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