/PRNewswire/ -- The International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) today called upon the United States and the world community to renew its commitment to the global ivory ban, which has been systematically undermined to the point where elephants could soon disappear from the face of the earth.
Established by the U.S. and the other signatories to the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) 20 years ago today, the ivory trade ban gave elephants the highest possible level of legal protection and effectively banned international trade in ivory. The ban was put in place in response to the alarming slaughter of elephants in Africa during the 1980s, when elephant poaching had slashed the continent's population from more than 1.2 million to about 450,000 in just 10 years.
Elephant poaching and global demand for ivory plummeted while the ban was fully enforced, but the peace was short-lived. Beginning in 1997, pro-ivory trade forces pushed through decision after decision that methodically undermined the ivory ban, culminating in massive, "legal" ivory stockpile sales to China and Japan as recently as 2008. The aftermath of these sales, according to Kenyan and other African wildlife authorities, has been an undeniable surge in poaching and elephant slaughter in countless African elephant range states.
Scientists now believe that more than 100 elephants die every day to fuel the ivory trade, and that number is increasing. At the rate they're being slaughtered, African elephants could become extinct across most of their range by 2024, less than 15 years from now.
"The lesson is crystal clear," said Jeff Flocken, IFAW Washington, D.C. Office Director. "Any legal ivory trade leads to illegal slaughter because the legal market gives poachers an easy way to sell their illegal stocks."
Ironically, the 20-year anniversary of the global ivory ban comes just a day after the 1-year anniversary of the ivory ban on eBay, Inc., the world's leading Internet marketplace. The company made the historic decision to ban sales of ivory from elephants and all other animals on Oct. 19, 2008, and ivory has effectively disappeared from the companies' web marketplaces.
"The courageous action that eBay took one year ago proves that the only solution is to reinstate a total and permanent ban on ivory sales," said Flocken. "The U.S. was a leader on this issue back in the 1980's when the global ban was put in place, and we need that leadership again if we are to save this iconic species."
"Many Americans don't realize that the U.S. is still one of the world's largest consumers of ivory, so it's on our shoulders to help save this species while we still can," Flocken said.
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Showing posts with label ivory. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ivory. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Poachers Kill Five Elephants in Kenya's Most Critical Elephant Habitat
/PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Five elephants have been poached in the last six weeks in the Tsavo ecosystem of Kenya, alarming authorities and conservationists alike. The elephants, whose tusks had been hacked off, were found in three separate parts of the protected area.
Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) rangers arrested two suspected poachers and one middleman from their hideout in the park, and recovered two AK-47 rifles and 38 rounds of ammunition. The middleman had already sold off the tusks to other dealers in the illegal ivory trade network.
"Since the one-off ivory sales from southern Africa countries late last year, we have noted an unprecedented rise of elephant poaching incidents in Tsavo," says Jonathan Kirui, Tsavo Assistant Director. Earlier reports out of KWS indicated a 60 per cent increase in poaching in the country from 2007 to 2008.
These poaching incidents come barely three months after the auctions of 112 tons (102 tonnes) of ivory stocks from South Africa, Bostwana, Namibia and Zimbabwe. This was the first time in nearly ten years that international trade had been sanctioned by the UN-backed Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). The total sum of ivory auctioned represented the deaths of approximately 10,000 elephants.
James Isiche, Director of IFAW's Regional Office in East Africa, is concerned that the poaching incident could portend a return to the elephant poaching era of 70s and 80s.
"The situation is dire, and needs to be arrested before it escalates further. We believe that there is a strong correlation between this upsurge and the ivory stockpiles sales allowed by CITES just a few months ago. Our concern is that the situation may be worse in other elephant range states which face more serious law enforcement capacity challenges as compared to Kenya or some of the Southern Africa countries.
"We strongly maintain that ivory trade anywhere is a threat to elephants everywhere," said Isiche.
Only last week, leading elephant researcher Dr. Cynthia Moss released a report indicating that an elaborate poaching syndicate had led to an upsurge in elephant killings in Amboseli National Park.
"We have information that a kilo of ivory is going for as low as US$37.50 from local middlemen to other dealers, and this could be an incentive to local people who were not involved in the illegal trade in previous years," Kirui added. A kilo of ivory in the international black market fetches more than US$850.
Second to size to Kruger Park, Tsavo is home to Kenya's largest single elephant population of about 11,700. Since 2005, IFAW has been undertaking a five-year collaborative project with KWS in Tsavo to: enhance management operations in law enforcement and anti-poaching efforts, support infrastructural needs, mitigate human-wildlife conflict, research, and support community conservation and education.
About IFAW (International Fund for Animal Welfare)
Founded in 1969, IFAW is an international animal welfare and conservation organization that works to protect wild and domestic animals and to broker solutions that benefit both animals and people. With offices in 15 countries around the world, IFAW works to protect whales, elephants, great apes, big cats, dogs and cats, seals, and other animals.
To learn more about the critical elephant ivory issue, and to take action to save elephants, visit: www.ifaw.org today.
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Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) rangers arrested two suspected poachers and one middleman from their hideout in the park, and recovered two AK-47 rifles and 38 rounds of ammunition. The middleman had already sold off the tusks to other dealers in the illegal ivory trade network.
"Since the one-off ivory sales from southern Africa countries late last year, we have noted an unprecedented rise of elephant poaching incidents in Tsavo," says Jonathan Kirui, Tsavo Assistant Director. Earlier reports out of KWS indicated a 60 per cent increase in poaching in the country from 2007 to 2008.
