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Adele Birkenes

June 17, 2014


Thousands of African Elephants Slaughtered for Illegal Ivory Trade in
2013
Over 20,000 African elephants were poached across the continent of Africa in
2013, according to a report released on June 13, 2014, by the Secretariat of the
Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora
(CITES). While the trend in illegal elephant killing peaked in 2011 and is now
declining slightly, poaching levels continue to exceed the natural elephant
population growth rates, resulting in a further decline in elephant populations
across Africa.
John Scanlon, the Secretary General of CITES, predicts extinction of some
populations of African elephants in the near future. "In 2011, we had 25,000
elephants illegally killed on the African continent. [In 2012], it was 22,000. So
that was almost 50,000 elephants illegally killed for their ivory in just two years,
he says. This is decimating the African elephant population and we will soon see
local extinctions in some areas, in particular within Central Africa."
The vast majority of illegal ivory harvested from African elephants is headed to
China, which accounts for nearly 70 percent of global demand, according to
expert estimates. The rest of the demand largely stems from Viet Nam and
Thailand. Levels of poaching and illegal ivory trade have risen immensely over
the past few decades due to the soaring demand for ivory products in affluent
East Asian and South East Asian countries, where ivory has played an important
role in culture and tradition. As their economies, in particular those of China and
Viet Nam, become more modern and advanced, a greater number of citizens are
seeking high-status methods of displaying their wealth, such as ivory carvings
and ornaments, which helps to fuel the mass slaughter of elephants in Africa.
A large portion of Chinese citizens wrongly believe that poachers are able to
harvest ivory without killing elephants. While ivory can be legally harvested from
Asian elephants in Thailand that die from natural causes, there is not enough to
meet consumer demands, so poachers generally target healthy African elephants
instead. According to a 2007 survey conducted by the International Fund for
Animal Welfare (IFAW), 70 percent of those polled were unaware of the fact that
ivory comes from dead elephants and thought that tusks fall naturally. The
Chinese word for ivory, xiangya, literally means elephants teeth, says Grace Ge
Gabriel, the Asia Regional Director at IFAW. It has led to a very deep and wide
misconception.
African elephants have not always been this way. In 1979, there were an
estimated 1.3 million African elephants. However, due to widespread poaching
driven by wealthy consumer nations in Asia, that figure was reduced by more
than half in only one decade. In 1989, CITES approved a worldwide ban on the
ivory trade to protect African elephant populations, effectively shutting down the
black market for the products.
Since then, CITES has allowed international trade of ivory under special
conditions to foster economic growth. In 1999, parties to CITES gave permission

Adele Birkenes
June 17, 2014
to Botswana, Namibia, and Zimbabwe to export 20 tons of stockpiled ivory to
Japan in a one-off ivory sale worth approximately 5 million USD. Then, in 2008,
South Africa joined the three African nations in a second sale with both China and
Japan, worth a total of 15.5 million USD. Several conservation organizations and
member states have argued that resuming the legal ivory trade has led to a
surge in elephant poaching. In 2002, China claimed that consumers were
confused because the sale in Japan led them to believe that the international
ivory trade had been resumed.
The vast criminal networks in African nations involved in poaching and the
resulting dwindling elephant populations have caused far-reaching impacts on
tourism. Tourists are often willing to pay large sums of money to visit African
nature reserves. If the wildlife that they come to see disappears, local
communities lose a vital source of income. This can be seen in the case of Bouba
NDjida National Park in Cameroon, where 450 elephants, or 10% of the countrys
remaining elephant population, were slaughtered in a raid conducted by
poachers who had already eradicated the elephant populations of Chad and the
Central African Republic.
The illegal ivory trade has also resulted in crime, political instability, and
intercommunal fighting. Poachers in Kenya have turned to stealing livestock,
printing counterfeit money, and holding up tourists for ransom as additional
methods of earning money. "One of Kenya's comparative advantages is its rich
wildlife heritage. In recent years, this has come under attack in unprecedented
levels," says a representative of the Kenya Association of Tour Operators.
Poaching is economic sabotage.
Ivory smuggling by air into Viet Nam is becoming increasingly common. In June
2014, Vietnamese customs officials seized 110 kilograms of ivory at Ho Chi Min
Citys international airport, Tan Son Nhat. The luggage, which contained 77
elephant tusks declared as personal goods, was carried by illegal couriers from
Nigeria to Viet Nam through Doha. The customs agency is currently investigating
the case further. This was the third seizure of ivory this year at the airport.
Nations worldwide are taking action to end the illegal ivory trade. The Chinese
government recently launched a strict crackdown on ivory smuggling. In October
2012, for instance, in one of the worlds largest ever seizures of illegal ivory,
Hong Kong customs officials confiscated 3.8 tons of ivory with a total worth of
approximately 3.5 million USD. It is estimated that 600 elephants were killed to
produce this shipment. In January 2014, Chinese officials held a public ceremony
to destroy six tons of elephant ivory seized from the illegal trade, following
similar crushing events that occurred in Manila, Philippines, in June 2013 and in
Denver, Colorado, in November 2013. Shortly after China, in May 2014, Hong
Kong began a year-long process of ceremonially burning its 28-ton stockpile of
confiscated ivory.
It is not only up to the government and law enforcement officials to end the
illegal ivory trade. Without consumers in Asia, the rising demand for the
slaughter of African elephants would be greatly reduced. If you are ever in a

Adele Birkenes
June 17, 2014
position to buy ivory and are in doubt of whether the product is legal, do not buy
it. Legal vendors of ivory are required to include an identification card with a
photograph of the product. Please check to see if the photo on the card matches
the actual product, as vendors often reuse the cards to sell illegal goods. Also,
spread awareness among your family and friends of the shocking number of
African elephants killed in 2013 to satisfy Asian demand. Contact your politicians
to ask them to strengthen laws and law enforcement against ivory poaching and
trade.

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