* Gabon burns 5 tonnes of poached ivory
* Poaching on the rise due to Asia demand
* President vows to fight poachers, smugglers
(Recasts, change dateline, adds quotes)
By Phal Mezui Ndong Gualbert
LIBREVILLE, June 27 (Reuters) – Gabon on Wednesday burned
its stockpile of ivory seized from poachers, a highly symbolic
move against a surge in killings of elephants and rhinos across
Africa to meet Asian market demand.
It became the first central African state – described by its
national parks chief as the last elephant sanctuary on the
continent – to publicly destroy its ivory, following a path
blazed over two decades ago by the east African nation of Kenya.
“This gesture shows the government’s commitment to work
tirelessly in the fight against international ivory
trafficking,” Gabonese President Ali Bongo said after the
government’s stack of ivory was torched.
“It is also a strong signal, a warning to poachers, so that
they should be aware that this illegal trade will no longer
flourish in Gabon. From henceforth, there will be a zero
tolerance for poaching,” he said at a ceremony in the capital.
Over half the ivory stock, worth some 5 billion CFA francs
($9.5 million), had been seized from poachers and traffickers
since 2010, with the rest in the three prior years. Wildlife
groups said the ivory represented some 850 slain elephants.
Continued…