These poaching incidents come barely three months after the auctions of 112 tons (102 tonnes) of ivory stocks from South Africa, Bostwana, Namibia and Zimbabwe. This was the first time in nearly ten years that international trade had been sanctioned by the UN-backed Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). The total sum of ivory auctioned represented the deaths of approximately 10,000 elephants.
James Isiche, Director of IFAW's Regional Office in East Africa, is concerned that the poaching incident could portend a return to the elephant poaching era of 70s and 80s.
"The situation is dire, and needs to be arrested before it escalates further. We believe that there is a strong correlation between this upsurge and the ivory stockpiles sales allowed by CITES just a few months ago. Our concern is that the situation may be worse in other elephant range states which face more serious law enforcement capacity challenges as compared to Kenya or some of the Southern Africa countries.
"We strongly maintain that ivory trade anywhere is a threat to elephants everywhere," said Isiche.
Only last week, leading elephant researcher Dr. Cynthia Moss released a report indicating that an elaborate poaching syndicate had led to an upsurge in elephant killings in Amboseli National Park.
"We have information that a kilo of ivory is going for as low as US$37.50 from local middlemen to other dealers, and this could be an incentive to local people who were not involved in the illegal trade in previous years," Kirui added. A kilo of ivory in the international black market fetches more than US$850.
Second to size to Kruger Park, Tsavo is home to Kenya's largest single elephant population of about 11,700. Since 2005, IFAW has been undertaking a five-year collaborative project with KWS in Tsavo to: enhance management operations in law enforcement and anti-poaching efforts, support infrastructural needs, mitigate human-wildlife conflict, research, and support community conservation and education.
About IFAW (International Fund for Animal Welfare)
Founded in 1969, IFAW is an international animal welfare and conservation organization that works to protect wild and domestic animals and to broker solutions that benefit both animals and people. With offices in 15 countries around the world, IFAW works to protect whales, elephants, great apes, big cats, dogs and cats, seals, and other animals.
To learn more about the critical elephant ivory issue, and to take action to save elephants, visit: www.ifaw.org today.
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Saturday, January 31, 2009
World's Largest Collection Of White Alligators
(NAPSI)-What's more than 40 feet long, has blue eyes and 328 razor-sharp teeth? To see the answer up close, you need to travel to the "Alligator Capital of the World" in Orlando, Fla.
On display for a limited engagement, four of the world's largest white leucistic alligators are residing at Gatorland. Ivory in color, the large reptiles are each 10-to-11-plus feet in length, weigh over 800 pounds and have reflective blue eyes that are believed to have the ability to command good fortune to those lucky enough to make eye contact with them.
No one knows why Mother Nature produced only one nest of these incredible white alligators to roam the planet. Vulnerable to many predators, because of the lack of skin pigmentation, depriving them of natural camouflage, they likely would have never survived in the wild.
Collected from deep in a Louisiana swamp, the ivory reptiles with attitude were part of a clutch of 17 infants recovered by workers from the Louisiana Land and Exploration Company while surveying the area. The group later brought the hatchlings to the Audubon Zoo in New Orleans where only a few of the rare reptiles survived.
Now located along the theme park's main walkway, the cleverly designed 2,500-square-foot exhibit allows guests the opportunity to view these amazing reptiles from just a few feet away. The swamp-themed exhibit features rustic cypress walkways, glass viewing and softly lit enclosures that help protect the massive reptiles from direct sunlight while highlighting the unique features of the alligators.
"People are awestruck when they see them, and just one look into those icy, blue eyes will give you chills," says Mark McHugh, president and CEO of Gatorland. "We're excited to bring these thrilling animals to Florida."
And there's good news for anyone who wants to wrestle a hungry alligator: Gatorland is launching its 60th Anniversary celebration with a hunt for wild and wonderful photos, postcards and souvenirs commemorating the theme park's exhibits and shows since 1949. This one-of-a-kind contest offers something for everyone. For more information, log on to www.gatorland.com.
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On display for a limited engagement, four of the world's largest white leucistic alligators are residing at Gatorland. Ivory in color, the large reptiles are each 10-to-11-plus feet in length, weigh over 800 pounds and have reflective blue eyes that are believed to have the ability to command good fortune to those lucky enough to make eye contact with them.
No one knows why Mother Nature produced only one nest of these incredible white alligators to roam the planet. Vulnerable to many predators, because of the lack of skin pigmentation, depriving them of natural camouflage, they likely would have never survived in the wild.
Collected from deep in a Louisiana swamp, the ivory reptiles with attitude were part of a clutch of 17 infants recovered by workers from the Louisiana Land and Exploration Company while surveying the area. The group later brought the hatchlings to the Audubon Zoo in New Orleans where only a few of the rare reptiles survived.
Now located along the theme park's main walkway, the cleverly designed 2,500-square-foot exhibit allows guests the opportunity to view these amazing reptiles from just a few feet away. The swamp-themed exhibit features rustic cypress walkways, glass viewing and softly lit enclosures that help protect the massive reptiles from direct sunlight while highlighting the unique features of the alligators.
"People are awestruck when they see them, and just one look into those icy, blue eyes will give you chills," says Mark McHugh, president and CEO of Gatorland. "We're excited to bring these thrilling animals to Florida."
And there's good news for anyone who wants to wrestle a hungry alligator: Gatorland is launching its 60th Anniversary celebration with a hunt for wild and wonderful photos, postcards and souvenirs commemorating the theme park's exhibits and shows since 1949. This one-of-a-kind contest offers something for everyone. For more information, log on to www.gatorland.com.
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