By Ed Stoddard
JOHANNESBURG, June 27 (Reuters) – The central African nation
of Gabon will burn its government stockpiles of ivory on
Wednesday against the backdrop of a surge in the killing of
elephants and rhinos across the continent to meet surging Asian
demand.
Conservation group WWF and TRAFFIC, which monitors the
global wildlife trade, said in a statement the tusks and
carvings would be set alight by Gabon’s President Ali Bongo
after they had been subjected to an independent audit to ensure
none had been pilfered for illegal sale.
Gabon will be the first country in its neighbourhood to
publicly destroy its ivory, following a path blazed over two
decades ago by the east African nation of Kenya.
The independent audit of its stockpiles is significant after
wildlife groups reported that Zambia lost 3 tonnes of ivory from
government storage last week while Mozambique had 1.1 million
tonnes stolen in February.
“If not managed properly, ivory stockpiles in the hands of
government suddenly ‘get legs’ and move into illegal trade.
Gabon’s actions effectively keep the ivory out of the way of
temptation,” said Tom Milliken, TRAFFIC’s ivory trade expert.
The audited ivory Gabon will put to the torch weighs in at
4,825 kgs (10,600 pounds), including tusks and almost 18,000
worked or carved items.
The illegal slaughter of elephants and rhinos is on the
rise, an unsavory aspect of Asia’s scramble for African
resources, driven by the growing purchasing power of the
region’s newly affluent classes.
In South Africa, over 250 rhinos have been killed so far
this year alone to meet demand for the animal’s horn, which is
worth more than its weight in gold. More are being killed each
week now than were being taken on an annual basis a decade ago.
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