The recent death of Satao, one of Kenya’s — and Africa’s — most tracked elephants, brought the topic of elephant poaching to the forefront of discussion worldwide. Satao, the “Great Tusker,” had tusks so long they almost touched the ground. They weighed more than than 45 kilograms, and eventually, poachers got them. Satao was killed May 30 by a poisoned arrow, according to Tsavo Trust. African countries have been scrambling to curb poaching of their precious elephant and rhino populations. They continue to struggle against increasingly tech-savvy poaching operations and the international demand for the illegal trade. Here are 10 things you should know about the poaching business in Africa.
Sources: WWF.Panda.org, News.NationalPost.com, HuffingtonPost.com, Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, BBC.com, ICCFoundation.us, NYTimes.com, Independent.co.uk
Due to better policing in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda, elephant poaching in those countries decreased in 2013. The decline was also aided by a slight downturn in demand from key markets, particularly China, which conducted its first public destruction of ivory to discourage buyers. There has been a rise in demand in China for legal mammoth ivory, mainly exported from Russia.
There are a variety of proposed solutions to help combat illegal ivory poaching, one being to develop a controlled ivory trade in the Southern African countries where elephant populations are increasing. Proponents say it would bring substantial economic benefit to host countries without jeopardizing the conservation of the species. Legalizing the trade would flood the market, lower prices, and dissuade poachers. Rhino horns, for instance, regenerate and can be shaved down every few years without hurting the animal significantly.
Elephant ivory can sell for tens of thousands of pounds per tusk, and it is estimated that the tusks of a single adult elephant can be worth more than 10 times the average annual income in many African countries. The immense value of ivory makes it difficult to persuade poachers to pursue other endeavors.
The demand for rhino horn in Asia has set a historic high price, making it more valuable than gold or cocaine. There is a common belief in Asia that ground-up rhino horn can cure cancer and other ills, increasing the urgent demand.
Though poaching itself decreased in Africa in 2013, the amount of illegal ivory seized by authorities rose significantly. More than 20,000 elephants were poached in Africa in 2013 — 80 percent of them in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda. These countries were required by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species to draw up and implement plans to crack down on smuggling and poachers. The Central African Republic, however, saw an increase in poaching in 2013. Poachers have begun to look for countries with looser regulations and fewer resources to combat the illegal trade.
In 2013, more elephants were poached than born, posing a serious threat to the survival of the continent’s elephant population, BBC reported. Calls for curbing the illegal ivory trade are becoming more urgent as unsettling figures like this are released.
As poaching operations become more militarized and tech-savvy, African park rangers find themselves chronically outgunned by well-armed and well-financed poachers. Some of Africa’s most notorious groups have been linked with poaching activities, including Somalia’s al-Shabab, Darfur’s Janjaweed, and the notorious Lord’s Resistance Army from Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Due to a lack of official resources, grassroots squads of rangers have gathered to protect their communities’ wildlife. Volunteers have formed militarized neighborhood watches of a sort, and the impetus comes from more than a desire to protect nature. Communities realize the economic benefits that Africa’s wildlife can bring. Tourists shell out thousands of dollars to go on safari. Some of those tourism dollars go into impoverished local communities for building infrastructure and improving education.
Like other illegal operations, poaching is mainly a money-making endeavor for those higher up in the food chain. Entry-level poachers who do the illegal work on the ground get a small cut of the money. The safari industry may offer better pay. This has been a crucial point in helping lure people out of the illegal poaching business to become contributors in the preservation — rather than destruction — of wildlife.
The number of rhinos killed in South Africa soared in the past five years. In 2007, 13 rhinos were killed. In 2012, the rhino death toll by poachers was 630. Sophisticated rhino poaching rings have begun using helicopters to spot rhinos and dart them with tranquilizers, forcing South African authorities to spend more to stop them.