Lately, elephant poaching in Africa has been increasing at an alarming rate. Kenya, whose elephant population has – according to the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) – increased from 16,000 elephants before the 1989 CITES ban on ivory trade to the current 32,000 – has seen its fair share of this poaching. It is now becoming a big problem and we are likely to see a sharp decline in the population of the African elephant if poaching remains unchecked. But how did this sudden increase occur and how can we solve it?
First, this problem is not a problem of Kenya alone. It is happening all over Africa. Whereas the KWS blames the CITES-sanctioned one-off auction of ivory from southern African states to China and Japan for the sudden upsurge of poaching, there are indeed other factors that come into play. The upsurge in poaching is not a direct consequence of the auction although it did trigger the growth in demand.
What happened is that the auction made legal ivory available in the market and that was the danger. The sudden availability of a significant amount of ivory revitalized a market that had disappeared. Now, there is no way that legal ivory could satisfy demand in this enlarged market. Illegal ivory, consequently, found a new outlet and soon started fetching better prices at the source.
Although the influx on Chinese workers in Africa is also blamed for rising poaching, this is unlikely to be contributing significantly to the problem. The Chinese workers are lowly paid and thus they don’t have the large amounts of money required to buy ivory from poachers.
Far more important, there is quite a busy ivory market in China triggered by the one-off auction of Ivory last year. Twenty years ago ivory was not very affordable in China. Only a few rich people could buy. Today, China’s per capita income has been growing by about 8% per year. There are now tens of millions of Chinese people who can buy ivory. This is where the problem is.
In 1980s majority of these new buyers were young and did not know about the ivory crisis. The one-off sale however alerted this new market to the availability of ivory.
Poverty has also increased in Africa as the population grows faster than the economy. People are increasingly becoming desperate and are therefore getting more involved in poaching to put food on the table. The current drought in Kenya has made the situation even worse.
We also know that majority of African elephant range states have no effective policing mechanisms to contain this problem. in Kenya, the KWS has no money to fund any effective law enforcement that is required to contain poaching and the illegal ivory trade.
A solution needs to be found and the way forward is to try and get the total ban on ivory trade reinstated. Once the ban is reinstated, ivory disappears from the market. Possession of ivory becomes a crime. Policing thus gains some effectiveness. Furthermore, lack of a market will drive the price of raw ivory in Africa down.
People have asked me if KWS should repeat the public burning of ivory to make a statement, especially now that it is the 20-year anniversary of this event. I say it depends on how this is handled. Of course, we did raise some money back then, but the idea was new then. It is now an old idea and old ideas have to be handled carefully. It would however be a PR disaster for the KWS to sell the ivory to a third party.
In the old days, we created a fine force that was able to bring down the level of poaching until Kenya’s elephant population started increasing. The situation is different today. Twenty years ago, elephant poaching was done by Somalis who were not very well equipped. Today, the poachers are mostly local people especially in the north of the country.
In the north, there are very many guns used primarily in cattle rustling – by both the rustlers and those protecting their cattle. These guns are now being used in poaching. This is worsened by KWS allowing the nomadic pastoralists into wildlife reserves especially during this drought. This is a big mistake. KWS should clear the reserves in order to get these guns away from elephants.
Until something is done, poaching will continue to escalate. The time to act is now.
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7 Comments
I have a deep love for the elephant in the wild and in captivity and even tho I am just one person living so far away and thinking I can do nothing I try and do what I can by spreading the word, donating what little I have and caring deeply. I will probably never be able to travel to see the African Elephant but promise to do what I can to help keep them wild and safe. I sponsor with the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust. I dislike what the world has come to and pray for the guidance we need. I also was born with the name Cynthia Moss which makes me proud to think someone with the same name has made such a difference for the elephant.
Dear Dr. Leakey,
Having read your book,”Wildlife Wars,” I am acutely aware of the difficult struggle you personally undertook (with your anti-poaching teams) to address the poaching problem back in the late 80′s through your directorship of KWS. You and many other leaders in the field were instrumental in turning back the tide. Your tireless efforts against overwhelming odds and adversity at nearly every level, serve as an inspiration to all those who must continue the war to protect the habitats and their respective wildlife. It often seems unfathomable that an animal so endearing to so many worldwide can be the continued object of such insidious persecution (especially given their obvious intelligence and emotional nature). Certainly in Africa, impoverished locals have their own subsistence issues, but in the West, it seems people, in general are just unaware of the problem. The news media rarely speaks of it. I have to go online to special conservation websites such as “Wildlifedirect” in order to stay abreast of the situation.
Because of this observation, I believe any concerted effort to stop this disturbing new poaching trend must begin with a massive public relations barrage to “get the word out.” (Perhaps a return to the full page “poached elephant carcass” photos, etc.) It would certainly help if the Chinese government-controlled media would step up its own efforts to educate the rising middle class there of the true cost of their ivory hunger, and enforce the stiff penalties (something China is famous for; long prison sentences, executions, etc.) for such trafficking. Similar public awareness campaigns in Japan in the 80′s were helpful in curbing some demand within that market, where ordinary law abiding citizens were concerned. If China is serious about curbing the slaughter, and wants to demonstrate this to the rest of the world, they need to do this. It would also appear that the U.S. is in need of such conversion as well, since this is the number 2 market for ivory, apparently even exceeding Japan’s demand. (Disgraceful, appaling).
