THE IVORY APOCALYPSE-Elephants in the Dust - The African Elephant Crisis
Africa is rapidly losing its natural heritage but it is others who are benefiting.
As it does for rhinos, today organised crime is leading the illegal killing of elephants, they are killed for profit, and for some armed militias this trade is a way to fuel their own war conflicts.
In a trade estimated between US$ 2 billion and 3 billion per year, Africa's ivory is mainly illegally exported to China, Thailand, Laos and other Asian countries, benefiting organized crime, transporters, and the Asian luxury traders. Even West and North African countries with no significant elephant population have become intermediary ports of trade.
Since 1990 when ivory was US$ 100 per Kg, it has increased to US$ 1500 due to demand from Asia. Since then, when the elephant population was 1.2 million, it has plummeted down by 50%. Current population in Africa is between 400 000 and 650 000 spread across 37 countries
Elephant deaths caused by poaching are estimated to be between 20000 and 40000 per year. In the last 5 years Gabon has lost 11 000 forest elephants. In the last decade Central Africa lost a staggering 62% of forest elephants. Only the herds of Southern African region are considered to be stable.
After a brief respite following the carnage of 1970 and 80’s which halved the elephant population, they are again in the crossroads. Since 2006 there has been a steady increase of widespread killing with a massive surge since 2011
For more than 10 000 years, humans have coveted ivory. In AD 77, the Romans wiped out North Africa’s elephant population, by AD 1000 Arab states exploited the East Africa ivory trade, while Ivory from West Africa (the “Ivory Coast” was aptly named) made its way across the Sahara to the Mediterranean. In the 19th century another major peak in the trade occurred and again in 1970’s when demand from Asia took its toll particularly on the herds of East Africa. (READ MORE)
