed and had their

 ivory removed in the Mau Forest by poachers. The elephants

were speared after stumbling on to deadly traps laid by the

poachers, a new technique some poachers have adapted. Four

suspects were arrested and two tusks worth Ksh320,000

(Approx US$4,000) confiscated.

Another incident occurred in West Pokot where five suspected

poachers, who were found in possession of ivory and weapons

, were gunned down by game wardens during a furious gun

battle.

Two more elephants were killed in Rimoi National Reserve and 

another in Kiptotich. The elephants were killed with poisoned

spears. It was also discovered that they were using children to

 transport the ivory

Due to the rise in the number of elephant poaching, poachers

will now face a hefty fine of Kshs 2million (Approx US$25,000)

from the previous Ksh50,000 fine (Approx US$7,000). The

Kenya Wildlife Service is on high alert and is doing everything

they can to capture and prosecute these perpetrators.

This shows that elephant poaching is rampant and is getting

worse.

I believe that Kenya is doing a lot to uphold the ban on the

harvest and trade of ivory by CITES and I applaud its efforts

on doing so. However, how much can one do when the tusks

have high price tags and large overseas markets, for example,

in Asian countries such as China and Japan?

Even worse, there are now more modern uses for it such as in

 the manufacture of some electrical appliances, including

electrical equipment for airplanes and radars.

Other countries such as Zimbabwe, have been allowed to sell

ivory in order to fund wildlife conservation. Oh! So basically,

destroy wildlife to save it. Make sense...Anyone?

If the ivory trade is not stopped, the elephant is on its way to

extinction... and the poachers will move on to the next animal

which has ivory ... the hippo, the boar, the whale and yes... the

walrus. The rhino is in the last throws of extinction.

 To tackle this problem, I believe that the world needs to focus

on the root cause. That is the market for ivory.

First of all the need for ivory should be removed completely.

Those who are dependent on the ivory as raw materials in

manufacturing should invest in developing and using alternatives.

 

This is already being done in some cases. For example, piano

keys can now be made from plastics.

What we need to be now is committed to ending this massacre!

 

 

Read more on the ivory trade at http://www.habitatadvocate.com.au/?tag=illegal-ivory-trade

 

The following photos are evidence of the horrible truth.

Photo by Damian Robin

photo by Rose Gamble

photo by Jennifer Cobb

photo by Richard Conniff

References

http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/InsidePage.php?id=2000052685&cid=159&story=Poachers%20now%20using%20minors%20to%20transport%20elephant%20tusks

http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/arts/InsidePage.php?id=2000056749&cid=4&

http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/InsidePage.php?id=2000054892&cid=159&currentPage=1

http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/sci/A0858956.html

http://www.nation.co.ke/News/Five+suspected+poachers+gunned+down+in+Pokot/-/1056/1390794/-/view/printVersion/-/wkngne/-/index.html

http://elephant.elehost.com/About_Elephants/Anatomy/Dentition/Ivory_/ivory_.html

http://www.melfisher.org/aboutivory.htm

http://whyfiles.org/043elephant/main3.html