As an individual and an educator of junior high social studies, I spend a good deal of time educating my students about environmental issues, including the plight of the elephant. I have also made the elephant my “adopted species” as a focus for education and charitable conservation giving on several fronts, including Zakouma, Chad; Dzanga-Sangha,CAR; Samburu & Amboseli Reserves and Sheldrick Trust, Kenya; as well as some Asian elephant conservation projects. It’s a drop in the sea, but it feels better than doing nothing, sitting back and watching the next elephant holocaust unfold. Perhaps if enough other “concerned citizens” worldwide adopt similar tactics, we can stave off a repeat of the savannah and forest killing fields of the 1970′s and 80′s.
Please know that your continued word, work, and involvement in this area is being watched and listened to by “ordinary” folks such as myself, all over the world. Your passion and work has been an inspiration and a demonstration of how individuals can make a difference in shaping the world they want to see. And, of course, this extends to so many others of your peers working to similar purpose, people I refer to as “The Elephant Group.” Most, you probably know personally, though I’ll not name them here. All, are leaders in the field of elephant conservation efforts throughout parts of Africa.
Thank You for educating me about the plight of the elephant through your publications and continued work on Wildlifedirect. I am a regular supporter of several blogs and conservationists in the field, and will continue to contribute as much as finacially possible.
With Sincere Best Wishes, TheTeach
I agree totally with TheTeach’s remarks above and second the opinion that only hard-core conservationists like us seek out sites like WildlifeDirect and are up to date on the critical situation of ivory poaching in Africa.
High profile publicity is needed to raise the general public’s awareness in print media but mainly on television as was the case in the 1980′s.
Most U.S. citizens that I talk to are completely unaware of the grave situation Africa’s elephant are currently facing. They think this was a problem in the past which has been corrected and I believe they would be moved by scenes of the current slaughter.
Thank you, Dr. Leakey for all you’ve done for African wildlife conservation. We need more people like you in top leadership positions in Kenya and around the world.
Dear Dr. Leakey -
What a pleasure to read something written with such frankness.
It is so very clear that the increased affluence of the Chinese is driving the poaching of elephants, rhinos, and tigers. The sad thing is, I thought that as the “new” Chinese prospered, they would mature into an enlightened generation, with a concern for wildlife and the environment.
Instead, they are using their newly-acquired wealth to exploit wildlife like never before.
The rise of the Chinese footprint in Africa is one of the most important environmental issues facing the world at this moment.
Yet … (almost) no one speaks of it.
I suspect that one of the reasons the poaching crisis is not at the forefront of our consciousness is because there are way too many U.S. businesses in bed with China. Heaven forbid if anyone criticizes China – it might cost some money or a business deal.
The link between wildlife destruction and China must be publicized. If the White House won’t take steps to impose sanctions as in the early 90′s, then environmentally-conscious businesses may wish to take the lead and drop their dealings with China. And publicize it!
It also appears the Chinese government is “looking the other way” and hoping to profit from this revolting situation. Who’s to say there is not a market manipulation strategy to drive the rhino and the tiger into extinction, in order to drive up the price of China’s stockpiled horn and tiger parts (from the “tiger farms”)?
Let’s hope that more conversations like this one start taking place in the blogosphere, out in the open.
Kind regards,
rhishja
Yes, without doubt – the majority of poached rhino horn and elephant ivory in Africa is bound for China. Some of these crimes are being accomplished with complicity from top African government members. (INTERPOL’S “Wildlife crimes” programme mentions a few on their website.)
The influence of China not only in Africa but on all the world’s natural resources is “the elephant in the room” (excuse the pun), that’s why its not spoken of rhishja.
Just about every country now seems to have financial arrangements with China, thus critiziing any aspect of their actions just does not happen with governments. As yet there is not one leader who has the courage to speak up to the truth of what China is doing to the world.
We are very close to losing the tiger for good, and this is virtually purely because of Chinese demand. Don’t discount the same happenign to many other species as new “medicines” are formulated from any animal that happens to be left.
Back to the ivory issue, see this recent article from Wildlife Extra concerning a very recent haul in Kenya:
http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/kenya-ivory939.html?utm_campaign=Huge%20ivory%20haul;%20850%20new%20cave%20species;%20Rare%20bird%20sighting;%20Irish%20Sei%20whale.&utm_content=sonicrc98@hotmail.com&utm_medium=Email&utm_source=VerticalResponse&utm_term=Read%20the%20full%20story%20%26raquo;#cr
Dear Dr. Leakey,
I am a senior undergraduate student at the State University of New York at Brockport who has recently learned of your history and present conservation work. I would like to humbly request a short, informal interview (possibly through email) with you, concerning your career and anthropological careers in general, as I find your experiences and advocacy fascinating. I understand that your schedule is never open, but if you have a moment, would you be interested in communicating with me? It would be a great privilege to speak with you about conservation and anthropology.
Thank you for your consideration,
Amber Barmore
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[...] weapons to kill elephants and have no time for concealing the carcass with twigs as shown above. As Dr Richard Leakey puts it “..People are increasingly becoming desperate and are therefore getting more involved [...]