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
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