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As we have reported many times, elephants are being
annihilated for their tusks at an astonishing rate with no end to a
rising death toll in sight. We know this from first-hand observations, our investigations into the deadly ivory trade and from the record numbers of ivory interdictions in 2011.
A recent investigative article in The New York Times, “Elephants Dying in Epic Frenzy as Ivory Fuels Wars and Profits,”
by Jeffrey Gettleman, details how the slaughter is aided by poachers
who have become more militarized and traffickers who have become more
organized.
An infographic accompanying Gettleman’s article maps out where most ivory is coming from in Africa and its likely destinations in Asia.
“The vast majority of the illegal ivory—experts say as
much as 70 percent—is flowing to China, and though the Chinese have
coveted ivory for centuries, never before have so many of them been able
to afford it,” Gettleman writes. “China’s economic boom has created a
vast middle class, pushing the price of ivory to a stratospheric $1,000
per pound on the streets of Beijing.”
IFAW has been combatting the illegal ivory trade all along
this deadly supply chain--from savannah and forest floor in Africa to
mall shops in Beijing to computers logged into auction sites.
In March, a communications team from IFAW’s office in
France confirmed that poachers had been butchering hundreds of elephants
over a period of several weeks in BoubaNjida Park in Cameroon. The
killing was met with indifference by the Cameroonian government until
IFAW’s team alerted the worldwide media, compelling the government to
send in the military to stop the rampant poaching.
As Céline Sissler-Bienvenu writes on IFAW.org’s blog, the poachers were insurgents
who crossed the border from Sudan. The loot from selling poached tusks
is presumed to go toward the purchase of military-grade weapons.
IFAW funds, equips and trains customs officials, law
enforcement, park rangers and others who are responsible for stemming
the flow of illegal ivory not only in Africa, but also in the Middle
East, a key transit area for smugglers.
For example, IFAW funded a training program
held at Botswana Police College in Botswana for wildlife law
enforcement officers from 10 countries. INTERPOL conducted the workshop
with assistance from Environment Canada. The training focused on
fundamental law enforcement skills that became essential in the success
of Operation WORTHY,
a multinational INTERPOL-IFAW operation to combat elephant and rhino
trafficking across Africa. IFAW provided funds used to purchase
equipment for the operation.
INTERPOL conducted Operation WORTHY across 14 African
countries in spring 2012. INTERPOL member countries made 214 arrests and
seized 2 tons of contraband elephant ivory, 20 kilos of rhinoceros horn
and 30 illegal firearms, mostly military-grade weapons.
The operation is just one piece in IFAW’s long-term plan
for reducing the trafficking of ivory and rhinoceros horn in Africa and
beyond.
Based on years of monitoring ivory markets in China, IFAW earlier this year published “Making a Killing: A 2011 Survey of Ivory Markets in China,”
which highlights the devastating impact of the CITES-sanctioned
stockpile sale of ivory to China. The sale stimulated market demand for
ivory, enabling the legal market to provide cover for the illegal trade
that is feeding the elephant poaching frenzy in Africa.
Backed by information provided by IFAW in “Making a
Killing,” China’s Forestry Police raided the Chengtian Antique Mall near
Beijing, where they found 107 pieces of illegal ivory and other
products made from wildlife. Only 1 out of 22 shops had a license to
sell ivory.
We’re also working hard on the demand side in China to dull the appetite for ivory with public service campaigns like our “Think Twice” campaign
at the new Kunming Changshui International Airport, which urges
travelers not to buy products made from endangered animals. The campaign
is a joint effort of IFAW, Chinese customs and CITES authorities.
We’ve been so successful in getting our message across in China, that Zhejiang Education Bureau adopted the big idea behind our “Mom I got teeth” public service campaign
for the Chinese language portion of the National College Entrance
Exams, taken annually by nearly 300,000 students in the Zhejiang
province.
An IFAW study found 70 percent of Chinese consumers did
not know that elephants were killed for ivory. The “Mom, I got teeth”
campaign explains that ivory comes only from dead elephants and
encourages people to reject ivory products.
On the Internet, where ivory sales are difficult to
police, we’ve won, if not battles, many skirmishes. At IFAW’s urging,
for example, Baidu.com, the largest Chinese language Internet search
engine, removed more than 16,000 illegal wildlife trade listings, mainly
ivory, and closed 24 online forums. Baidu later incorporated endangered
species conservation into its corporate screening policy.
Watch this video to see how you’re helping on the frontline of elephant protection in Kenya.
Support our efforts to raise awareness of the plight of the African elephant by adding your name to IFAW’s “Say 'NO!' to Ivory” elephant march on Facebook.
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