‘Slaughter’ Fear Over Poaching Rise

Rising demand for ivory products is wreaking havoc on Africa’s elephant population. According to scientists, poachers kill about 38,000 elephants in Africa annually, a rate that could lead to these animals’ extinction in sub-Saharan Africa in fifteen years. Helped by higher ivory prices, poaching activity has increased significantly in Central Africa, with culling in the eastern and southern regions on the rise as well. Much of the price rise in ivory can be traced to demand from dealers in increasingly wealthy Asia willing to pay as much as US $1,000 per kilo for the outlawed tusks. But there is some hope that the danger to African elephants may abate. A novel method developed by one conservation scientist uses a DNA forensic procedure to locate the source of seized ivory. Samples analyzed from impounded ivory have revealed that poachers frequently bombard specific elephant populations and that regions thought to have little poaching are suffering as well. Such forensic techniques provide some optimism for the potential to stop poaching. But law enforcement agencies remain concerned by the scale and international coordination of the poachers. It may require matching international cooperation among the law enforcement agencies themselves ultimately to eradicate elephant poaching. – YaleGlobal