An audacious attempt to allow a huge sale of stockpiled elephant ivory has been defeated at an international wildlife conference. The rancorous debate exposed deep divisions between African nations with opposing views on elephant conservation. About 50 elephants are still being poached every day to supply ivory traffickers and all countries agree the world’s largest […]
Tag: ivory
Petition: Stop Thailand From Exporting Elephants!
Since 2009, there was a ban in Thailand on exporting live elephants. Now, after ten years, the ban has sadly been lifted. More than half of Thailand’s 7,000 elephants are captive, “working” elephants. Captivity is no life for a wild animal. Elephants should be free to roam many miles per day and live among their […]
Singapore seizes record haul of smuggled elephant ivory
Singapore has made its largest ever seizure of smuggled ivory, impounding a haul of nearly nine tonnes of contraband tusks from an estimated 300 elephants, according to authorities. The illegal cargo, discovered on Sunday in a container from the Democratic Republic of the Congo also included a huge stash of pangolin scales – the third […]
The Great Elephant Debate: Legalising ivory trade will be a giant mistake
Demands from southern African countries to allow international trade in elephant ivory are extremely dangerous. Proponents are trying to create the impression that wild populations are growing to problematic numbers when, in fact, the species remains in decline across the continent and is threatened with long-term extinction. Couched in the language of sustainability, arguments made […]
Botswana condemned for lifting ban on hunting elephants
Conservationists have reacted with outrage and concern to a decision by Botswana to lift its ban on elephant hunting. The southern African country said the move was justified by an increase in population and its impact on farmers’ livelihoods. “The whole world is turning away from hunting. It is increasingly seen as an archaic practice. […]
‘Terror being waged on wildlife’, leaders warn
Humanity is waging a war of terror on wildlife across the globe, according to the head of a world-leading research institute who was previously a counter-terrorism expert for the UK government. Dominic Jermey, director general of the Zoological Society of London (ZSL), also spent years in Afghanistan supporting the fight against terror, until leaving his […]
Nearly 90 Elephants Found Poached in Botswana
Conservationists are mourning the loss of 87 elephants whose bodies were discovered during an aerial survey in Botswana. The elephants were discovered during a months-long aerial census being conducted for the government by Elephants Without Borders, which called the discovery an “unprecedented” level of poaching in the country. “I’m shocked, I’m completely astounded. The scale […]
‘You will never run from death’: shot by poachers in Uganda
The bullet that pierced the shoulder of Ugandan ranger Samuel Loware had already taken one life and could easily have added his. The shell was fired by a Sudanese poacher trying to flee back over the border with contraband meat from the Kidepo Valley national park. Loware had been tracking the fugitive – one of […]