- GENEVA (Reuters) -- The West
African states of Nigeria, Ivory Coast and Senegal are turning a blind
eye to illegal ivory sales that are fuelling poaching in surrounding countries,
wildlife monitors said on Monday.
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- Researchers found more than four tonnes on public display
in Nigeria, Ivory Coast and Senegal, representing the ivory of about 760
elephants, which is far more than the estimated combined elephant population
of the three states.
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- Their report: More Ivory than Elephants in Three West
African Countries was produced by WWF International and TRAFFIC, a monitoring
network operated jointly by WWF and the World Conservation Union.
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- Much of the ivory found came from the Democratic Republic
of Congo, Cameroon, Central African Republic and Gabon.
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- "Inadequate legislation and poor law enforcement
in Nigeria, Ivory Coast and Senegal are threatening the survival of elephants
in these countries and central Africa," the report said.
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- All three countries were in breach of international treaties
governing trade in endangered species, it added.
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- The situation in Nigeria was particularly alarming, with
higher volumes identified than in a previous undercover survey carried
out in 1999.
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- The main buyers were expatriates living in the three
countries, tourists and business travellers from Europe, particularly France
and Italy, as well as China, South Korea and the United States.
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- ©2003. All rights strictly reserved.
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- http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?click_id=68&art_id=qw107144766279B251&set_id=1
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- Comment
From Austin McCartney - New Zealand
12-15-3
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- Hi Jeff,
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- If it isn't clear by now, it never will be: the indigenous
peoples of sub-Saharan Africa, as a GROUP, are not intelligent enough to
stop slaughtering each other, or to stop the wanton decimation of their
own lands and the elimination of many animal species. The ONLY thing that
may save the elephants and other threatened species is, lamentably, AIDS.
Common sense doesn't have a chance.
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