Saving African Elephants: The Global Debate
November 13, 2012
Elephants gather at dusk to drink at a watering hole in Tsavo East National Park, Kenya, March 25, 2012.
Wildlife experts and conservationists say African elephants are under unprecedented attack. Organized gangs have turned wildlife ranges into war zones as they hunt for the creature’s prized ivory. The trend has raised questions about whether international efforts to protect them are helping or making the problem worse.
African elephants splash in ponds of water deep inside the Dzanga Sangha Reserve in the Central African Republic.
Andrea Turkalo, a scientist for the World Conservation Society, travels through the park, first by car, then on foot, hacking a path through the jungle with a machete.
About 50 elephants mill about. The majestic and iconic creatures appear safe here, but Turkalo says the threat has never been greater. “It’s bad news everywhere. They’re being poached everywhere. And I think people have to realize that. That whole situation has changed," he said.
But why has poaching for elephant ivory skyrocketed in recent years? The commodities have always been prized in Asian countries, where the appetite for them has also surged.
This will be a central question during a March gathering of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, or CITES.
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2013-11-25
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