Elephant Poaching

[waltky]

No wonder they're an endangered species...

100,000 elephants killed in Africa, study finds
Aug 18,`14 -- Poachers killed an estimated 100,000 elephants across Africa between 2010 and 2012, a huge spike in the continent's death rate of the world's largest mammals because of an increased demand for ivory in China and other Asian nations, a new study published Monday found.

Warnings about massive elephant slaughters have been ringing for years, but Monday's study is the first to scientifically quantify the number of deaths across the continent by measuring deaths in one closely monitored park in Kenya and using other published data to extrapolate fatality tolls across the continent. The study - which was carried out by the world's leading elephant experts - found that the proportion of illegally killed elephants has climbed from 25 percent of all elephant deaths a decade ago to roughly 65 percent of all elephant deaths today, a percentage that, if continued, will lead to the extinction of the species.

China's rising middle class and the demand for ivory in that country of 1.3 billion people is driving the black market price of ivory up, leading to more impoverished people in Africa "willing to take the criminal risk on and kill elephants. The causation in my mind is clear," said the study's lead author, George Wittemyer of Colorado State University. The peer-review study was published Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. It was co-authored by experts from Save the Elephants, the Kenya Wildlife Service, an international group called MIKE responsible for monitoring the illegal killings of elephants, and two international universities. "The current demand for ivory is unsustainable. That is our overarching conclusion. It must come down. Otherwise the elephants will continue to decrease," said Iain Douglas-Hamilton, founder of Save the Elephants.

A herd of adult and baby elephants walks in the dawn light across Amboseli National Park in southern Kenya, with the highest mountain in Africa, Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, seen behind. A new study released Monday Aug. 18, 2014, by lead author George Wittemye of Colorado State University, found that the proportion of illegally killed elephants has climbed to about 65 percent of all African elephant deaths, accounting for around 100,000 elephants killed by poachers between 2010 and 2012

Elephant deaths are not happening at the same rate across Africa. The highest death rate is in central Africa, with East Africa - Tanzania and Kenya - not far behind. Botswana is a bright spot, with a population that is holding steady or growing. South Africa's rhinos are being killed, but poachers have not yet begun attacking elephants. Some individual elephant death numbers are shocking. The elephant population in Tanzania's Selous Game Reserve dropped from 40,000 to 13,000 over the last three years.

China is aware of its image problem concerning the ivory trade. The embassy in Kenya this month donated anti-poaching equipment to four wildlife conservancies. Chinese Ambassador Liu Xianfa said at the handover ceremony that China is increasing publicity and education of its people to increase understanding of the illegal ivory trade. "Wildlife crimes are a cross-border menace," Liu said, according to a transcript of the ceremony published by Kenya's Capital FM. "I assure you that more action will follow as will support to fulfil our promise. We firmly believe that, through joint efforts, the drive of combating wildlife crimes will achieve success."

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[Darlene]

All animal poaching is cruel.
Humans need to learn to coexist with all species on this Earth.

 

[Crick]

Elephants, no problem. SSDD, no thanks.

 

[longknife]

It's a matter of $.
Poachers do so because there is a market for their goods.
Stop the market and you stop the poaching.

Elephants are just one breed. Rhinos are another.

And, lest we forget, in the 18th and 19th century here in North America, sea otters were almost hunted to extinction for their fur.

 

[martybegan]

It's a matter of $.
Poachers do so because there is a market for their goods.
Stop the market and you stop the poaching.

Elephants are just one breed. Rhinos are another.

And, lest we forget, in the 18th and 19th century here in North America, sea otters were almost hunted to extinction for their fur.

Unless you destroy the demand, there will always be people willing to supply it. The fact that Ivory is so very illegal, while a noble concept, seems to actually be making things worse by driving up the price.

The only options are increasing penalties on poachers, (and with the reward of illegal ivory being so substantial, the penalty would probably have to be death to the poachers) or trying to figure out a way to bring legal ivory back to the market, via farming or gaming management.

A ban is the "easy" solution, the problem is it doesn't appear to be working with regards to sustaining elephant populations.

