More than thirty leaders from Africa have signed a petition to urge European Union (EU) to announce ivory trade as illegal in its territory calling China has taken the lead, Hong Kong has followed, and now it is time for the other countries to implement the same to save elephants.
The population of elephants has declined sharply lately. In 1979 the number was 1.3 million and in 2016 it has dropped to just over 350,000.
China banned ivory trade in the country in December 2017 and about a month later Hong Kong announced the same.
Asia has been a thriving market for ivory trade and lately the demand was recorded as historically high.
China was the largest importer of ivory in the world.
A data reveals up to 30,000 elephants are killed per year in Africa for poaching.
Elephant census reveals the elephants have migrated to safety in parks, mostly in southern African countries where strict anti-poaching laws prevail. One-third of the population is found in such part of the continent.
One good example of safe haven for elephants is Chobe National Park in northern Botswana where the population has risen too by over 30,000 since 1995.
Botswana’s environment minister Tshekedi Khama said, “The reason the EU must close the trade in because China has closed that avenue.”
