15 tons of contraband ivory burned
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A Kenyan soldier puts an elephant tusk into a fire after Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta ordered 15 tons of elephant tusks destroyed during World Wildlife Day on Tuesday. The fire was designed to discourage poaching and trade in ivory. Hou Liqiang / China Daily |
Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta on Tuesday set ablaze 15 metric tons of contraband ivory and vowed to intensify the ongoing war against wildlife crimes in the country.
Kenyatta burned the ivory stockpile in the presence of dignitaries from government, foreign missions and conservation groups to mark the World Wildlife Day.
"In the last three years, poaching and illicit wildlife trafficking have become a growing challenge for Kenya. These crimes threaten our biodiversity, security and peace," Kenyatta said.
The president said the East African nation has developed robust legal frameworks and invested in state-of-the-art technology to strengthen the war against wildlife crimes. He noted the passage of 2013 Wildlife Act, acquisition of new technology and recruitment of rangers have enhanced response to poaching.
Kenya is among African countries that have experienced an increase in poaching of elephants. Conservation groups have raised alarm that Kenya's elephant population has sharply declined.
According to the UN Environment Program, Africa was home to an estimated 500,000 elephants, but has been losing 30,000 annually to poachers.
Although the situation is improving in some parts of Kenya, the total elephant populations of both East and Central Africa are presently declining along with many populations in the South.
The Chinese government has imposed a one-year ban on imports of African carved ivory and increased its campaigns against illegal ivory of all types.
It destroyed 6 tons of confiscated ivory tusks and carvings in Guangzhou, Guangdong province. Courts have stepped up prosecution in addition to government warnings against importing the tusks.
Paul Udoto, spokesman of Kenya Wildlife Service, said there has been commendable collaboration between Kenya and China.
"Particularly under Interpol, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species has awarded the two countries a joint award of recognition and we have seen results in terms of how we are fighting dealers of ivory on both sides," he said.
Udoto spoke of previous efforts where Chinese Stars such as film actress Li Bingbing and former NBA star Yao Ming visited the country to champion African elephants and said further collaboration is in the pipeline.
Lucie Morangi in Nairobi contributed to this story.
China Daily - Xinhua - AP