 

[waltky]

Tanzania targets elephant poachers...

Tanzanian president tells security forces to pursue poachers
Mon, Oct 31, 2016 - The Tanzanian president on Saturday ordered the security forces to go after top criminals financing organized networks behind elephant poaching, saying no one is “untouchable.”

The East African nation, home to the famous Serengeti, which is packed with wildlife, and Africa’s highest mountain, Kilimanjaro, relies on revenues from tourism and safaris, but has been blighted by poachers chasing ivory to sell mostly in Asia. Since coming to power last year, Tanzanian President John Magufuli has promised to root out corruption and mismanagement. “I am behind you ... arrest all those involved in this illicit trade, no one should be spared regardless of his position, age, religion ... or popularity,” Magufuli said in a statement. “Go after all of them ... so that we protect our elephants from being slaughtered.”

Magufuli issued the directive after visiting the Tanzanian Natural Resources and Tourism Ministry in the country’s commercial capital, Dar es Salaam, where he saw 50 tusks seized from poachers. “This is unacceptable,” he said during an inspection of the haul. “We cannot allow our natural resources to be lost because of the greed of a few people.” Magufuli said he would continue to support the work of Tanzania’s National and Transnational Serious Crimes Investigation Unit (NTSCIU) to fight elephant poaching.

Poaching has risen in recent years across sub-Saharan Africa, where well-armed criminal gangs have killed elephants for tusks and rhinos for horns that are often shipped to Asia for use in ornaments and medicines. In Tanzania, the elephant population shrank from 110,000 in 2009 to about 43,000 in 2014, according to a census last year, with conservationists blaming “industrial-scale” poaching. There are also far fewer rhinos and they are endangered. The NTSCIU anti-poaching team is comprised of officials from the Tanzania Intelligence and Security Service, police, army, immigration, judiciary and the nation’s wildlife service.

The team is credited with the arrest of more than 870 poachers and illegal ivory traders and the seizure of more than 300 firearms over the past few years. In October last year, prosecutors charged prominent Chinese businesswoman Yang Feng Glan, 66, dubbed the “Ivory Queen,” with running a network that smuggled tusks from 350 elephants after she was arrested by members of the NTSCIU. Magufuli on Saturday sacked the police director of criminal investigation, Diwani Athumani, without giving a reason. A police source said the president was not satisfied with progress in the fight against crime, including ivory smuggling.

Tanzanian president tells security forces to pursue poachers - Taipei Times

 

[waltky]

China is the main source of global demand for ivory...

International war against poaching starting to pay off
Sat, Dec 17, 2016 - It was one of the most momentous events in the battle against poaching: 11 giant pyres of elephant tusks going up in flames in Kenya as the world looked on.

The largest-ever destruction of ivory, which took place in April, was the pinnacle of efforts to stop the slaughter of wildlife, while sending a powerful message to poachers. As the year draws to an end, awareness of the devastation of poaching is greater than ever and countries have turned to high-tech warfare — drones, night-goggles and automatic weapons — to stop increasingly armed poachers. “We obviously still have a very long way to go, but the level of political awareness we have reached is remarkable compared to six years ago,” International Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) secretary-general John Scanlon said.

Poaching was somewhat of a niche concern until about 2010 when the massacre of elephant and rhino began reaching such levels that conservationists and wildlife activists realized more had to be done to give the problem wider attention. High-profile names were recruited to the cause, while calls grew louder for a total global ban on the ivory trade. The move is slowly paying off, and this year saw hopeful signs that people might no longer be willing to watch as extinction goes unchecked.

China is the main source of global demand for ivory and in March the Chinese government announced a ban on new ivory imports. Then, in early October, CITES bolstered protection of other threatened species, including sharks, pangolins and grey parrots. Debates still rage over how best to fight elephant poaching, but conservationists unanimously welcomed CITES’ refusal to grant Namibia and Zimbabwe special authorization to sell their ivory stockpiles in order to fund elephant protection.

International war against poaching starting to pay off - Taipei Times

 

[ScienceRocks]

Anyone that kills a elephant should be shot

 

[yiostheoy]

Ivory is an incredibly beautiful product. That's why the poor elephants are endangered.

