Elephant poaching declines, but other threats persist
Ntombi Mavimbela, SABC News
June 15, 2024
See link
https://www.sabcnews.com/sabcnews/elephant-poaching-declines-but-other-threats-persist/
for photo.
Wildlife organisation, Wild Africa Fund has welcomed the news of the
decline in elephant poaching but warns that the threat to Africa’s
elephants persists.
This, as a new report from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime has
revealed that elephant poaching is on the decline. The reduction of cases
has been linked to the closure of key domestic ivory markets which has
significantly reduced demand.
Wild Africa Fund CEO and co-founder, Peter Knights says even though the
conviction of high-level traffickers across Africa and Asia has limited the
flow of illegal ivory, reporting wildlife crime and saying ‘NO’ to poaching
must continue.
“I wish we could pack up and go home with some of these issues but
unfortunately the pressures persist. Where there’s money to be made, people
will try and find various means to make that money. So it is encouraging
that we’ve been doing the right thing and that there has been more
awareness from consumers. If people want a product, it drives the demand
but if the demand is reduced it has a negative impact. So although it is
very good news, elephants face a number of other pressures from climate
change, human/wildlife conflict amongst others. We have to keep fighting to
keep the elephant numbers up in order to protect them and the economy
because they contribute to tourism in African economies.”
https://www.sabcnews.com/sabcnews/elephant-poaching-declines-but-other-threats-persist/