Hugh Bollinger / Saturday, August 13, 2011

Ivory fires...what a loss

Wildlife poaching is the second most common form of illegal commerce after the global drug trade. It occurs to varying degrees everywhere but none more so than in Africa and Asia. The demand for animal parts from some countries-- China is sadly the biggest consumer --is almost insatiable. The problem often breaks down to poorly enforced laws in the demand countries, poorly staffed wildlife bureaus in the source countries, and widespread corruption. The valiant efforts by both public and private conservation groups are often overwhelmed by the confluence of these factors. Poaching of elephant ivory is a massive problem particularly in Kenya where entire elephant populations have been decimated. Poaching of mature ivory bearing elephants leaves immature animals wandering about the landscape lacking the cohesion of their normally tight and highly clan-based social structures. Correspondence just received from the manager of one private wildlife initiative-- the Gallmann Africa Conservancy --illustrates how desperate the situation has become: "It is not just in the nights of a full moon, it is even when the sun is high and birds awake in my garden at Kuti, that we hear the sound of the AK-47 Kalashnikov's bringing death to the innocent remaining elephant herds in Western Laikipia. The same happens in Tsavo, in Voi, in Samburu, on Mount Kenya, wherever there are elephants left. Nothing has changed despite every conceivable effort by the Kenya Wildlife Service." A series of photographs from the conservation group spanning over 20 years from 1989-2011, of poached ivory and its fiery destruction, accompanied the correspondence. [caption id="attachment_6407" align="alignleft" width="320" caption="Piled poached ivory, 1989 (credit: Laikipia Nature Conservancy, Kenya)"]

[/caption] [caption id="attachment_6409" align="aligncenter" width="320" caption="Poached ivory destroyed (credit: Laikipia Nature Conservancy, Kenya)"]

[/caption] [caption id="attachment_6417" align="alignleft" width="320" caption="Poached ivory, 2011 (credit: Laikipia Nature Conservancy, Kenya"]

[/caption] [caption id="attachment_6425" align="aligncenter" width="260" caption="Burning poached ivory, 1989 (credit: Laikipia Nature Conservancy, Kenya)"]

[/caption] Kenya, along with other East African nations, realizes significant revenues from tourists who come for safaris to their national parks. Money spent on wildlife guides, hotels, restaurants, and local crafts could benefit the country far into the future but only if a wildlife legacy remains. The presence of ivory fires indicates the continued loss to sustaining both resources. Now if China and other Asian nations somehow developed a conservation ethic, that would really stem the wildlife loss. Riled Up

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Tags: African wildlife conservation East Africa endangered animals environmental ethics Kenya wildlife poaching

Ivory fires...what a loss

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