It is the same reason why women are molested by thugs -- because women are beautiful creatures as well and it is the only way thugs can get a piece of fresh ones.

Anything beautiful is going to be at risk from thugs including poachers.

 

[yiostheoy]

It's a matter of $.
Poachers do so because there is a market for their goods.
Stop the market and you stop the poaching.

Elephants are just one breed. Rhinos are another.

And, lest we forget, in the 18th and 19th century here in North America, sea otters were almost hunted to extinction for their fur.

Otters are worthless creatures that eat a lot of valuable shellfish including endangered abalone.

 

[yiostheoy]

All animal poaching is cruel.
Humans need to learn to coexist with all species on this Earth.

Ethics has no influence over money grubbing poachers.

The only thing that will stop poachers is guns.

 

[xyz]

It's a matter of $.
Poachers do so because there is a market for their goods.
Stop the market and you stop the poaching.

Elephants are just one breed. Rhinos are another.

And, lest we forget, in the 18th and 19th century here in North America, sea otters were almost hunted to extinction for their fur.

and bison.

 

[waltky]

Otters are worthless creatures that eat a lot of valuable shellfish including endangered abalone.

Granny says, "Well den...

... dem poachers otter leave...

... dem elephants alone."

 

[waltky]

One of the biggest slaughters in recent years...

Scores of Dead Elephants Found in Botswana ‘Poaching Frenzy’
Sept. 4, 2018 — Some of the elephant corpses had begun to decay, their skins dried stiff over bony carcasses. Others appeared to have been freshly killed, partly covered by bushes in an attempt to hide them from view.

The tusks of 87 animals, which were counted during aerial surveys over the past few months in Botswana, had been chopped off — evidence of what conservationists are calling one of the biggest slaughters in recent years. Michael Chase, director of the charity Elephants Without Borders, which conducted the surveys, said he had never seen so many dead elephants in one go. After counting 48 during a single flight in August, Mr. Chase wrote in a report that the tally was “indicative of a poaching frenzy which has been ongoing in the same area for a long time.”

The numbers were expected to climb as the survey continues. But the results so far already signal a major escalation in elephant poaching, said Tom Milliken, a program manager at Traffic, a nonprofit organization that monitors wildlife smuggling. Botswana is home to the world’s largest elephant population, more than a third of all Africa’s elephants, according to the most recent Great Elephant Census, which Mr. Chase helped produce. It is also one of the most stable countries in Africa with one of the best wildlife records. The slaughter shows that despite all the time, money and energy poured into anti-poaching operations in recent years, organized poaching gangs can still wipe out large herds with impunity.

[/img]
An elephant corpse in Botswana. Despite bans on legal sales, demand for ivory remains sufficiently high to sustain underground markets.​

Botswana was until recently considered a haven for the animals, with militarized patrols in protected areas and a contentious shoot-to-kill policy intended to deter poachers. This tough stance on poaching had made Botswana “the darling of the conservation world,” said Annette Hübschle, a researcher at the Center of Criminology at the University of Cape Town. But the policies did not address the underlying drivers of the illegal ivory trade. “The fortress conservation paradigm, or separating local people from wildlife and conservation, creates pathways to illegal economies,” Ms. Hübschle said. “Rural communities are likely to support poachers and poaching economies because there are no benefits to these conservation areas for them.”

If local communities experienced no direct benefit from conservation areas, “they may not turn to poaching, but they won’t support policing either,” Ms. Hübschle said. “You need to reach out to communities for conservation to work.” Despite bans on legal sales, demand for ivory remains sufficiently high to sustain underground markets. In many African countries, the money on offer has continued drawing poachers. “Rather than shooting poachers to kill them, we should be focusing on who’s controlling the trade,” Ms. Hübschle said. “Follow the money and target the intermediaries, and the organizers behind them.”

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[pismoe]

the only place to get Genuine Ivory Stocks for a Colt ,45 Sngle Action is from Elephants .

 

[pismoe]

or Rhinos or some Sea creatures .