February 22nd, 2013 by Nicole Meyer Africa’s elephants are being
slaughtered at an alarming rate, poached for their tusks to meet
a growing demand for ivory in Asia. The Convention on
International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) approved a
worldwide ban on the sale of ivory in 1989, then sanctioned two
sales of stockpiles of ivory in 1999 and 2008. Today, poaching
in some areas is the worst since the ban went into effect,
decimating wild populations of elephants. In Gabon alone,
poachers have killed more than 11,000 elephants in in recent
years, representing two-thirds of the country’s elephants.
Poachers carry large-caliber rifles to kill the elephants, then
hack off their tusks with chainsaws, leaving behind the
carcasses of entire families of elephants. This ivory is used to
make jewelry, chopsticks, and other trinkets. CITES is the
governing body empowered to increase protection for elephants.
Delegates will soon meet in Bangkok, Thailand for a convention
starting March 3rd where they will discuss ch