Elephant tusks sold legally for first time in a decade

 

The ivory being sold almost all comes from elephants that have died of natural causes Photo: REUTERS

Elephant tusks sold legally for first time in a decade The first legal sale of elephant tusks for almost a decade took place yesterday, angering animal rights activists. By Sebastien Berger Southern Africa Correspondent Last Updated: 6:13PM GMT 28 Oct 2008 Previous 1 of 2 Images Next Elephant ivory - Elephant tusks sold legally for first time in a decade The ivory being sold almost all comes from elephants that have died of natural causes Photo: REUTERS Elephant ivory - Elephant tusks sold legally for first time in a decade But some animal rights groups claim that the sales will encourage poaching, by providing a cover for illegal exports Photo: AP Seven tons of ivory were sold for more than £700,000 to Chinese and Japanese bidders after the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) allowed four southern African countries to sell off some of their stockpiles. South Africa, Botswana, Namibia and Zimbabwe had long argued that their elephant populations were not under threat, and that allowing financial benefits from wildlife creates an incentive to preserve it. CITES authorised each of them to hold a one-off auction, to be followed by a 10-year moratorium on any further sales, with buyers restricted to Chinese and Japanese traders. It decided the two Asian countries, where there is huge demand for ivory for traditional family seals, artworks and handicrafts, both had sufficient safeguards in place to monitor the ivory and ensure it was not re-exported.

Elephant tusks sold legally for first time in a decade - Telegraph

Massive ivory auctions to lead to new killing of elephants, conservationists warn

 

Massive ivory auctions to lead to new killing of elephants, conservationists warn 18:04 Wed 22 Oct 2008 - Elitsa Grancharova Ivory auctions that will take place in Namibia on October 28, Botswana on October 31, Zimbabwe on November 3, and South Africa on November 6 2008 have raised the concerns of international conservationists from Born Free Foundations (BFF), a member of the Species Survival Network, who said that the ivory auction was approved by members of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES), despite an international outcry from scientists and conservationists. Following the announcement that more than 108 tonnes of stockpiled elephant ivory in southern Africa would be auctioned in 2008, fear was mounting that the most vulnerable elephant populations across Africa and Asia would be unable to withstand the increased levels of poaching that are predicted to occur as a result of these sales, BFF said in a media statement on October 20. Between 1979 and 1989, more than 600 000 elephants were killed for ivory causing the elephant population plummet from 1.3 million to just 600 000. Current estimates put African elephant populations at around 475 000.

Massive ivory auctions to lead to new killing of elephants, conservationists warn - News news