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Nature & Environment

Elephants under threat as ivory demand soars

By T.K. Randall
April 14, 2012 · Comment icon 17 comments

Image Credit: Sandra Fenley
Elephant populations in Africa are at risk of extinction due to increased ivory demand in China.
Conservationists have warned that a rise in poaching could see the creatures wiped out in some African countries. Poachers backed by organised criminal gangs are thought to be mostly responsible for fuelling the ivory trade, in several regions elephants are disappearing at a rate of up to 50 a week as wildlife groups battle to save the species from disappearing entirely.
Trade in ivory was made illegal worldwide in 1989 but the ban was lifted in 2008 to allow southern African countries to sell stockpiled ivory to China and Japan. Campaigners say this has also fuelled the demand for illegal ivory.


Source: Telegraph | Comments (17)

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Recent comments on this story
Comment icon #8 Posted by SameerPrehistorica 12 years ago
Those poachers should be sentenced to death
Comment icon #9 Posted by CRIPTIC CHAMELEON 12 years ago
Come on asia W.T.F wake up ivory dose not make better eating utensils,rhino horns do not give you bigger penises,monkey paws are not lucky,crushed tiger bones don't make you last longer in bed etc etc etc.
Comment icon #10 Posted by Yazdepp 12 years ago
I am so disgusted! How dare they!
Comment icon #11 Posted by Chooky88 12 years ago
Zebra99. I agree. Screw political correctness and say it like it Bravo!
Comment icon #12 Posted by Arawyn 12 years ago
One of the worst crimes of man... Killing other creatures for something as silly as their teeth or fur, when we don't really need it. We kill off other species and destroy our own planet, for the sake of our own selfish wants.
Comment icon #13 Posted by evil_kenshin 12 years ago
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-17798914 Wildlife rangers have shot dead five suspected ivory poachers during a gun battle in western Kenya.Two rangers were hurt during the battle in West Pokot county, said officials from Kenya's Wildlife Service (KWS). They said 50kg (110lb) of elephant tusks and AK-47 rifles were recovered. I'm glad they were shot dead ; its not often I say that but the more poachers shot the less likely they will attempt it.
Comment icon #14 Posted by xCrimsonx 12 years ago
What a greedy bunch of "humans", all that lot want to do is kill everything that is beautiful. Does anyone have a need for the Pandas gallbladder or pancreas for anything??? Ya's soon see them jumping up and down about it. The world should block these countries access to the worlds waters and anything else that is beautiful. They are stealing the existence of life!
Comment icon #15 Posted by Insaniac 12 years ago
Those poachers should be sentenced to death This. If you abuse life, you no longer deserve life.
Comment icon #16 Posted by ZaraKitty 12 years ago
I hope an elephant smooshes the hunters.
Comment icon #17 Posted by Snakeblood 12 years ago
I have heard that they beat the animal's knees with long bars until it falls down and it takes a long time until the elephant is finally dead. And how about the absolutely ridiculous idea that the horn of a rhino is an aphrodisiac-and this belief is based solely on its ''suggestive'' shape? And they're being hunted for that. In 2012.
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