For the past year, it seemed like nothing would go right for African elephants. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) revealed in a report that in 2012, 22,000 elephants were killed in Africa. 22,000 in one year alone. In that same report, it was estimated that if the rate at which elephants were being killed remained pretty much the same for the next 10 years, then 20% of Africa's elephants would be wiped out. That is a huge decrease in an already dwindling population. Though many local communities in Africa took certain measures to lower the amount of killings that were occurring, there continued to be little response from the international community.
Many people thought that poaching was getting out of control and that little could be done to stop it. Now, that has all changed. Nations around the world are finally taking action against this mindless killing. At the African Elephant Summit in Botswana, thirty nations signed an agreement to adopt fourteen measures to protect elephants and other wildlife crime victims. These measures include classifying wildlife trafficking as a serious crime, strengthening cross-border law enforcement, and reining in demand for ivory in Asia with information campaigns. One of the thirty nations to sign the agreement was China, which is the largest ivory consumer in the world. This is a huge step towards stopping the poaching of elephants and in turn, stopping the illegal ivory trade. Hopefully, these new international measures will turn the tide in the fight for elephants and finally give these amazing creatures a reprieve.
Many people thought that poaching was getting out of control and that little could be done to stop it. Now, that has all changed. Nations around the world are finally taking action against this mindless killing. At the African Elephant Summit in Botswana, thirty nations signed an agreement to adopt fourteen measures to protect elephants and other wildlife crime victims. These measures include classifying wildlife trafficking as a serious crime, strengthening cross-border law enforcement, and reining in demand for ivory in Asia with information campaigns. One of the thirty nations to sign the agreement was China, which is the largest ivory consumer in the world. This is a huge step towards stopping the poaching of elephants and in turn, stopping the illegal ivory trade. Hopefully, these new international measures will turn the tide in the fight for elephants and finally give these amazing creatures a reprieve.
Do you think that these new measures will curb the poaching of elephants? Or do you think that people will continue to kill them to trade their ivory in underground markets? Tell me what you think in the comment section below!
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